Archaeologists excavating an ancient settlement in southwestern Turkey have uncovered obsidian tools made from volcanic glass from the Greek island of Melos (Greek: Μῆλος), providing new evidence that Early Bronze Age trade networks reached deep into the Anatolian interior.
Researchers recovered the artifacts from a settlement layer dating to about 2400 B.C. at Çaltılar Höyük, a prehistoric mound in Muğla’s Seydikemer district. The site stands about 1,287 meters (4,222 feet) above sea level and nearly 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the modern coastline, making the discovery especially notable.
Alongside the Melian obsidian, archaeologists found a fragment of a Cycladic object known as a “frying pan,” a spool-shaped weight associated with the western Aegean, and stone tools made from obsidian sourced in Central Anatolia. Together, the finds show that the highland settlement received materials from both the Greek islands and inland Anatolia.
Obsidian reveals ancient exchange routes
Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass prized for its razor-sharp edge. Ancient communities used it to produce blades, scrapers and other cutting tools. Because each volcanic source has a distinct chemical signature, researchers can identify where the raw material originated.
Melos, one of the prehistoric Aegean’s principal obsidian sources, supplied volcanic glass that circulated widely across the Greek mainland, the islands and the western coast of Anatolia. The discovery at Çaltılar Höyük shows that these exchange networks also reached mountain communities far from the sea.
“We recovered chipped stone artifacts made from Melos obsidian,” excavation director Prof. Dr. Ayşegül Aykurt told Anadolu Agency. She said the discovery demonstrates that the settlement maintained connections across the Aegean.
Researchers say the finds do not suggest that Çaltılar’s inhabitants sailed directly to Melos. Instead, the obsidian likely passed through a chain of coastal and inland communities before settling, reflecting a well-established network of exchange.
A strategic settlement in the highlands
Çaltılar Höyük occupies the upper Eşen River valley, known in antiquity as the Xanthos River. Researchers believe the river served as a natural corridor linking the Mediterranean coast with the inland highlands.
Archaeologists have uncovered obsidian from the Greek island of Melos at Çaltılar Höyük in southwestern Türkiye, showing that Bronze Age trade networks reached deep into the Anatolian interior more than 4,000 years ago. pic.twitter.com/iBBCMIoxmn
— Tom Marvolo Riddle (@tom_riddle2025) July 29, 2026
Aykurt said the settlement’s location may have allowed it to act as an intermediary between coastal communities, the Greek islands and central Anatolia. The presence of both Melian and Central Anatolian obsidian supports that interpretation.
Excavations that began in 2021 have uncovered eight settlement layers dating between about 3100 and 2400 B.C. Evidence suggests the earliest residents lived on the surrounding plain before moving onto the mound after nearby marshland began to dry.
The site remained occupied from at least the fourth millennium B.C. until the middle of the sixth century B.C., preserving one of the longest archaeological sequences in southwestern Anatolia.
Part of a wider Aegean network
Çaltılar was not the only settlement in western Anatolia to receive Melian obsidian. Similar material has been identified at Bakla Tepe, Liman Tepe, Miletus, Çukuriçi Höyük near Ephesus and Aphrodisias. Archaeologists believe these sites formed part of interconnected trade routes linking the Cycladic islands, the Aegean coast and the Anatolian interior.
The discovery at Çaltılar extends that network farther into the mountains of southwestern Anatolia, showing that exchange routes reached inland communities as well as coastal settlements.
Excavations have also uncovered pottery linked to the ancient regions of Lycia, Caria, Lydia and Ionia, along with an unusual Archaic-period building whose stone foundation reused fragments of Late Bronze Age burial jars. According to Aykurt, no comparable structure has yet been identified elsewhere in Anatolia.
Together, the discoveries portray Çaltılar Höyük as a thriving crossroads where people, materials and ideas moved across land and sea more than 4,000 years ago, connecting the Greek islands with communities deep inside Anatolia.
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