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The Hattusas historical
site was first visited by Charles Dexter in 1834
and introduced to the world. Later Sayce made
the first connection between with these ruins
and the Hittite state as until that time the center
of the Hittites was considered to be in Syria.
In 1882, Carl Human came to Bogazköy with Otto
Puchstein and they, for the first time made a
comprehensive planning study. They also made castings
of Yazilikaya which is currently at the Pergamon
museum. During the years 1893-1894 E. Chantre
carried out the first explorative excavations
and in 1905 Makridi and H.Winckler visited Bogazköy
and carried out the excavations which continued
until 1917.
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The systematic excavations
which were started in 1932 by Kurt Bittel on behalf
of the German Archaeological Instutute were stopped
for a while during the IInd World War and the work was
later resumed and continued under the same excavation
leader until 1978. The excavations which are carried
out under the leadership of Dr. Peter Neve from 1978
to 1993 is still progressing on behalf of the same institution
by Dr. Jurgen Seer.
Settlements existed at the Bogazköy (Hattusas) site
since IIIrd millenium B.C. The small and fortified settlements
of that period were at Büyükkale and its environs. In
the 19th and 18th centuries B.C. settlements from the
age of Assyrian Trade Colonies are seen at the Lower
City and the name of the city was first discovered from
written documents of that era.
The first period of development at Hattusas terminated
with a major fire and the culprit behind this fire must
be the Kushara King Anitta. According to documents,
right after this destruction, around 1700 B.C. Hattusas
was settled once more and became the capital of the
Hittite state in 1600's and its builder was Hattusilis
I. who had a Kushara origin just like Anitta.
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After Hattusas
became the capital, a monumantal building development
can be seen at the farthest point of the spreading
settlement and the city took its 13 century B.C.
form with 2 km. wide palace and temple districts.
In the second development period of Hattusas three
important Hittite kings played a significant role
both from within and without during the last years
of the Empire. They were Hattusilis III, his son
Tudhaliyas IV, and his son Suppiuliumas II. When
the Hittite state was destroyed due to economic
hardships and internal strife during the last
years of the Suppiuliumas II reign
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(1190 B.C.) Bogazköy
was abandoned for a period of 4 centuries and
the first settlements seen after this gap is Phrygian
(middle of 8th century B.C.) During the Hellenistic
and Roman times (3rd century B.C. - 3rd century
A.D.) Hattusas is a fiefdom center surrounded
by a small wall and it appears as a village during
the Byzantine period.
The part of Hattusas known as the Upper City is
a sloped land of more than 1 kilometer square.
This area has witnessed the development of the
city during the late Empire Period in 13th century
B.C. A major part of the Upper City solely consisted
of temples and sacred places. Upper City is surrounded
at south by a city wall which draws a large arch
and this wall has 5 gates. At the futhest southern
point of the wall and at the highest point of
the city, the gate with the Sphinxes is located
with its bastion rising above anything else. Of
the other four gates the two facing one another
at the southern and western tips of the city walls
are the royal gate and the gate with the lion
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The building development
seen in the Upper City has been in three stages.
The first stage coincides with the construction
of the city walls. The second is the stage of
rebuilding and giving the temple city its final
form following the first destruction of the walls.
During the last stage a new construction acitivity
had started besides the repairs and renovations
carried out at the existing buildings for purposes
other than the religious ones. In the Upper City,
the area known as
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the districy of the
temples reaches from the gate with the Sphinxes to Nisantepe
and Sarikale. In this part many temples were revealed
orignating from different stages. The general characteristics
of the temple plans were defined by the cult room groups
which are entered from a central court yard and consist
of a narrow fore-space and a deep main space. The material
obtained from the temples are divided into five groups.
1- Utilized ceramics,
2- Utilized tools,
3- Weapons,
4- Cult objects,
5- Written documents.
In the Upper City Post - Hittite buildings at Nisantepe
and Güneykale which are right at the front of Büyükkale
are significant and this is the Phrygian settlement
which is dated to 6-7th centuries B.C. For the Hittite
period this area is studied in three sections defined
according to the tophograpy.
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The pass to the
south of Büyükkale (Viaduct), the plateau which
was previously settled which is to the north of
Nisantepe on both sides of the roads leading to
Upper City, and the area at the site of Güneykale.
The road network which connected to Nisantepe
and the Upper City through the viaduct reaches
a complex with a stone laid inner court with buildings
on the north, south and east sides and a gate
on the fourth.
An important building besides the northern and
southern structures is the western building and
the palace Archives. It is assumed that the building
which
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was destroyed in a big
fire had two basement floors on the slope. In these
two basements nearly 3300 annals and 30 tablets with
hieroglyph insriptions were found. 2/3 of the annals
carry the Great King seals and in chronological order
represent Kings from Suppiuliuma I to the last king
of Hattusas , his great son Suppiuliuma II. Queen seals
besides the king seals were also discovered.
The construction at Güneykale was realized by Suppiuliuma
II. There is a large artificial lake and three buildings
on three seperate points around it. Of the two buildings
which are still standing and named Room 1 and 2; Room
2 is to the west of the northern corner of the lake.
This room which has a single space has a parabolic dome
which diminishes as it becomes narrower towards the
inside. There were few remains found in situ in Room1.
All three walls of room 2 are decorated with reliefs.
The main picture on the opposite wall has a figure with
a long garment which faces towards the left. There is
a sundial with wings on the round head dress and the
figure holds a litus in the left hand and an anch motif
in the right. On the west wall facing it there is a
hierographic inscription.
The excavations carried out at Büyükkale which is built
on a hill of natural rock area to the south of the city
proper has revealed the palace buildings of the Hittite
Kings in 13 - 14th century B.C. and the characteristics
of the wall systems which were for their defense.
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The walls of the
castle whose entrance gate is at southwest are
built on beds carved into rock at north and south
and on a piled earth level in the south with the
chest wall technique. The palace building cannot
be seen as a whole from Büyükkale. Buildings of
varying types and sizes which were revealed with
excavations, large interior spaces connected together
with courts and columned galleries form the whole
within the castle . The castle has rooms for archives
and storage, a large reception hall, buildings
related to the water cult and sacred spaces. Remains
of Phrygian buildings were found at the castle
following the Hittites.
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One of the most important
architectural sites at Bogazköy is the Great Temple
(Temple no.1). The Great Temple which formed the center
of the northern city in Hattusas was built as the home
of Storm God of Hatti and the Sun Goddess of the Arinna
City. The temple has two aditons and there are stone
paved roads and squares around it and storage rooms
behind in all four directions open up to them are located
behind. The Great Temple is seperated from the districts
of the Lower City with a wall. The Great Temple which
is built on a stone terrace obviously served as an economic
center as well as a religious center as the large jugs
which are revealed in situ at the shops indicate. Again
the tablets found at the eastern shops of the temple
shows the existence of the archives.
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