Discover Alışar Höyük

Alışar Höyük can be placed in its historical context through archaeological traces from different periods. The finds draw attention to distinct themes: Hittite presence, the political role of the early ruler Anitta, and evidence relating to the Iron Age. This gives your travel planning a clear thematic focus. If you are interested in the early history of Anatolia, the different groups of finds can help you distinguish their chronological and thematic clues from one another.

Bronze Age Seals and Tablets

The biconvex Hittite seals from Late Bronze Age II found at Alişar Höyük are considered one indication of a Hittite presence there in the 13th century BC. The wording deliberately presents this historical claim as an indication: the seals are an indication, not by themselves a complete description of the conditions at the time. Their chronological classification provides a specific reference point for exploring the Hittite period.

Tablets bearing the name Anitta from Middle Bronze Age Layer 10cT at Alişar offer a different perspective. They suggest that the early Hittite ruler already wielded a degree of political power before Hittite rule. These tablets therefore relate to Anitta’s political position, while the seals are considered an indication of Hittite presence in the 13th century BC. The two groups of finds thus address different historical questions.

Pre-Hittite Sequences and Iron Age Finds

Three basic stratigraphic sequences from the pre-Hittite period can be identified at Alişar Höyük. A stratigraphic sequence arranges archaeological layers in chronological order. The three sequences thus provide a basis for viewing the pre-Hittite period as several distinguishable phases. They form a distinct part of the historical classification and should not be equated with the claims made by the seals or tablets.

The Alişar IV pottery group is significant for the Iron Age. It is one of the most important categories of finds from the Alişar excavations that provide evidence relating to the Iron Age. Taken together, the groups of finds offer different perspectives: the pre-Hittite sequences relate to earlier layers, the tablets and seals provide differently qualified indications about Bronze Age history, and Alişar IV represents finds that shed light on the Iron Age. This distinction helps organize the site’s historical themes without combining them into a single narrative.

The designations also provide context: Layer 10cT identifies the Middle Bronze Age find layer of the Anitta tablets, while Late Bronze Age II refers to the classification of the seals. Alişar IV, in turn, is a find group associated with evidence relating to the Iron Age. If you are primarily interested in a particular period while reading or planning your visit, you can use these details as different chronological reference points. They relate to different finds and historical claims.

Alişar Höyük is located 2.5 kilometers north of the village of Alişar, near Sorgun. This location provides a specific geographical reference in relation to the village of the same name. For historical context, it is also worth keeping the different dates in mind: Anitta, the Hittite seals, and the Alişar IV pottery group represent different aspects of history.

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Back to the broader travel overview: Yozgat.