ANKARA / ISTANBUL

Archaeologists excavating the ancient city of Troy in northwestern Türkiye have unearthed a 4,500-year-old golden brooch and a rare jade stone, the country’s culture minister said Saturday.

Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced the discovery on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal, calling the brooch, dated to the Early Bronze Age, “one of the most important finds of the past century.”

He said it is one of only three known examples worldwide and the best preserved.

The artifacts uncovered in the Troy II settlement layers date back to approximately 2,500 BC. The ministry said the discovery also helps resolve long-standing debates about the beginning of the Troy II period.

Ersoy observed that the jade stone was regarded as a luxury item about 4,500 years ago. Both pieces, along with a bronze pin discovered in the same layer, will be displayed at the Troy Museum in Canakkale.

For over 160 years, archaeologists have been studying the ancient city of Troy, which was immortalized in Homer's epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998 and is regarded as one of the world's most important archaeological sites, shedding light on early Anatolian urbanization and trade.

The ministry said the discoveries will “shed light on history in the very land where it was lived,” in line with its principle of displaying artifacts where they are found.