This simple smiley face was found on a 3,700 year old piece of pottery in the ancient city of Carchemish, on the border of Turkey and Syria. The pot was under repair as part of an exhibit at the Gaziantep Museum of Archeology, opening in May 2018, when the team of restorers noticed the painted-on face.

A pot with a large-belly and a small handle, like this one, was used to carry liquids. This one in particular was used for drinking a sweet drink called sherbet.

Nicolo Marchetti, an archeology professor at the University of Bologna, lead the team that discovered the unique pot. He stated, “The smiling face is undoubtedly there. There are no other traces of painting on the flask. It has no parallels in ancient ceramic art of the area. As for the interpretation, you may certainly choose your own.”

Archaeologists have been excavating the city of Carchemish for seven years, extracting all types of artifacts, but this by far seems to be the most interesting!

To learn more about this fascinating find please visit, http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/worlds-oldest-smiley-face-found-hittite-jug-180964177/.


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