Ausgrabungen in der Unterstadt von Boğazköy II

Short Description

The so-called Great Temple and the monumental buildings in its vicinity characterize the Hittite capital Ḫattuša (UNESCO World Heritage Site) until today. The detailed presentation of all the building remains now provides a sound basis for the first time for an assessment of the cultural and architectural history of this ensemble, which is exemplary for Hittite culture in Central Anatolia. Its construction during the formative phase of the Hittite empire can be associated with religious developments indicated by political and social factors as well as with the urban transformation of Ḫattuša from an Anatolian city to the religious and political center of an ancient Near Eastern empire.

Description

The so-called Great Temple and the monumental buildings in its vicinity are the most emblematic structures in the Hittite capital Ḫattuša. It is one of the best-preserved ensembles of monumental Hittite architecture, which stands par excellence for Hittite culture in Central Anatolia and is today visited by all visitors to the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The edifices were investigated in several stages between 1907 and 1969 so that the history of research into this extensive Bronze Age settlement is reflected in an exemplary way in the changing development of the excavations and their reappraisal. The differentiated presentation of all buildings creates, for the first time, a sound basis for including these buildings in modern research questions of archaeology as well as cultural and architectural history. The work results not only in changes in the evaluation of the spatial structures and their functions but especially in the solution to the question of when this ensemble was founded. The construction of these buildings already in the formative phase of the Hittite empire can be associated with politically and socially indicated religious developments and with the urban transformation of Ḫattuša from an Anatolian city to the religious and political center of an ancient Near Eastern empire.

Biographical Note

Andreas Schachner studied Near Eastern archaeology in Cologne, Munich and Ankara. After working at the University of Munich, he has been working at the German Archaeological Institute in Istanbul since 2005 and has been in charge of research in Boğazköy/Ḫattuša since 2006 on behalf of the institute. His research is dedicated to the archaeology of the Bronze and Iron Ages in Anatolia and Mesopotamia.