Lake of Secrets: The Ancient Kingdom Hidden Beneath the Waters of Turkey’s Lake Van
Step aside Indiana Jones, there's a new archaeologist in town! And they just made a groundbreaking discovery at the bottom of a 600,000-year-old lake. Can you even imagine what ancient treasures might be hidden in those murky depths? Even the most unlikely locations can hold clues to the past and provide insight into the way past civilizations lived and what was important to them. Well, keep reading to find out what the archaeologists uncovered and why it's such a significant find. Continue reading to see that there's still so much mystery left to uncover on this planet!
Lake Van's Incredible Water
There is a gorgeous lake in present-day Turkey called Lake Van that is known for its stunning turquoise water. People have been coming to the lake for decades to admire the majesty of nature. The lake is located right next to an impressively tall mountain, lush green foliage, and an ancient church that sits on the edge of a cliff.
In this spot, architecture and nature blend to create a landscape that’s part man-made and part divinely inspired.
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Erupted Volcano
Back in ancient times, a volcano erupted and the flow of lava ended up blocking Lake Van's outlet. This lake is at a really high altitude: 5,380 feet above sea level. Most water would freeze at that altitude, but Lake Van is salty enough that it stays fluid, even when there’s snow all around it.
Could it be that whatever is at the bottom of this lake ended up there because of the volcano?
Changing Tides
Lake Van was formed over 600,000 years ago. As you can imagine, the Earth looked quite different in those times. The water levels of this lake have risen since the lake was first formed.
It's entirely possible that the artifact at the bottom of the lake was once on dry land, but the rising water eventually engulfed and sunk the structure. We may never know the real reason this lake carries so many secrets.
Historic Treasure
Scientists have always been fascinated with Lake Van because of how old it is. People have been studying this lake for decades, trying to figure out more about its history and ontology.
The scientists were focused on the chemistry and geography of the lake, so they didn’t notice this gigantic structure in the depths of Lake Van. If one momentous event hadn’t happened, that structure may never have been discovered.
Old Land
Maps from the 9th century look a lot different from today's maps. Here you can see that Lake Van was once very close to Tushpa, the capital of Urartu. During the Iron Age, Urartu was a thriving kingdom.
The kingdom was active from 860-560 BC— at least, that’s what legend tells us. However, there has been no physical evidence of this kingdom ever existing. No evidence that is, until now.
New Adventure
A group of archaeologists, historians, and photographers traveled to Lake Van based on a hunch that they might discover something amazing. They had heard stories about an ancient kingdom and the structures they may have left behind. But they had no idea whether those stories were true or not.
The curious team thought that it couldn't hurt to do some exploring. If they didn’t find any artifacts, at least they might learn something new about the lake.
A Prior Mission
This lake had been around for hundreds of thousands of years, so the explorers and researchers thought that there had to be something lurking in its depths. They planned to spend weeks looking for proof of this ancient kingdom.
In the 1950s and '60s, researchers had gone on a similar mission. And when they did, they found something pretty interesting… Keep reading to find out more about what they discovered.
A New Look At An Old Site
In the 1950s, scientists were aware that there might be some sort of ancient structure at the bottom of Lake Van. They heard that the structure was built during the Middle Ages between the years 476 and 1450 A.D. In the '50s and ‘60s, scientists didn't have access to the kind technology that we have now, that aids in making these types of underwater discoveries.
On this second expedition in 2017, the scientists would be able to discover much more than their past counterparts.
The A Team
The group of archaeologists, photographers, and researchers teamed up with some of the very best divers in the area. The team was assembled by Yan Yüzüncü Yıl University. The University was funding an underwater excavations study related to Lake Van.
All of these people set off to discover more about this deep, ancient lake. Little did they know, they were about to make a discovery that would illuminate a people's entire history.
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The Lost City
This lake has been a hot spot for explorers for decades. People have been coming here in search of a long lost city, similar to the City of Atlantis. Divers have found old bottles, bits of glass, some interesting stones, but no evidence of a lost civilization.
This team of researchers wasn't expecting to find something as magical as the sunken City of Atlantis, so when they did, they almost couldn’t believe their eyes.
An Amazing Discovery
The team put on their diving gear and got their cameras ready. They dove deep below the surface of Lake Van, where they found the lost kingdom.
The entire research team was completely overwhelmed, as they knew the significance of this discovery. They hoped they would find something interesting, but to actually locate a 3,000-year-old building was beyond their wildest expectations. Their dive was about to result in uncovering ancient history.
Search And You Shall Find
Deep in the water sitting on the floor of the lake was a huge castle that had been perfectly preserved by the salty water, after all of these years. The divers and researchers had searched long and hard, and this was the reward for their dedication. It was a moment that none of them would ever forget.
The head of the diving team, Tahsin Ceylan, had actually set out on a completely different mission, so he was especially surprised by this find.
Who Else Is Lurking In The Depths?
Ceylan wasn't looking for a castle, he was looking for a monster. There was a rumour that had been circulating for centuries that there was some kind of mythical sea creature living in Lake Van.
Ceylan said, "There was a rumor that there might be something under the water, but most archaeologists and museum officials told us that we won't find anything." Do we think Ceylan could be on to something?
The Size Of The Thing
At the bottom of the lake, the ancient castle sat as though it were on dry land, in impeccable condition. The team wondered how the castle ended up at the bottom of the lake, so they started collecting clues to examine.
The castle walls were about 4 meters high and the structure was about a kilometer wide. The researchers wondered how a castle so massive could end up at the bottom of a lake without documentation as to what happened.
An Answer After Years Of Questions
This castle seemed to be evidence that the long lost Urartu kingdom actually existed. The team had unlocked new evidence that could teach us a great deal about the Iron Age.
The area around the lake was also known as the Kingdom of Van. It existed from the 9th to the 6th century BCE. The scientists on the team hypothesized that the kingdom had been destroyed due to rising water levels.
Learning More About The Uratians
The scientists believed that when the Urartian people first built their castle, the water levels of the lake were dramatically lower. The people must have thought that it was a good idea to build their kingdom next to a water source, even if the water was brackish.
There are probably more Urartian structures at the bottom of Lake Van which means that there's more exploring that needs to be done.
Looking At The Numbers
Some of the sections of the castle were still standing strong, while some walls had disintegrated into piles of loose rocks. Sections of the castle and the city surrounding it were found dispersed along the shore of the lake.
The scientists started looking at the quantifiable data. They measured all of the standing walls and wondered how deep they were buried into the floor of the lake. The more they discovered, the more questions they had.
Who Could This Castle Belong To?
The discovery of this castle answers a lot of questions, but it also brings up even more. The team wanted to learn more about the people who had constructed this castle. They also wanted to know who lived in the castle before it was swallowed up by the lake.
After inspecting the walls of the castle for some time, Ceylan's team discovered a drawing of a lion etched into the rock.
Differing Opinions
Back when Urartu was a thriving kingdom, they used a lion motif to represent themselves. At first, the archaeologists on the team thought that this was irrefutable evidence that this was an Urartian castle, but another archaeologist named Geoffrey Summers had a different opinion.
He said, "It looks more medieval than something from the Urartian kingdom." If Geoffrey is right, it could mean that this castle was still standing (outside of the lake) during the medieval period.
Even More Experts
The researchers determined that some of the stones that the Urartians used to build their castle were originally made during the medieval period. The Urartians were recycling these materials from previously created structures.
An archaeology professor at Marmara University said, "The walls [seem] medieval or late antique period rather than Urartu. Urartian never used any material between ashlar wall stones to connect each other." At that point in the mission, it seemed as though everyone had a different idea about who built this castle.
The Scholar Of Lake Van
A moderately famous scholar named P. Hulin published a report on the ancient mystery surrounding Lake Van. He wrote, "a lofty wall of later than Urartian times runs under the lake." So, some experts think this is a Uratian castle, some think it's pre-Uratian, and some think it’s post-Uratian. So which one of them is right?
P. Hulin had a few more things to say about this intriguing and mysterious castle.
The Writing On The Wall
As part of his research, Hulin discovered inscriptions in artifacts found around Lake Van that spoke about the Urartian King, Rusa. The problem is, these writings had survived all kinds of weather over hundreds of years. The writing wasn't as clear as it used to be.
Hulin was going to have to pull out all the stops if he was going to figure out what was originally written on those stones.
Rusa The Conqueror
King Rusa became the King of Urartu after his father, King Sarduri II died. While his father was still alive, Rusa was a conqueror who expanded the Kingdom of Urartu. During that time, he took over several Anatolian territories.
Once Rusa became king, however, his conquering days would come back to haunt him. You can't just take somebody else’s land and expect them to be okay with it. There were consequences on the horizon.
A New King
Now that King Rusa was on the throne, the Assyrians had an idea. They appointed a new king by the name of Tiglath-Pileser III. That king instructed his people to regroup, build up their strength, and prepare for battle.
He was going to take back the land that had been taken away from him. He wasn't going to be a weak leader like the king before him was. He was prepared to fight back.
A Battle For Power
King Tiglath-Pileser III was preparing his loyal subjects to take back the land that King Rusa's father had taken control of when he was on the throne. Some researchers thought that this was the moment that the Urartian castle disappeared into the lake. Maybe some kind of battle broke out and the castle was completely displaced.
We may never know what really happened to that castle, but we can test all of these theories against the evidence found in the lake.
A Fight To The Finish
When King Rusa took over the Urartian kingdom from his father, he had to immediately fight off King Tiglath-Pileser III's troops. These people had been training for a battle, and it was abundantly clear that nothing (short of brute force) was going to stop them from taking their land back.
Fights over land ownership dominate much of history (and much of current affairs, if you think about it). Land has always meant power, and people have always wanted power.
Hard Work Pays Off
The Urartu kingdom was invaded time and time again, and it had to repair itself each time it was attacked. After all of these battles, the kingdom was gradually deteriorating. Each time, the kingdom needed more resources to make the repairs.
King Tiglath-Pileser III's army was breaking down the Urartu kingdom bit by bit. They saw their efforts working, and believed that with patience and diligence, the kingdom would fall and the land would be theirs for the taking.
The Urartians Admit Defeat
The Urartu people were suffering. They were running out of money and resources and they were growing tired of defending themselves. Eventually, they were forced to admit defeat. They handed over their land and their castles to the people of Assyria.
King Rusa spent most of his reign at war with the Assyrians. In the end, he lost both his kingdom and his mind. He couldn't keep the land he had conquered and felt totally defeated.
The Research Continues
The discovery of the ancient castle at the bottom of Lake Van as attracted many scientists, archaeologists, researchers, and divers to the area. Everyone is determined to find out more about this mysterious structure and how it ended up so far below the surface of the lake.
There is so much more to discover about this massive artifact. Hopefully, the experts will be able to come to a consensus and tell us more about the Urartian people and their kingdom.
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