Turkish archaeologists unearthed a Neolithic settlement area dating back some 8,400 years ago in the western province of Izmir, the Turkish Daily News reported on Monday.

The settlement area, discovered at the Ulucak tumulus in Izmir's Kemalpasa district, could be the oldest settlement dating from the Neolithic period unearthed to date, archaeologist Fulya Dedeoglu of Turkey's Ege University was quoted as saying.

Workshops, storage facilities and furnaces were among the most significant structures unearthed in the tumulus, said Dedeoglu.

The findings also included mother goddess figures and pieces of ceramics, added Dedeoglu.

Noting that excavations had been underway in the area since 1995, Dedeoglu said that further excavations might reveal even older remains.

Source: Xinhua