A team of archaeologists in Turkey have discovered what could be the world’s oldest emoji on a pitcher in the ancient city of Karkamış located along the border with Syria.
Nikolo Marchetti, a professor from Italy’s Bologna University, told Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency that Karkamış dates back to 2,000 B.C.
During the excavations, carried out by a joint Italian-Turkish team, researchers uncovered various vases and pots in the necropolis site.
“One of the most interesting findings of this season was a pitcher with a smiley emoji on it. This pitcher, which traced back to 1,700 B.C., was used to drink sherbet, a sweet drink. We have probably found the oldest smiley emoji. We do not know with which purpose the craftsmen drew this symbol on the pitcher but we call it a smile,” Marchetti said told Anadolu Agency this week.
The pitcher will be sent to the Gaziantep Museum of Archaeology, he said.
The Karkamış Ancient City Archaeological Park is set to reopen after a seven-year excavation period on May 12, 2018, Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Nabi Avcı said in July.

Source: Arab News