Çadır Höyük

Çadır Höyük is an important ancient settlement and archaeological site in Yozgat Province, Turkey 16 kilometers south of Sorgun. It lies around 70 kilometers from the Hittite capital of Hattuša. The artificial mound contains the remains of some 6,000 years of human settlement ranging from the Middle Chalcolithic era to the Byzantine period.Steadman, Sharon R., et al., "Stability and change at Çadır Höyük in central Anatolia: a case of Late Chalcolithic globalisation?", ''Anatolian Studies'' 69, pp. 21-57, 2019 The mound reaches the height of 32 metres above the valley plain. Recent excavators of Cadir Hoyuk have identified this site tentatively with the Hittite city of Zippalanda.

Location

Çadır Höyük is located in a bend of the Kızılırmak River near Kerkenes, a sacred mountain of the Hittites. Nearby are several other important Hittite sites, such as Uşaklı Höyük.

Occupation history

Evidence of the first known settlement at Çadır Höyük has been radio-carbon dated to the Early Chalcolithic (5300–4500 BC); nevertheless the occupation may well be even earlier than that, and go back to Neolithic (ca. 5500 BC).

During the Late Chalcolithic period, at the larger centers in the area such as Alişar Hüyük and Çadır Höyük, rather large courtyards and buildings such as the "Burnt House" indicate a form of administration that organized significant construction projects. At this time the settlement developed a Lower Town and a terraced Upper Town. Towards the end occupation retreated to the Upper Town. Pottery shows that, during this period, there were contacts with southeastern Europe. Some other objects indicate that there were also contacts with the Kura–Araxes culture in the Caucasus. Some of the pre-adult burials in this period showed evidence of head shaping.

Following the Late Chalcolithic occupation, evidence for the Early Bronze Age at Cadir is sparse, mostly coming in the form of handmade ceramics.

Cadir Hoyuk appears to have flourished during the Middle and Late Bronze Age (2000–1100 BC). The remains from this period represent a revival of political complexity and construction efforts. This is the time of the emergence of the Hittite state in the mid-seventeenth century BC. The period between the end of the Karum period ( Old Assyrian period) and the beginning of Hittite administration is well represented at Cadir.

The settlement continues from the Hittite era into the Iron Age.

Archaeology

The site of Çadır Höyük is about 260 meters by 200 meters (about 5 hectares in area) at its base. It rises to a height of about 32 meters above the plain. It was first worked in a salvage excavation ahead of expected inundation by the Gelingüllü Dam. Work began with a survey in 1993 and an excavation season in 1994. After it turned out that the site would not be flooded the project converted to a regular excavation which worked annually from 1998 to the present time. Work was directed by Ronald L. Gorny on behalf of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago.

Work included obtaining a number of radiocarbon dates, from the Chalcolithic, Early Bronze, Middle Bronze, Late Bronze, and Early Iron Ages.Ross, Jennifer C., et al., "When the giant falls: endurance and adaptation at Çadır Höyük in the context of the Hittite Empire and its collapse", ''Journal of Field Archaeology'' 44.1, pp. 19-39, 2019

See also

* Yozgat Museum
* Cities of the ancient Near East

References

Further reading

*Cassis, Marica, and Sharon R. Steadman, "Çadır Höyük: Continuity and Change on the Anatolian Plateau", In East to West: Current Approaches to Medieval Archaeology. Edited by Scott Stull. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, pp. 140–154, 2014
*Cassis, Marica, Anthony J. Lauricella, Katie Tardio, Madelynn von Baeyer, Scott Coleman, Sarah E. Adcock, Benjamin S. Arbuckle, and Alexia Smith, "Regional Patterns of Transition at Çadır Höyük in the Byzantine Period", Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies 7, pp. 321–49, 2019
*Cassis, Marica, and Anthony Lauricella, "Positive Abandonment: The Case for Çadır Höyük", In Deserted Villages: Perspectives from the Eastern Mediterranean. Edited by Rebecca Seifried and Deborah B. Stewart. Grand Forks: University of North Dakota Digital Press, pp. 27–66, 2021
*Erdal, Yılmaz Selim, "Interpreting Subadult Burials and Head Shaping at Çadır Höyük", Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology & Heritage Studies 7.3, pp. 379-385, 2019
*Gorny, Ronald L., et al., "The 2000 and 2001 seasons at Çadır Höyük in Central Turkey: a preliminary report" ,Anatolica 28, pp. 109-136, 2002
*Gorny, Ronald L., "The 2002-2005 Excavation Seasons at Çadır Höyük: The Second Millennium Settlement", Anatolica 32, pp. 29-54, 2006
*Lauricella, Anthony J., Stephanie Offutt, and Tevfik Emre Şerifoğlu, "Landscape heritage at Çadir höyük: From cartography to digital imagery", Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology & Heritage Studies 7.3, pp. 368-378, 2019
*S. M. Paley, "The Excavations at Çadır Höyük, 2004", 27. Kazı Sonuçları Toplantısı. 30 Mayıs – 3 Haziran 2005, Antalya, pp. 351–366, 2005

oss, Jennifer C., Gregory McMahon, Ya ̆gmur Heffron, Sarah E. Adcock, Sharon R. Steadman, Benjamin S. Arbuckle, Alexia Smith, and Madelynn von Baeyer, "Anatolian Empires: Local Experiences from Hittites to Phrygians at Çadır Höyük", Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies 7, pp. 299–320, 2019
*Ross, Jennifer, "Çadir Höyük: The Upper South Slope 2006-2009", Anatolica 36, pp. 67-87, 2010

teadman, Sharon R., et al., "The 2009 and 2012 seasons of excavation at Çadır Höyük on the Anatolian north central plateau", Anatolica 39, pp. 113-167, 2013
*Steadman, Sharon R., et al., "The 2013 and 2014 Excavation Seasons at Çadir Höyük on the Anatolian North Central Plateau", Anatolica 41, pp. 87-123, 2015
*Steadman, Sharon R., Gregory McMahon, and Jennifer C. Ross, "Chalcolithic, Iron Age, and Byzantine Investigations at Çadır Höyük: The 2017 and 2018 Seasons", In The Archaeology of Anatolia: Recent Discoveries (2017–2018). Edited by Sharon R. Steadman and Gregory McMahon. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, vol. III, pp. 32–52, 2019
*Steadman, Sharon R., and Gregory McMahon, 'Recent Work (2013–2014) at Çadır Höyük on the North Central Anatolian Plateau", In The Archaeology of Anatolia: Recent Discoveries (2011–2014). Edited by Sharon R. Steadman and Gregory McMahon. Newcastle Upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, vol. I, pp. 69–97. 2015
*Steadman, Sharon R., Gregory McMahon, Jennifer C. Ross, Marica Cassis, T. Emre Serifo ̆glu, Benjamin S. Arbuckle, Sarah E. Adcock, Songül Alpaslan Roodenberg, Madelynn von Baeyer, and Anthony J. Lauricella, "The 2013 and 2014 Excavation Seasons at Çadır Höyük on the Anatolian North Central Plateau", Anatolica 41, pp. 87–124, 2015
*Steadman, Sharon R., T. Emre ̧Serifo ̆glu, Gregory McMahon, Stephanie Selover, Laurel D. Hackley, Burcu Yıldırım, Anthony J. Lauricella, Benjamin S. Arbuckle, Sarah E. Adcock, Katie Tardio, and et al., "Recent Discoveries (2015–2016) at Çadır Höyük on the North Central Plateau", Anatolica 43, pp. 203–50, 2017

External links

Dig site for Çadır HöyükEarly Byzantine Excavations at Çadır Höyük in Central Anatolia - Dumbarton Oaks - 2006The Byzantine Period at Çadır Höyük: A Rural Community in the Byzantine Hinterland: Report on the 2008 Season - Dumbarton Oaks - 2009
*Ece Nagihan - 5 August 2022
Cadir Hoyuk - Archaeological Excavations Continue Without Slowing Down.
expatguideturkey.com

{{DEFAULTSORT:Çadır Höyük
Archaeological sites in Central Anatolia
History of Yozgat Province
Geography of Yozgat Province