About Alacahöyük
Alacahöyük is one of central Anatolia's major settlement mounds, with layers ranging from Hattian elite tombs to the Hittite Sphinx Gate. Sun discs, ceremonial standards and rich grave goods illuminate the beliefs and authority of Early Bronze Age elites.
History
Occupation continued from the Chalcolithic through the Bronze Age, Hittite, Phrygian, Roman and later periods. Royal tombs dating to the second half of the third millennium BCE yielded exceptionally rich assemblages. A monumental Hittite city developed around the Sphinx Gate and relief-decorated orthostats. Excavations began in 1935 with support from the Turkish Historical Society, among the early national archaeological projects of the Republic. Research continues to reassess the settlement's chronology and surroundings.
Highlights and principal structures
- Sphinx Gate
- Hittite reliefs
- Hattian elite tombs
- Palace-temple complex
- Postern and walls
- Museum finds
Historical period
Chalcolithic–Bronze Age–Hittite