In Turkey, during excavations at the 3000-year-old Zerzevan Castle, an icon with the national symbol of the United States was found. The find was reported by members of the archaeological mission of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey, Dikle University and the Turkish Historical Association.
During the work, archaeologists found many different artifacts, but the icon found at a depth of 125 centimeters especially attracted their attention. The head of the mission, Aytach Joshkun, said that the earliest examples of such badges were used in the USA in the 50s of the XIX century, and starting from 1902 the coat of arms with this symbol became widespread in the American army. The badge depicts an eagle holding an olive branch in its right paw, a bundle of 13 arrows in its left paw, and a scroll in its beak with an inscription in Latin “E Pluribus Unum” (“One of many”), reports Daily Sabah.
According to Joshkun, initially this slogan meant the union of 13 colonies united in the United States. According to him, such a find is unique and has not yet taken place during excavations in other countries. During the analysis, it turned out that the badge had lain in the ground for about 300 years, but how it got into the castle remains unclear.
It is specified that the Zerzevan castle in the province of Diyarbakir was built in the Assyrian period (882-611 BC). It was located between the ancient cities of Amida and Dara, due to its convenient location, the castle could be used as a garrison to control the trade route.
