TRABZON, Turkey 

Archeologists unearthed several historical artifacts from the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman eras during excavations in the Zagnos Valley of Turkey's northern Trabzon province.

The excavations in Ickale and Yukarihisar sites were launched in August in collaboration with Turkey's Culture and Tourism Ministry, Trabzon Metropolitan Municipality, Karadeniz Technical University, and the city's Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Mehmet Yavuz, the head of the excavation team from Karadeniz Technical University, said that during the works carried out in an area spanning 5,000 square meters (53,820 square feet) the archeologists unearthed several historical artifacts such as roofing tiles, amphoras, coins, a bronze chandelier, an Ottoman seal, and an arrowhead dating back to the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods.

Noting that the works were focused in two areas with five different excavations, Yavuz revealed that in the first excavation in the south of Ickale Mosque, the teams went down to a depth of 1.60 meters (5.3 feet) and unearthed stones from the Roman period.

In another excavation, they found stones used on the inner city walls from the Byzantine period, he said.

He went on to say that a large number of Roman-style ceramics, roof tiles, amphora fragments, and corroded coins from the Byzantine era were discovered.

He said they also discovered some 80 coins, and a tomb from the Ottoman era during the excavations.

Yavuz said they hope to uncover more concrete evidence to shed light on Trabzon's known past, adding that the excavation team aims to uncover cultural layers and artifacts from the pre-Roman Hellenistic, Persian, and tribal periods.

In the next 10 or 15 years, the team expects to unearth many more findings, he added.