Büklükale

Türkiye · Kırıkkale

SettlementExcavation ongoing
Approximate periodEarly, Middle and Late Bronze Age, Iron Age, Hellenistic and Ottoman See on the map ↓

In brief

Büklükale, on the banks of the Kızılırmak River, is a settlement spanning multiple periods, consisting of a lower and an upper town. Tablets and fortification remains demonstrate the site's importance during the Hittite period.

What was found?

  • 1Hittite tablet fragments

    These are fragments of cuneiform documents in Hittite. According to researchers, one of them may be a letter sent to the Hittite king.

  • 2Hurrian ritual tablet

    This is a cuneiform document in Hurrian associated with religious ceremonies. According to researchers, it suggests a connection between royal circles and the settlement.

  • 3Casemate fortification wall

    The defensive line surrounding the lower town was identified through geomagnetic surveys. Its plan resembles the Hittite casemate wall technique also seen at Hattuşa.

  • 4Karum-period palace

    This is a large building constructed on a stone terrace that suffered a fire. It shows monumental construction before the Hittite Imperial Period.

What does it point to?

The fortification wall and palace indicate the strategic importance of the settlement at the Kızılırmak crossing. According to researchers, the Hittite and Hurrian documents show that administration and religious ceremonies brought together different linguistic traditions.

What did it teach us?

  1. Revealed the presence of a monumental palace from the Karum period, before the Hittite period.
  2. Established that the lower town was surrounded by a fortification wall resembling the Hittite defensive tradition.
  3. Provided written evidence for the use of Hurrian in religious practices at the settlement.

Images

Büklükale 01
Ingeborg Simon · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Record

Culture
Assyrian Trading Colonies, Hittite and later Anatolian communities
First modern dig
2009
Team / historical
Kimiyoshi Matsumura / Japon Anadolu Arkeoloji Enstitüsü
Coordinates
39.5833°, 33.4283°

Sources

  1. kirsehir.ktb.gov.tr
  2. en.wikipedia.org
  3. Kırşehir Ahi Evran Üniversitesi — Kimiyoshi Matsumura'nın Büklükale kazısı tanıtımı
  4. Japon Anadolu Arkeoloji Enstitüsü — Büklükale

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12.000

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