Büyükkale

Büyükkale (Turkish for big castle) is a rocky ridge in the Hittite capital Ḫattuša, located in modern-day Turkey. It was inhabited from the late 3rd millennium BC during the early Bronze Age through to the Roman period. Prior to the arrival of the Hittites, a fortified settlement existed during the time of the Hattians, as well as during the period of the Assyrian trade colonies (the Karum period). During the Hittite Empire, the ridge was extensively developed and fortified, serving as the administrative seat of the Hittite Great Kings in the second half of the 2nd millennium BC. Fortified settlements also existed on Büyükkale during later Phrygian, Hellenistic, and Roman times. Since the early 20th century, the ridge has been thoroughly excavated, primarily by German archaeologists. The fortress is significant in Hittitology due to the discovery of numerous cuneiform tablets found in the building remains, written in Hittite as well as other languages.

Research history

The French traveler Charles Texier, who discovered the ruins near Boğazköy in 1834 and identified them as the remains of ancient Pteria, marked the fortress on his city plan as the Esplanade. The British geologist William John Hamilton, visiting in 1836, was the first to report on the pits or cisterns on the site and the numerous pottery sherds. In Carl Humann's more detailed 1882 plan, the fortress is labeled Böjük Kale. Excavations on Büyükkale began with the French archaeologist Ernest Chantre. After finding individual cuneiform tablet fragments in 1893, he conducted a test pit the following year, likely in the western part of the ridge. These discoveries sparked widespread interest, as they promised further insights into the ancient Near East. In 1905, German Assyriologist Hugo Winckler, along with Theodore Makridi, excavated at Boğazköy until 1907, likely at the same location as Chantre, focusing primarily on cuneiform texts while largely neglecting the architecture. Numerous clay tablets were uncovered, leading Winckler to conclude that the ruins at Boğazköy were those of Ḫattuša, the capital of the Hittite Empire. These unsystematic and unpublished excavations were partially documented by Otto Puchstein, who was present at the time.

From 1907 to 1931, excavations on Büyükkale were halted, partly due to World War I. In 1931, German prehistorian Kurt Bittel, commissioned by the Archaeological Institute of the German Reich (now the German Archaeological Institute) and the Deutsche Orient-Gesellschaft, resumed excavations at Boğazköy, initially focusing on Büyükkale. Within the next two years, large quantities of cuneiform tablets were unearthed. These finds prompted continued excavations, which now systematically documented architectural remains from various layers. Under Bittel's direction, with support from the German Archaeological Institute, the German Research Foundation, and various sponsors, excavations continued until 1939 and resumed in 1952 after a war-related interruption, with the collaboration of architect and archaeologist Rudolf Naumann. From 1954 to 1966, Peter Neve led the Büyükkale excavations, taking over the overall direction of Ḫattuša excavations in 1978. His successor, Jürgen Seeher, led from 1994, followed by Andreas Schachner since 2006. Finds and contexts have been regularly published since the early 20th century in the journals Mitteilungen der Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft and Wissenschaftliche Veröffentlichungen der Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft. The first comprehensive architectural survey was published by Peter Neve in 1982, titled Büyükkale – Die Bauwerke.

The finds are displayed in the local Boğazköy Museum, the Çorum Archaeological Museum, and primarily the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara.

Location

The rocky ridge, composed of Mesozoic limestone, is part of a mountain range that encloses the Budaközü Çayı valley to the east. Oriented from southwest to northeast, the high plateau measures approximately 260 × 150 meters. Its highest point, a rock barrier in the northeast, reaches 1,128 meters above sea level. Before construction, the surface was more rugged than it appears today, having been significantly leveled through building activities and natural processes. The plateau is naturally protected by steep cliffs in the north and east, with gentler slopes in the south and west. It lies in the eastern center of Ḫattuša, at the boundary between the Upper and Lower City. The city wall separating the Lower City from the younger Upper City, known as the Postern Wall, also forms the southern fortification of the fortress. It encircles the old city in a wide arc, reconnecting with the northern fortification of Büyükkale. South of the ridge lies the Südburg, a hill that housed a sanctuary with a hieroglyphic chamber and later a Phrygian fortification. Southwest, where the entrance is located, a modern road passes at the base of the hill, descending from the Lion Gate. Across the road to the west lies the Nişantepe rock with the Nişantaş inscription of Šuppiluliuma II. The ridge offered a commanding view over the Lower City and much of the Upper City.