Archaeologists have discovered approximately 4,000-year-old dog paw prints preserved on a mudbrick at Tavşanlı Höyük, an ancient settlement in present-day Turkey’s Kütahya province. The discovery offers a glimpse into everyday life at one of western Anatolia’s largest Bronze Age settlements.
Researchers found the brick among the remains of a house destroyed by fire thousands of years ago. The brick had once formed part of the building’s wall, preserving impressions left by a dog before the material dried. Turkey’s Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced the discovery on October 26, highlighting the importance of such finds in understanding ancient communities.
Ancient paw prints preserved in mudbrick
According to Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the impressions were formed when a dog walked across a freshly prepared mudbrick during the Bronze Age. Ancient builders commonly made mudbricks by mixing soil, water, and straw. They shaped the mixture into bricks and left them to dry in the sun before using them in construction.
At Tavşanlı Höyük, the animal stepped onto one of these bricks while its surface was still soft. As the material hardened, the impressions remained embedded in the brick. Builders later incorporated it into a house wall. When fire destroyed the structure, the brick became part of the rubble, where it remained buried until archaeologists uncovered it.
Tavşanlı Höyük’te yaklaşık 4.000 yıllık pati izleri bulduk. 🐾
🐕 Kütahya’daki kazılarımızda, patili bir dostumuzun henüz kurumamış kerpicin üzerinde bıraktığı izlere ulaştık.
Tunç Çağı’nda yangın geçirerek yıkılan bir yapının molozu içinde bulunan bu kerpiç, bir zamanlar evin… pic.twitter.com/N8R6Xv1tMf
— Mehmet Nuri Ersoy (@MehmetNuriErsoy) October 26, 2026
Similar discoveries have emerged in other parts of Turkey. At the ancient Greek city of Heraclea, archaeologists found dog paw prints preserved on ancient bricks, along with animal burials and other evidence of close relationships between people and animals.
The impressions at Tavşanlı Höyük confirm a dog’s presence at the settlement. However, they cannot establish whether the animal belonged to a household or moved freely through the area.
Excavations reveal life in Bronze Age Anatolia
Tavşanlı Höyük is among the largest known Bronze Age settlements in western Anatolia. Archaeological investigations have uncovered buildings, artifacts, and other remains that provide information about its ancient inhabitants. Excavations have continued since 2021 under the direction of Professor Erkan Fidan.
The discovery also adds to a growing body of evidence about the history of dogs in Anatolia. Earlier research identified some of the world’s oldest genetically confirmed dog remains at a prehistoric hunter-gatherer site in central Turkey, dating back about 15,800 years.
Other archaeological finds have also revealed how people treated animals in later prehistoric communities. In southern Sweden, researchers discovered a 5,000-year-old dog burial containing an animal deliberately placed alongside a bone dagger. Unlike animal burials or artifacts made for a specific purpose, the impressions at Tavşanlı Höyük formed accidentally. Their survival provides archaeologists with a direct physical trace of an animal that walked through the ancient settlement around 4,000 years ago.
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