The Excavations in Boğazköy-Hattuša 2007

Abstract

Excavations at Yenicekale in the western upper town show that the building could be accessed via a monumental stairway from the south and was integrated into a planned urban district. In the valley beneath Sarıkale, furthermore, investigation of the sequence of layers continued. In the process, another building from the oldest construction layer was excavated. It is now clear that even in this period the buildings were laid out according to regular planning criteria. When construction resumed after a short interlude, the younger buildings continued to follow this regular organisation. Now it is possible to reconstruct three large buildings which stood at the foot of the slope below Sarıkale. The slope underneath the cliff was also clearly modified by means of terracing walls and a large edifice. The excavations at a second site to the south indicate that this area, too, was probably included in a far-reaching urban reorganisation at the same time. Above all in the north-eastern periphery of the city the continuation of geophysical prospecting has provided evidence of intensive development with buildings of various ground-plans and two water reservoirs. Moreover first results of a traditional surfaces survey indicate to potential of such investigations. Outside the immediate city U.-D. Schoop started an excavation at the Chalcolithic site of Çamlıbel Tarlası which will offer more insights on the earliest settlements in the region of Boğazköy.