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Anatolia ancient house in Turkey

3,500 year-old stone houses uncovered in Anatolia

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Ancient stone houses dating back 3,500 years has been unearthed during excavations at an archaeological site in the province of Kırıkkale's Karakeçili, Anatolia, placing it in the period of the Hittite civilization.

“This is part of one of their big cities. Kızılırmak [River] passes by it. All kinds of commercial routes were built around Kızılırmak at the time. This city was established along a very important commercial route. I believe this research will culminate in important results,” said lead archaeologist, Kimiyashi Masumura, from Kırşehir University.

The Hittites were an Ancient Anatolian people who established an empire at Hattusa in north-central Anatolia around the 18th century BC.  The empire reached its height during the mid-14th century BC when it encompassed an area that included most of Asia Minor as well as parts of the northern Levant and Upper Mesopotamia.  The empire came to an end sometime after 1180 BC during the Bronze Age collapse, splintering into several independent "Neo-Hittite" city-states, some of which survived until the 8th century BC. 

Excavations on the ancient site began back in 2009, which is a protected site and under heavy guard, but the discovery of the stone houses have been the most significant find to date.  The plan is to transform the site into an open museum once excavation work is complete.  It is hoped that this will encourage tourism and a greater appreciation of Anatolian history sites in the future.

By April Holloway

 
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April

April Holloway is a Co-Owner, Editor and Writer of Ancient Origins. For privacy reasons, she has previously written on Ancient Origins under the pen name April Holloway, but is now choosing to use her real name, Joanna Gillan.

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