Kuşaklı

39.30833333333336.909722222222Koordinaten: 39 ° 18 '30 " N, 36 ° 54' 35" E

Kuşaklı ( Turkish for " the girded ," Hittite local name probably SARISSA, also Kuşaklı - Sarissa ) was a Hittite city on the edge of the eastern Anatolian plateau in eastern Turkey. The site is south of the present province of Sivas in a basin landscape with steppe vegetation, as is typical for East Cappadocia. The settlement mound was excavated from 1993 to 2004 in annual campaigns.

Dendrochronological occupy a founding Sarissas in the last third of the 16th century BC Since no older settlement strata were excavated, Sarissa is so far the only archaeologically recorded town -founding of the Hittites, which are otherwise only survived from cuneiform texts. In the construction of the buildings therefore did not have to be made ​​to existing buildings into consideration. It offered the possibility of a planned redevelopment, which was based at least on the Acropolis, the old city center at an axial street system. The most important building of the city may have been the so-called building C. With a length of 76 m and a surface area of ​​4660 m², it extended into most impressive gains over the entire southwest of the Acropolis. During its service, which can be described in general terms as a temple, it experienced significant damage by an earthquake, but was renewed and had to be finally abandoned BC until the early 14th century, when the city conquered, plundered, and at least partially was burnt down. Sarissa, however, did not sink in this disaster. Your end the Hittite city located about 1200 BC in another fire disaster.

After a hiatus of several centuries, the ruins in the middle Iron Age, during the 8th - 6th Century BC resettled.

The weather god of Sarissa is, together with the weather god of Sapanuwa, including the Suppiuliuma - Kurtizawa contract ( KoB 1.1 ) and the Treaty between Hattusili III. and Ramses II mentioned.

Excavations and Finds

The archaeological investigations are conducted under the direction of Andreas Müller- Karpe. The settlement mound was stratigraphically analyzed and divided into several layers. The old town had an attachment and several gates. Numerous Hittite pottery finds were seized.

Particularly interesting are the discoveries made ​​in 2004, Mycenaean pottery, which were found along with local goods at the excavation of the north-western city gate. The import goods was found in the layer LH III A2, and dates from the second half of the 14th century BC In the fire rubble of the north tower, there were shards that allowed the reconstruction of a vessel. Chartakteristisch are small cross handles on the shoulder and horizontal stripe pattern.

The site is situated about 800 km from the Aegean coast, and thus represents the easternmost finds of Mycenaean goods dar. To get the discussion about the Mycenaean contacts of the Hittite Empire, another indication.