We probably have a lot more in common with ancient societies than we realize—like, for example, furry friends that bring small joy in our daily lives.

In a social media post yesterday, Türkiye’s minister of culture and tourism, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, shared photos of dog paw prints left on a mudbrick at the archaeological site of Tavşanlı Höyük. The prints are believed to be roughly 4,000 years old, and the brick was likely part of a Bronze Age building. Ersoy’s post does not specify how many paw prints were discovered nor the details of the excavation, although he mentioned that a research team led by archaeologist Erkan Fidan at Bilecik Şeyh Edebali University had been working at the site since 2021.

“At Tavşanlı Höyük, one of the largest Bronze Age settlements in Western Anatolia , we are uncovering not only structures and artifacts but also such small and unexpected traces of life,” Ersoy wrote in his post (translated via Google).

The site that keeps on giving

Earlier this summer, Fidan’s team shared…