Eskiyapar Höyük

Eskiyapar Höyük is a mound located south of the Çorum provincial center, 6 km west of Alaca District, under the former Eskiyapar Village, in the Hüseyinabad Plain. In order to prevent the damage caused by the village's expansion for agriculture and construction and to allow excavation work, the village was relocated and the mound was opened in 1983-84. The hill, with a diameter reaching 350 meters, is one of the large mounds of the region and is 13 meters high. In terms of location it lies almost geometrically in the middle of important Hittite centers such as Alacahöyük, Boğazköy and Şapinuva (Ortaköy).

Excavations

The mound has been known since very ancient times. The earliest record is the note of W. J. Hamilton in the 19th century. The first sounding at the mound was carried out in 1945 by Ekrem Akurgal of the Alaca Höyük excavation team. Later it was excavated between 1968-83 under the chairmanship of Raci Temizer, Director of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. The second period of excavations was conducted in 1992 on behalf of the Çorum Museum under the chairmanship of I. Ediz. The third period of excavation work has been carried out since 2010 under the chairmanship of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tunç Sipahi.

Stratigraphy

Byzantine, Roman, Galatian and Phrygian settlements have again been identified on the mound. Beneath these are Late Bronze Age, Middle Bronze Age and Early Bronze Age layers. However, it is assumed that there are settlements older than the Early Bronze Age layer beneath it. For example, a examined orchard foot is said to be a Chalcolithic settlement. On the other hand, it is understood that Eskiyapar was a settlement considered quite important during the Early Hittite Period and the Hittite Empire period. Religious and administrative structures associated with these layers have been uncovered. So much so that Eskiyapar is claimed to be the Hittite city Ankuwa. In addition, a developed Iron Age layer spread over the entire mound has been excavated.

Finds

In the early period excavations a lion relief, Byzantine tombstones, remains of a religious building and road milestone stones from the Roman period were found.

It has been understood that the Early Bronze Age settlement had characteristics of a city. The pottery finds discussed in this layer are identical to the Alacahöyük ETÇ pottery. In the two structures dated to the final phases of the third millennium BCE, two treasure caches carefully buried in a pit opened in the layer have been found. The structures are thought to have been buried to avoid danger before they were destroyed by fire. The city was probably attacked and the owners of these treasures never had the opportunity to retrieve them. One of the caches contained two silver cups, a silver long-handled pan, a silver bowl and a ceremonial axe made of electrum, gold earrings, a gold bracelet and a girdle, gold, silver and agate beads, and two gold needles used to fasten clothing pieces. The second treasure also contains similar items.

The variously shaped earrings that make up the valuable finds are artifacts showing the artistic skill of the settlement’s jewelers. On the other hand, the quadruple spiral beads, which have a symbolic meaning for the ruling class, correspond to the bronze examples examined in the Arslantepe VIA and İkiztepe III cemeteries. Similar items have also been found in the Troy A, D and J hoards and at Poliohni on Limni Island. The finds are largely associated with Troy. For example, electrum objects similar to the ceiling have been encountered only in Troy and its vicinity. Likewise, silver cups are related to those found in Troy rather than in Central Anatolia. On the other hand, the handle‑pierced electrum axe resembles examples seen in the northern Cappadocia and the southern settlements of the Black Sea Region. When evaluated in this context, the Eskiyapar treasures are proposed to be dated to 2200–2000 BCE.

Archaeologically important also is a Hittite tablet showing Middle Hittite Period characteristics in terms of script. The tablet mentions Arinna, an important religious centre in the Hatti and Hittite periods, and Tahurpa. Because it is the only example that dates mostly to the Middle Hittite Period and is found in the Hittite State, the bronze dagger known as the Eskiyapar Dagger, bronze spearhead, knife-like pieces, a half‑body‑shaped cup ritual from Early Hittite, are of higher quality, showing finer workmanship than the examples from Boğazköy and Alacahöyük. The discovery of a large number of bull‑head fragments makes it possible that Eskiyapar housed a Storm God temple.