Bogazköy-Hattuša
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Edited by:
This volume presents buildings and artefacts discovered in excavations conducted on the ridges of Büyükkaya in Hattuša. The oldest traces of settlement date back to the Chalcolithic era. Among the highlights are the huge underground grain storage facilities from the Hittite period, which were protected by a fortified wall, and settlements from the Early and Middle Iron Age, both epochs previously unknown in Hattuša.
In the Byzantine period a nameless village was built atop the Hittite temple in the upper city of Boğazköy. The settlement consisted of more than twenty buildings, a monastery with a church, as well as a cemetery with a funerary chapel. A rich inventory of objects was excavated at this site, which was abandoned in the 11th century. The discovered objects offer a unique window onto the everyday life of village inhabitants in the Middle Ages.
Between 2007 and 2009, a structure was uncovered on a strategically propitious plateau in the Hittite capital city Hattusa, which was the likely residence of the commander of the King’s guards. The architecture and relics have provided insight into the life of the Hittite elite. Byzantine artefacts suggest that the town was larger in the 10th century AD and had contact with other regions.
In two parts, this book presents the initial findings of archeological research in the valley west of Sankale in the upper city of the Hittite capital Hattuša. The first section examines interdisciplinary research on the architectural history at Yenicekale, while the second part provides insight about the use of domesticated animals in the 16th century BCE.
In the eastern upper city of Hattuša, excavations and architectural investigations were conducted in 1988–1993. They led to the discovery of official buildings from the Hittite era, including an archive with thousands of metal seals and an artificial pond with associated ritual structures. These were overlain by an iron-age settlement, whose exposure yielded a broad range of architecture from this epoch.
