Excavations at the Site of Kayalipinar (Eastern Cappadocia/Turkey) - Investitagions on institutional buildings in Hittite Samuha

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Andreas Müller-Karpe
• Subject Area: Egyptology and Ancient Near Eastern Studies ; Prehistory and World Archaeology
• Term: from 2012 to 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 224073889

Fragments of cuneiform tablets, discovered in autumn 2014 allowed the identification of the excavated Site at Kayalipinar with the Hittite city Samuha. This enabled the localization of one of the most important places of the Hittite Empire, of whom the Hittite capitalarchives delivered already plenty information. As temporary royal seat and important cult place Samuha offers a great scientific potential.During the DFG financed excavation campaigns in 2013 and 2014 remains of the Old-Assyrian trading post (wabartum, later karum) of Samuha were uncovered (19./18. cent. B.C.), as well as parts of a Hittite Palatial Complex, in use until the 13. cent. B.C. In 2015 an archive of cuneiform tablets was discovered and unearthed partially. The application seeks for a continuation of the work, with a focus upon the complete salvage of the cuneiform archive, investigation of its architectural context and excavation of the palatial building D, especially the Eastern Wing. The main concern of the research project is the extension of the knowledge about the Bronze Age Culture of Anatolia, especially of the Hittite Empire asincisive factor of the Ancient Near East.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants