It turns out the ancient Hittites had a knack for wood floors.
An archeological excavation in a cave located near the Black Sea in Zonguldak, Turkey, uncovered what is believed to be one of the oldest settlements of the Black Sea region, with artifacts dating back 6,500 years, Hurriyet Daily News reports, and among the historical finds in the cave were wood planks believed to have been used by the ancient Hittites as flooring.
The excavations of the cave—which also contained paintings, ovens, pottery and pipes—are being performed by the Bülent Ecevit University Archeology Department and are expected to continue next year. The report does not mention the species of the wood flooring discovered.
“Next year when we dig here, we will understand the tradition of wood [flooring] here,” Hamza Ekmen, the head of the excavations, told the Daily News.
The Hittite era spans from 1600–1178 B.C.E.
