Kerkenes
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Kerkenes (or Kerkenes Dağ) is the largest pre-Hellenistic site from the Anatolian Plateau (Turkey) – 7 km (4 mi) of strong stone defenses, pierced by seven gates, that enclose 2.5 km² (1.0 sq mi). It is located about 200 km (120 mi) east from Ankara (35.06E, 39.75N), between the towns of Yozgat (W) and Sorgun (E). The city was apparently a planned urban space, was only briefly occupied and is extremely large. This has suggested to some (Summers 1997) that the city was an imperial foundation of non-local peoples. Although its historical context remains unclear, Phrygian remains have been found. The archaeological survey shows that the city was burned, destroyed, and abandoned.
The site also contains a Byzantine castle.
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[edit] Archaeological works
- 1903 – J. C. C. Anderson
- 1926–1927 – H. H. von der Osten and F. H. Blackburn - they made a map of the city defences
- 1927 – E. Forrer (hittitologist)
- 1929 – Erich Schmidt
The new, international Kerkenes Project has started in 1993, directed by the British archaeologist Geoffrey Summers and his Mauritian wife Francoise Summers, both from Middle East Technical University (Ankara). Current fieldwork is ongoing.
Geoffrey Summers has identified the site with the city of Pteria mentioned by Herodotus, who describes the city as being destroyed by the Lydian king Croesus around the year 547 B.C. This identification is currently disputed among various scholars.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
Summers, Geoffrey (1997). "The identification of the Iron Age City on Kerkenes Dag in Central Anatolia". The Journal of Near Eastern Studies 56 (2): 81–94.
