The Excavations at Boğazköy-Ḫattuša in 2009

Abstract

At the conclusion of the excavation work in the western Upper City, we succeeded in establishing that the building which has been under investigation since 2006 probably served as the residence of one of the highest representatives of the Hittite military. As well as allowing far-reaching interpretations regarding social history for the first time, the result has also enabled us to locate, in the city, a representative of a social stratum known to us thus far only from cuneiform texts.

Already in the first campaign, the new excavations in the Lower City have yielded data for the chronological and structural reconstruction of the area; some data indicate the need for a revision of the currently valid chronological periods. Furthermore, substantial structural differences have been established in comparison with the old excavations which suggest that there is no continuation of monumental buildings to the south, and that residential buildings are probably to be found there instead. A newly discovered gate in the Postern Wall resolves the long-standing question of the connection between the Lower and Upper City.

A building level destroyed by fire and containing well preserved finds from the Karum period not only proves that the settlement of Assyrian merchants was considerably larger than previously assumed, but also allows us to understand better the transition to the Hittite period and the founding phase of the empire.

The work at Çamlıbel Tarlası has been successfully concluded. Above all, evidence of early metallurgy – supported by natural science analyses – has made a significant contribution to our understanding of the early sedentary settlements in the region of Boğazköy. Observations on the geomorphology of the valley of Karakeçili allow us to make inferences about the development of the entire region of Boğazköy, and give a first indication of the possibilities of exploratory methods there.