Acemhoyuk

Acemhoyuk

Acemhöyük, an ancient city in Turkey, is located on the southeastern end of Tuz Gölü, about 18 km northwest of Aksaray, in a fertile plain. The city is divided into two parts: one settlement is located on a hill measuring 700 by 600 meters, while the other is situated below it, covering part of the modern Yeşilova village.

The highest point, the citadel, rises 20 meters above the surrounding land and is now known as Sarikaya due to the gleaming yellow mudbricks. The tell is located to the south of the modern village, and in the center, there was once a modern cemetery.

Previous archaeological excavations have shown that the mound contains at least 12 floors belonging to the Old Bronze and Assyrian Trade Colonies Ages, and that the Lower City was inhabited only during this time period. Although the city gradually developed from the 25th century BC until the 18th century BC, it is most famous for its peak in the Age of Assyrian Trade Colonies. Unfortunately, a fierce fire engulfed most of what was left of this period's greatness due to an unknown cause.

Acemhoyuk

Despite being rebuilt two more times by survivors of the disaster in the 18th century BC, it was abandoned entirely in the 17th century BC. The last survivors focused on settlements around the western and southern elevations of the mound from the 6th century BC until the Roman Period began.

The remains of Sarikaya Palace, once located on the citadel, have been discovered by archaeologists. Although much of the western section of the palace has been destroyed by modern activity and later settlement, the remaining 1.5-2 metre thick walls reveal that the palace consisted of approximately 50 rooms. The palace was surrounded on its northern, eastern, and western sides by a portico made of marble bases with wooden pillars. The ground floor of the building was used for storage, and clay bullaes (seals) were discovered in all rooms. Officials likely had their suites on the upper floor, similar to the arrangement at Kültepe.

Acemhöyük was also a pre-modern industrial center for metal production, as evidenced by archaeological finds. Excavations have uncovered silver and copper ingots, used as forms of wealth in trade, as well as ornaments made from various metals such as gold, bronze, and lead. Excavation efforts outside of the city have also led to discoveries about human settlement over many millennia.

The Pratt Ivories, also known as the Acemhoyuk Ivories, are a collection of ancient furniture attachments dating back to the early second millennium B.C. Discovered in Anatolia and later donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art by Mr. and Mrs. George D. Pratt between 1932-1937, the collection includes four sphinxes, three lion legs, a falcon, and two recumbent gazelles. These are the earliest and most complete evidence of a luxury chair or throne from the ancient world. Other pieces likely belonged to smaller decorative objects. These pieces were originally from Acemhöyük, where they were looted and eventually sold on the antiquities market.