Šamuḫa
Šamuḫa is an ancient Bronze Age settlement near the village of Kayalıpınar, Yıldızeli, c. 40 km west of Sivas, in the Sivas Province of Turkey. Located on the northern bank of Kizil Irmak river, it was a city of the Hittites, a religious centre and, for a few years, a military capital for the empire. Samuha's faith was syncretistic. Rene Lebrun in 1976 called Samuha the "religious foyer of the Hittite Empire". History Middle Bronze Assyrian Trading Colony Excavations revealed that the town was already inhabited during the ancient Assyrian trading colonies period (Karum (trade post), Karum period). Two residences (House of Tamura and House of Tatali) have been excavated. This period ended with the big fire in the settlement. After the Karum period city was destroyed, the Hittites built a new city with a palace complex. Late Bronze Hittite Period Samuha was a primary base of field operations for the Hittites while the Kaskians, Kaskas were plundering the Hittite Em ...
[...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   [Amazon]

Kayalıpınar, Yıldızeli
Kayalıpınar is a village in Yıldızeli District, in Sivas Province, Turkey. Its population is 66 (2022). It is a Hittite archaeological site, under excavation since 2004. It is identified with the ancient Samuha settlement. History The human settlement of Kayalıpınar started already in the 5th millennium BC. During the Middle Bronze Age the settlement grew to become a town. During the early kārum period, Kayalıpınar/Šamuḫa became a station (wabartum) of ancient Assyrian traders that eventually developed into a trading colony (kārum). The town controlled a bridge crossing Kızılırmak River. A palace is also mentioned in the texts. Middle Bronze Assyrian Trading Colony The presence of ancient Assyrian traders is attested by several seals found in Kayalıpınar and two ancient Assyrian cuneiform tablets, one of which mentions the Anatolian personal name Tamura. Late Bronze Hittite Period After the kārum period city was destroyed, the Hittites built a new city ...
[...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   [Amazon]