Surprising find raises conspiracy theories
Archaeologists excavating in Turkey at the 3,000-year-old Zerzevan Castle, a site once used as a military settlement during Roman times in the province of Diyarbakır in southeastern Turkey, were amazed when they unearthed a badge depicting the Great Seal of the United States of America.
The excavations, which were first launched in 2014 by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Dicle University, the Turkish History Association and some other regional institutions, have unearthed an underground temple of Roman Mithras, a defense tower, a church, an office building, residential buildings, grain and weapons stores, bunkers, rock tombs and aqueducts. canals, as well as many of the vital artifacts in Zerzevan Castle today, writes the Daily Sabah, citing Anadolu Agency.
But not only: Aytaç Koskun, Dicle University lecturer and head of the excavation team at the excavation site, reported Anadolu agency that the archaeologists found the badge during their recent excavations.
According to Koskun, the motif depicted on the surface of the badge, discovered at a depth of 125 centimeters on the eastern walls of the Zerzevan castle, was first developed in 1782.
“Early examples of this type of badge or button were used in the US in the 1850s. Since 1902, a symbol similar to this badge has also been used by the US Army. Similar examples were also used during the First World War and refer to the general service unit,” emphasized Aytaç Koskun.
He added that the Latin inscription “E Pluribus Unum” was placed on the badge. "This is the first official US slogan. This slogan, written in Latin, means: “Out of many — single". It was used to denote the union of the 13 colonies that make up the United States”, the Turkish scholar explained.
“On the right paw of the eagle depicted on the badge, an olive branch is depicted, on the left – a tightly stretched bundle consisting of 13 arrows. These symbols are known to represent ”the power of peace and war", he noted.
“On the eagle's beak is seen a scroll with the inscription "E Pluribus Unum". The shield, located on the breast of the eagle and representing the states, indicates the unity of the federal government. A bright constellation of 13 stars has been used above the eagle's head.
“The discovery of this copper-zinc alloy badge in the Zerzevan fortress is quite interesting and fascinating,” Koskun said, adding that, according to their research, no such finds have been found either during archaeological excavations in Turkey or abroad.
“Similar examples have only been found in the US and UK. Upon closer analysis, it turned out that technology developed after the 15th century was used. The analysis also showed that the badge lay underground for about 250-300 years, starting from the 18th century”, he noted.
“Early examples of this type of badge or button were used in the US in the 1850s. Since 1902, this badge-like coat of arms has also been used by the US Army,” he said, stressing how surprising it is to find such an item, which probably dates from the founding period of the United States.
Zerzevan Castle is located in Turkey at 124 meter high rocky hill in a strategic location between the ancient cities of Amida and Dara. Due to its location the castle rises above the entire valley and controls a large area on the ancient trade route.
The history of Zerzevan Castle dates back to the Assyrian period (882-611 BC). During the Roman period, the main military settlement was built and was in continuous use until 639 BC, when the Islamic armies conquered the area.
The castle grounds are also listed as a temporary UNESCO World Heritage Site. The castle houses the Temple of Mithras, which still preserves traces of the rituals of the Mithraic religion. According to some conspiracy theories, some members of famous American families visited the temple and performed unknown rituals here.
