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Büklükale is an archaeological site located in Kırıkkale province, central Turkey near the town of Karakeçili. The location of Büklükale is significant because it is situated on the west bank at the narrowest point of the Kızılırmak River and served as an important crossing point through the ages. There is a Seljuk (13th century A.D.) bridge there, and the remains of a Roman bridge.
  Shown within Turkey | |
| Location | Turkey |
|---|---|
| Region | Kırıkkale province |
| Coordinates | 39°35′0″N 33°25′42″E / 39.58333°N 33.42833°E |
| Area | 30 ha |
| History | |
| Periods | Bronze Age |
| Cultures | Hittite |
History
editIt was originally settled in the Middle Bronze Age through the Late Bronze Age before becoming part of the Hittite Empire. It is about 50 km west of Kaman-Kalehöyük. The site is about 30 hectares in area.[citation needed]
Early Bronze
editIn the Early Bronze, the Anatolian Trade Network may have crossed at this junction of the Kızılırmak River, connecting Central Anatolia with Western Anatolia (Asia Minor).[citation needed]
The site was settled in the Early Bronze Age period (the third millennium BC).[1]
Middle Bronze
editIn the Middle Bronze, the site was an important crossing on the Kızılırmak River for trade routes going east to west. It may have been part of the Assyrian Trade Network. Compared with the Early Bronze, Central Anatolia was less focused on trade with Western Anatolia, which became more directed towards the Aegean. In contrast, Central Anatolia trade moved eastwards to the Assyrians.
There was a walled Lower Town over-topped by a rocky outcrop at the riverside which contained significant buildings surrounded by a 7-meter-high cyclopean wall. According to the excavators the upper city buildings were built around 1980 BC, destroyed around 1860 BC, and then rebuilt to be destroyed again in 1680 BC.[2]
Late Bronze
editHittite Period
editThe Kızılırmak river functions as a border with the Hittite Kingdom proper on the east side and the imperial frontier on the west side. Major roads went from Central Anatolia to Afyon.
A fragment of a Hittite cuneiform tablet was found here during excavations in 2010. This is the most westerly find of any cuneiform tablet in Turkey to date.[3] The tablet has since been transcribed and translated.[4] Recently a tablet was found written in the Hurrian language containing a purification ritual.[5][6]
Excavations
editThe Japanese archaeological team from the Japanese Institute of Anatolian Archaeology that excavated Kaman-Kalehöyük also conducted excavations here under the direction of K. Matsumura beginning in 2009.[7][8]
References
edit- ^ [1] Kimiyoshi Matsumura, Mark Weeden, "Büklükale in the Hittite Period", in Süel, Aygül, (ed.), Acts of the IXth International Congress of Hittitology, Çorum, 08-14 September 2014, Çorum: T.C. Çorum Valiliği, pp. 533-566, 2019
- ^ [2] Fairbairn, Andrew S., et al., "Ceremonial Plant Consumption at Middle Bronze Age Büklükale, Kırıkkale Province, Central Turkey", Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, vol. 28, no. 3, pp. 327–46, 2019
- ^ Weeden M, "A Hittite Tablet from Büklükale", Anatolian Archaeol Stud 18, pp. 19–35, 2013
- ^ 3,300-year-old tablet from mysterious Hittite Empire describes catastrophic invasion of four cities - LiveScience - 11 March 2024
- ^ “Important discovery” showing that the Hittite city of Büklükale close ties with the Hurrian society - ArkeoPress - 2022
- ^ Japanese archaeologists unearth pristine ancient tablet in Turkey - NHK - Feb. 29, 2024
- ^ Matsumura, Kimiyoshi (2020-12-01). "New Evidence on Central Anatolia during the Second Millennium BCE Excavations at Büklükale". Near Eastern Archaeology. 83 (4). University of Chicago Press: 234–247. doi:10.1086/708506. ISSN 1094-2076.
- ^ Weeden,Mark, "Hittite Epigraphic Finds from Büklükale 2011–14", Anatolian Archaeological Studies, 19, pp.81–10, 2016