Boyalı Höyük (Çorum)

The site of Boyalı Höyük is one of three Hittite sites within 7 km of each other in the Yörüklü area, north of Sungurlu. Just to the west of Boyalı Höyük is Fatmaören, with Hüseyindede beyond Yörüklü. Boyalı Höyük is on high ground beside the Büyük Çay. The mound is 30 m high and was occupied in the Early Bronze Age and Iron Age as well as during the Hittite period. Tunç Sipahi of Ankara University began work here in 2004 with several soundings.

2008

This year excavations at the site, begun in 2004, were completed. EB remains were found in soundings in previous years and there was some occupation in the Iron Age but the main occupation was in the Old Hittite period, when there was a single complex here (Building A). By the end of this season forty rooms of Building A had been excavated.

Work took place in three areas. The first was to the south of Rooms 24 and 25, which were excavated in 2007. Situated in the south wing of the complex, the size of Rooms 24 and 25 and the in situ finds had indicated they were important rooms. This year a group of five rooms was excavated: Rooms 37A, 37B, 38, 39 and 40. Room 37B was small (1.7 x 2.2 m) and would have been a small storage room, like Rooms 2 and 3 in the north wing. Rooms 37A (3.3 x 2.2 m) and 39 (3.5 x 2.1 m) were a standard size for this complex, while Rooms 38 (3.8 x 3.3 m) and 40 (3.0 x 4.0 m) were larger, comparable in size to Rooms 24 and 25. Room 37A contained a large storage jar and broken jugs and so was also a storage room. In all, twenty-one storage rooms were identified in Building A. Room 37A also showed evidence of a violent destruction, as had been found in other rooms in the complex. Among the finds from this area were the head of a human figurine, fragments of duck and bull rhytons, and many spindle whorls and loomweights.

The second area investigated was in the east of the complex, where bedrock was high. It served as the floors in these rooms and walls were built directly on it. This area was subject to erosion and there were few finds in the rooms, which appear to have been kitchens and workshops. In the third area, in the north, small rooms were used for storage and workshops.

2007

This season saw work continue in the large Building A of Hittite Old Kingdom date. At the north end was a small cell-like unit for storage. In the southwest area excavation has reached 2 m and several large rooms with in situ vessels and ground stone were brought to light. The pottery here is EB in date so these rooms underlie the Hittite level.

On the west side of the building the fill contains pottery of Old Kingdom and EB date, while to the east the area is much eroded and the walls sit on bedrock or the foundations are cut into it. The complex now measures 20 x 35 m and is similar in type to that excavated at Fatmaören. The masonry is also similar, consisting of large stones with small ones packed between them.

Finds were concentrated in some rooms and included masses of spindle whorls and crescentic loomweights, many of the latter stamped with stars or square grill patterns. A bull's head rhyton, many seashells, bone inlays, and bronze tools, pins and axes were also found.

2006

In 2006 work continued in the step trench on the west slope. The trench was expanded to 250 square metres, revealing two more rooms of the Old Hittite A complex exposed last year at the base of the slope. On the west side the rooms were used for kitchen activities, and many spindle whorls and loomweights were also found there. The pottery is again of Hittite types, including relief vessels, rhyta and a handle with stamp.

Soundings into the EB levels produced pottery similar to that from Resuloğlu.

A survey of the region was undertaken. It concentrated particularly on the roadway from Boğazköy, by way of Boyalı and Fatmaören, to İnandık and Bitik.

2005

In 2005 the team set up a grid and opened several trenches on the west side. They immediately came down on large-scale architecture with masonry of the same style as at Hüseyindede. The associated pottery is Old Hittite and includes bull rhytons and relief vessels. Below are deposits with Early Bronze pottery. There appears to be a long sequence at the site.

See also Fatmaören for work in 2004.

Websites

The excavation website is at
http://tuncsipahi.googlepages.com
Reports on recent seasons can be found at
http://www.ttk.org.tr/index.php?Page=Sayfa&No=206 (2006, 2007)
A report on the 2008 season can be downloaded (pdf format) from
http://www.ttk.org.tr/index.php?Page=Sayfa&No=20