Hittite Tunnel Discovered With 3,000-Year-Old Wooden Structure Mentioned On Cuneiform Tablets
In a deep, lengthy tunnel that the ancient Hittite civilisation used, archaeologists have uncovered wood buildings that are 3,000 years old.
The fact that the tunnel is described on old cuneiform tablets is among the most intriguing aspects of this discovery.
Oymaağaç mound. Image credit: Mehmet Ali Yılmaz, Rainer Czihon - Public Domain
The 8-meter-deep, 22-meter-long Oymaağaç Tumulus tunnel at the Hittite city of Nerik in the Vezirköprü neighborhood of Samsun, Turkey, has been being excavated by scientists since 2009. Numerous intriguing ancient artifacts have been discovered at the site over the years. "A previously unknown group of Late Bronze Age painted pottery, which obviously existed besides the dominating Hittite pottery" is one of them.
According to research, "ceramic group belonged to an independent regional pottery tradition of the Central Black Sea region and it is likely that it can be associated with the so-called Kaška people."
In the most recent excavations, archaeologists entered the mound, climbed 52 steps, and looked at the old tunnel.
The tunnel was used by the Hittite civilization. Image credit: İlyas Gün/AA
A significant discovery is the spring at the end of the tunnel.
"The spring at the end of the tunnel is mentioned in the cuneiform texts during the Hittite period as the spring that the air god loved very much. There is water at the end of the tunnel, as you can see. This water is high now. During the Hittite period, water flowed more regularly from a gutter. We can say that it was an important source of water for the Hittites, especially for their rituals", according to Dr. Mehmet Ali Ylmaz, lecturer and deputy head of the carvings association at Uşak University's archeology department.
The wood finds are 3,000-year-old. Image credit: İlyas Gün/AA
Archaeologists discovered wooden buildings in mud and water. The wooden constructions' function is still a mystery. Although it is not yet known why, it is possible that the Hittites placed them there on purpose. They might have been a component of a spring-related installation. Scientists will investigate it by constructing three-dimensional models.
What is known is that the wooden constructions discovered submerged in the tunnel's water were regarded as being of utmost significance in the literature.
"The radiocarbon dates of these wooden finds pointed to the Iron Age. In other words, these woods date to the end of the 10th century BC and are 3,000 years old," Assoc. Dr. Mehmet Ali Yılmaz added.