Sphinxes and princely graves. Alacahöyük, Turkey
Alacahöyük is a fascinating site for Bronze Age archaeologists. During the Early Bronze Age, it was a central place of the Hattian Culture, the forerunners of the Hittites. During excavations by Hâmit Zübeyir Koşay and Remzi Oğuz Arık in the 1930ies, 13 “princely graves” dating to around 2350–2150 BC were discovered at the site, holding some of the finest metalwork known from that epoch. The most spectacular finds are the so-called a bronze standards many in the form of circles or half-circles, showing bulls or stags on pedestals or elaborate geometric openwork. Their exact function is still debated. The finds are on display in the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara, reconstructions of the graves can be seen on site.
The architecture visible today belongs to the second important period in the site´s history, the summit of Hittite power over the region between ca. 1600–1200 BC. During this period, Alacahöyük was a fortified city with two gates guarded by sphinxes. The area was clearly dominated by much the much bigger Hittite capital of Ḫattuša/Boğazkale some 25 km to the northeast, but Alacahöyük is definitely worth a visit.
