Korean tech helps uncover ancient Hellenistic city in Turkey

A Korea-Turkey excavation at Kultepe in central Turkey uncovered a large Hellenistic urban complex and a rare mosaic floor, with Korean digital scanning and documentation technologies helping researchers analyze the site. The findings provide evidence of large-scale Hellenistic residences, temples and a city at the ancient settlement. The collaboration, launched in 2025, expands Korean archaeological research beyond sites connected to Korean history. The two countries are preparing a special exhibition at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul next year and a framework for long-term academic and technical exchanges.

Kultepe was the capital of the ancient Kingdom of Kanesh and a major trading hub for Assyrian merchants, and it has yielded some of the earliest known written records from Anatolia.

Kultepe-Kanesh has been on Turkey’s UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List since 2014.

Turkish archaeologist Fikri Kulakoglu said Korean digital scanning and documentation reduced processing time and minimized errors when researchers analyzed tens of thousands of pottery fragments per season.

Korea’s National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage began international excavations in 2000 under an agreement with Russia and worked for more than two decades at sites in Northern and Central Asia.

The article dates the mosaic flooring to around 2000 B.C. and says mosaics are extremely rare in central Anatolia.

Published Oct 29, 2026 12:00 am KST

Joint excavation at Kultepe reveals ancient urban complex

Bulent Gonultas, center, deputy director general of Turkey's General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums, speaks during a joint media interview at Koreana Hotel in Seoul, Tuesday. Next to him are Umut Gorgulu, left, head of Department of Excavations and Surveys at Turkey's Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and Fikri Kulakoglu, professor of archaeology at Ankara University. Courtesy of Korea Heritage Service

A joint excavation between Korea and Turkey at an archeological site in central Turkey, has uncovered a sprawling Hellenistic urban complex and rare mosaic flooring dating back to around 2000 B.C., the Korea Heritage Service said on Wednesday, adding that the landmark discovery was possible due to Korea’s advanced technologies in architecture.

Kultepe served as the capital of the ancient Kingdom of Kanesh and a major trading hub for Assyrian merchants, yielding some of the earliest known written records from Anatolia. The newly identified structure and mosaic floor could provide new insights into the lesser-known Hellenistic history of the ancient settlement. Kultepe-Kanesh has been on Turkey's UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List since 2014.

Turkish experts took a note of Korean researchers who used digital scanning and precise documentation technologies to analyze pottery fragments with unprecedented speed and accuracy.

"The Korean team is exceptionally thorough and organized," said Fikri Kulakoglu, a professor at Ankara University who leads joint international research teams, during a joint interview in Seoul, Tuesday.

"Analyzing tens of thousands of pottery fragments per season is daunting, but Korea's digital scanning and documentation drastically reduced processing time and minimized errors. He added that combining Korea's top research talent and technology at Kultepe is generating "three to four times the synergy," expressing hope that Turkey will adopt similar digital cataloging systems in the future.

An aerial view shows a newly unearthed structure at the Kultepe archaeological site in Kayseri, central Turkey. A joint excavation team from Korea's National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and Ankara University uncovered the site using 3D scanning and digital documentation technologies. Courtesy of Korea Heritage Service

Uncovering Anatolian history

Among many international teams actively working on the archeological site, Turkish officials said, the Korean team stood out with its technologies that helped prove the existence of a major Hellenistic center for the first time.

"Hellenistic structures previously found at Kultepe were very small in scale, making it impossible to determine the size of a Hellenistic city," Kulakoglu explained. "Through this excavation, we can now prove that there were large-scale Hellenistic residences, temples and an actual sprawling city in central Anatolia — something never before confirmed through systematic excavation."

The discovery of the mosaic floor further underscores the site's architectural prestige. "Mosaics are extremely rare in central Anatolia; you can count them on one hand," Kulakoglu added. "Mosaics were crafted by specialized artisans exclusively for sacred, ceremonial or high-status locations."

Meaningful work for Korean archaeology

For Korea, the technological contributions and research success represent a major turning point.

Since beginning international excavations in 2000 under an agreement with Russia, Korea’s National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage (NRICH) concentrated for over two decades on sites in Northern and Central Asia, including Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, as part of efforts to trace the origins of the Korean people and explore historical states like the Balhae kingdom (698-926).

Korean and Turkish archaeologists uncover Hellenistic mosaic floor at the Kultepe archaeological site in Kayseri, Turkey, in this 2026 file photo. Courtesy of Korea Heritage Service

However, the Kultepe joint excavation, launched in 2025, expanded that focus beyond Korean-related history.

"This joint investigation marks a new turning point, expanding Korean archaeology from its regional roots toward the study of ancient civilizations," said Park Yoon-jung, director of NRICH's archaeological heritage division. "By directly participating in the research of major global heritage sites beyond direct national ties, we are elevating the standing of Korean archaeology and building an international research network."

Deepening bilateral ties

Bulent Gonultas, deputy director general of Turkey's General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums, said the collaboration with Korea will expand beyond arccheology.

"Geographically, our countries are far apart, but we consider each other brotherly nations. Through these continuous collaborations, we aim to further expand historical and cultural exchange between our two countries," Gonultas said.

To share these discoveries with the public, both nations are preparing a special exhibition at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul next year, while establishing a framework for long-term academic and technical exchanges.

在土耳其中部库尔特佩（Kultepe）进行的韩国-土耳其联合考古发掘，发现了一处大型希腊化时期城市建筑群和一块罕见的马赛克地板。韩国的数字扫描和记录技术为研究人员提供了分析该遗址的有力支持。这些发现证实了该古代聚落曾存在大规模的希腊化时期住宅、神庙和城市。这项于2025年启动的合作项目，将韩国的考古研究拓展到与韩国历史相关的遗址之外。两国正计划明年在首尔的韩国国立中央博物馆举办一场特别展览，并建立长期学术和技术交流框架。

库尔特佩是古代卡内什王国的首都，也是亚述商人的主要贸易中心，并出土了安纳托利亚已知最早的一些书面记录。

自 2014 年以来，库尔特佩-卡内什一直位列土耳其联合国教科文组织世界遗产预备名单。

土耳其考古学家菲克里·库拉科格鲁表示，韩国的数字化扫描和记录技术减少了处理时间，并最大限度地减少了研究人员每个季度分析数万块陶器碎片时出现的错误。

韩国国立文化遗产研究所于 2000 年根据与俄罗斯的协议开始了国际考古发掘工作，并在北亚和中亚的遗址进行了二十多年的发掘。

文章将马赛克地板的年代确定为公元前 2000 年左右，并指出马赛克在安纳托利亚中部极为罕见。

发布于2026年10月29日凌晨12:00（韩国标准时间）

库尔特佩联合发掘揭示了古代城市建筑群

周二，在首尔高丽酒店举行的联合媒体采访中，土耳其文化遗产和博物馆总局副局长布伦特·贡努尔塔什（中）发表讲话。他旁边是土耳其文化和旅游部考古发掘和调查司司长乌穆特·戈尔古鲁（左）和安卡拉大学考古学教授菲克里·库拉科格鲁。图片由韩国遗产服务处提供。

韩国文化遗产厅周三表示，韩国和土耳其在土耳其中部一处考古遗址进行的联合挖掘，发现了一个规模庞大的希腊化时期城市建筑群和罕见的马赛克地板，其历史可追溯到公元前2000年左右。文化遗产厅还表示，这一里程碑式的发现得益于韩国在建筑领域的先进技术。

库尔特佩曾是古代卡内什王国的首都，也是亚述商人的重要贸易中心，出土了安纳托利亚地区已知最早的文字记录。新发现的建筑结构和马赛克地板有望为我们深入了解这座古代聚落鲜为人知的希腊化时期历史提供新的视角。库尔特佩-卡内什自2014年起被列入土耳其联合国教科文组织世界遗产预备名单。

土耳其专家注意到韩国研究人员利用数字扫描和精确的记录技术，以前所未有的速度和准确性分析了陶器碎片。

“韩国团队非常细致周到，组织严密，”领导国际联合研究团队的安卡拉大学教授菲克里·库拉科格鲁周二在首尔接受联合采访时表示。

“每个季度分析数万块陶器碎片的工作量巨大，但韩国的数字化扫描和记录技术大幅缩短了处理时间，并将错误降到了最低。” 他补充说，库尔特佩陶器厂汇集了韩国顶尖的研究人才和技术，产生了“三到四倍的协同效应”，并表示希望土耳其未来也能采用类似的数字化编目系统。

航拍照片显示了位于土耳其中部开塞利市库尔特佩考古遗址新近发掘出土的建筑结构。韩国国立文化遗产研究院和安卡拉大学组成的联合发掘团队利用三维扫描和数字化记录技术完成了此次发掘。图片由韩国遗产服务处提供。

揭开安纳托利亚历史的面纱

土耳其官员表示，在众多积极参与考古发掘工作的国际团队中，韩国团队凭借其技术脱颖而出，首次证明了一个重要的希腊化中心的存在。

库拉科格鲁解释说：“此前在库尔特佩发现的希腊化时期建筑规模都很小，因此无法确定希腊化时期城市的规模。通过这次发掘，我们现在可以证明，在安纳托利亚中部存在着大规模的希腊化时期住宅、神庙以及一座真正的庞大城市——这是此前从未通过系统性发掘证实过的。”

马赛克地板的发现进一步凸显了该遗址的建筑地位。“马赛克在安纳托利亚中部极其罕见，屈指可数，”库拉科格鲁补充道，“马赛克是由专业工匠专门为神圣、礼仪或地位显赫的场所制作的。”

对韩国考古学而言意义非凡的工作

对韩国而言，这些技术贡献和研究成果代表着一个重要的转折点。

自 2000 年与俄罗斯达成协议开始进行国际考古发掘以来，韩国国家文化遗产研究所 (NRICH) 在二十多年里一直专注于北亚和中亚的遗址，包括俄罗斯、蒙古、哈萨克斯坦和乌兹别克斯坦，以此追溯韩国人的起源，并探索渤海国 (698-926) 等历史国家。

这张摄于2026年的资料照片显示，韩国和土耳其考古学家在土耳其开塞利库尔特佩考古遗址发掘希腊化时期的马赛克地板。照片由韩国遗产服务处提供。

然而，2025 年启动的库尔特佩联合考古发掘，将研究重点扩展到了与韩国相关的历史之外。

“此次联合调查标志着一个新的转折点，它将韩国考古学从地域性研究拓展到对古代文明的研究，”韩国国家文物保护研究院考古遗产部主任朴允贞表示，“通过直接参与超越国界限制的全球重大遗产地研究，我们正在提升韩国考古学的地位，并构建一个国际研究网络。”

深化双边关系

土耳其文化遗产和博物馆总局副局长布伦特·贡努尔塔什表示，与韩国的合作将扩展到考古学以外的领域。

“从地理位置上看，我们两国相距遥远，但我们视彼此为兄弟国家。通过这些持续的合作，我们旨在进一步扩大两国间的历史和文化交流，”贡努尔塔斯说。

为了与公众分享这些发现，两国正在筹备明年在首尔韩国国立中央博物馆举办特别展览，同时建立长期学术和技术交流的框架。