Oylum Hoyuk Oylum Höyük is a prominent mound located around 7 kilometers away from Kilis, in the east southeast of the town of Oylum. It is situated on the Euphrates Valley-Amik Plain, with an east-west orientation. The mound measures 460 meters by 320 meters and rises up to a height of 22 meters to the north and 37 meters to the south. It is connected through a narrow neck between two hills. The settlement at Oylum Höyük was inhabited from the Chalcolithic Age (Obeid Culture) until the Hellenistic Period, with pottery from the Roman period found on the southern slopes. Excavations conducted so far suggest that the mound was an important settlement during the Bronze and Iron Ages, though the main soil layer has not yet been reached. Archaeological artifacts from the Chalcolithic Age reveal that grain, barley, broad beans, lentils, figs, and grapes were commonly consumed. Excavations at the Hellenistic Period building level uncovered a large stone building made of large stone blocks, containing copper, silver, and bronze coins dating back to the 1st millennium BC. Cylindrical seal reliefs with Neo-Assyrian seal embroidery depicting a man in dress reaching his ankles were also found. Studies conducted in 2007-2009 on the northern elevation revealed votive objects from the Middle Bronze Age II, including a bronze god with a copper ax and bronze figurines of a couple. These items were placed under the foundation and base of a construction, believed to have served to ensure divine favor was granted to the building. Oylum Höyük is one of the largest mounds in Anatolia and is also considered a royal center. Archaeologists from Cumhuriyet University's Faculty of Arts and Sciences have discovered important findings this year, strengthening their belief that the mound was once the capital city of a kingdom. Head of the Archeology Department, Assistant Professor Dr. Atilla Engin, led the excavation team.