Bronze Age settlement found in Central Anatolia

Excavation work at Ovaoren village in Turkey's Central Anatolian province of Nevsehir has brought to light a settlement in ancient Yassihoyuk dating back to 1,700 B.C.

Excavations at Yassihoyuk [Credit: DHA]

The ancient site could, however, even date back to 6,000 B.C., said the head of the excavation team and the director of the Gazi University Archaeology Department, Yucel Senyurt.

A team of 23 archaeologists along with 26 people from Ovaoren have been carrying out the excavation works, which were launched in 2007 by a decision of the Council of Ministers.

Yassihoyuk along with Topakhoyuk and its booms constitute the largest excavation fields in Turkey at some 350,000 square meters.

The works revealed the oldest settlement, formed in Topakhoyuk around 2,500 B.C., has been a rich settlement regarding the archaeological findings, build-up plan and tombs.

“The printing of the seals [found during the excavation] shows that a trade colony had lived in the area. In Yassihoyuk, we have been trying to document the settlement of Hittites lying under these architectural layers dating back to the Iron Age. We have also revealed that this urban-looking settlement of Yassihoyuk was surrounded by defense systems in the Middle Iron Age, as in the Hittite Age. The ruins of seven-meter-long walls and the portals of the town in Ovaoren-Yassihoyuk will become important tourism destinations in the near future,” said Senyurt.

Source: Hurriyet Daily News [September 01, 2015]