Anatolian Civilizations and Historical Sites - TEDA

ANATOLIAN CIVILIZATIONS:10x19 antik kentler 8/1/11 10:50 AM Sayfa
porticoes. Only a part of the foundations of the porticoes can be seen
today. The buildings which were marked as C, B, and H by the excavators,
form a closed whole.
The finds obtained in the building C showed that this used to be a cultic
center. Therefore, these three buildings are accepted as a small temple of
the acropolis. The building to the east of the middle courtyard, which was
marked as A by the excavators, was apparently an archive building since
it contains some 3000 tablets; some intact, but most are in pieces.
Excavations of 1931-33 revealed that the building was two-storey and the
tablets were placed upstairs like a modern library, but the tablets fell
downstairs when the building collapsed. The column bases found on the
ground have indicated that this five-part building was two-storey.
The largest building in the acropolis is the building which was named D,
measuring 30x49 m. The building is estimated to have been multi-storey
and it has become certain that it was at least two-storey. The upstairs is a
hall measuring 32x32. It can be said that this was a throne hall. The hall
had two gates. The King would enter through the gate in the middle
courtyard, while the others were taken in from the lower courtyard.
Building E to the left of the throne hall represents a fine example of
Hittite architecture. In this building excavated in 1906, about 2500
cuneiform tablets have been found, which include the renowned Kadesh
Agreement. Building F, which adjoins the ramparts at the north western
end of the castle by the building E, is assumed to have belonged to the
royal family due to its beautiful scenery and strategic position.
The acropolis has two gates, the eastern castle gate is located by
the building K. Besides the numerous tablets here, annals (annual trade
documents) of Hattushili I (1660-1630 BC) have also been found. This
indicates that additions for different uses were made to the acropolis at
various times. Inside the 24 m.pool in front of the building are many
cooked votive pots, which imply that this place might have had a religious
function.
The most important remnants in the Upper City in addition to the
remnants such as Niflantepesi, Sar›kale and Yenicekale are no doubt the
temples. It has become clear that there were five large temples here. The
common features of these Hittite temples, only the foundations of which
can be seen today, is the existence of an entrance building, courtyard, holy
area at the back of the courtyard and side rooms.
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