The 'Kinik Hoyuk' project. Archeological mission and historical research in Southern Cappadocia (Turkey) / Il progetto 'Kinik höyük'. Missione archeologica e ricerche storiche in Cappadocia meridionale (Turchia)

Excavations at the site of Kinik Höyük, which is located in Southern Cappadocia (Turkey), started on late summer 2011. Our research group is investigating the pre-classical history of this site, focusing on the 2nd and 1st millennia B.C. During the Hittite Empire, the region to the south of the Tuz Gölü was called 'Lower Land' in the Hittite sources. While this region was part of the Hittite kingdom since the very beginning of its existence, the role it played in Hittite history deeply changed when, in the early 13th century B.C., Muwatalli II moved the capital from Hattuša to Tarhuntašša. Within Central Anatolia, Cappadocia is the only region where a certain degree of continuity with the former Hittite culture can be clearly shown. According to some scholars, this continuity could be explained by the survival of Tarhuntašša after the end of the Empire, but this hypothesis lacks clear evidence. This is the historical setting of the excavations at Kinik Höyük. During the first campaign, extensive excavations have been opened on operation B, on the top of the mound: here a Seljuk level with a dwelling area and an open space has been uncovered. Operations A and C, on the northern and south-western slopes of the mound, brought to light the rests of the citadel walls, which were first seen in 2010 geo-physical survey. Stratigraphy implies that the Late and Middle Iron Ages were the terminus ante quern for their edification.