Acemhöyük (Purushanda?)
Acemhöyük · Acem Höyük · Burushanda
Early Bronze III to Iron Age (c.2600–600 BCE; peak OA period)·Assyrian Colony/Old Hittite/Middle Bronze Anatolian·🇹🇷 Aksaray Province, Central Anatolia, Turkey
About
About Acemhöyük (Purushanda?)
Acemhöyük dominates the Konya plain’s north rim: a 700 × 600 m walled citadel with two palatial complexes. The Sarıkaya Palace (c.1780 BCE) is Anatolia’s earliest palatial bulla-archive outside Kültepe: its storerooms yielded 1,200 bullae of Shamshi-Adad I and Anitta, electrotyped ivories and the Acemhöyük “elephant tusk palace” destruction sealed by fire. The Hatipler Tepesi palace is slightly later. Both show Old Assyrian Karum-level administration with Luwian seals, lapis lazuli and tin ingots, arguing identification with Purushanda, the copper emporium conquered by Anitta (CTH 1). Later levels are Hittite–Phrygian.
Why it mattersLargest Old Assyrian palace after Kültepe; seals tie central Anatolia to Assyrian eponym chronology.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Is Acemhöyük = Purushanda of Anitta text?
- 02Why two coeval palaces 300 m apart?
Theories
- 01Competing dynasts within same city; Sarıkaya is royal, Hatipler is merchant-karum
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- Sarıkaya Palace c.1790–1740 BCE; Hatipler c.1760 BCE
- Period
- Early Bronze III to Iron Age (c.2600–600 BCE; peak OA period)
- Culture
- Assyrian Colony/Old Hittite/Middle Bronze Anatolian
- Builders
- Anatolian princes with Assyrian merchants; Shamshi-Adad horizon
- Purpose
- Trading kingdom capital (copper and textiles) and palace store
- Abandoned
- c. 1740 BCE (Shamshi-Adad fire), later Hittite reuse
- Rediscovered
- 1962–present N. Özgüç, A. Öztan (Ankara Univ.)
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
1962
N. Özgüç begins excavation for Ankara University
1980
Sarıkaya bulla archive identified (Shamshi-Adad seal)
2003
Hatipler Tepesi second palace uncovered
On the ground
Structures & features
38.4000° N · 33.8330° E · 945 m · 2 mapped features
Sarıkaya Palace Bulla Archive
palaceBurnt storeroom with 1,200 sealings on floor and pithoi
38.4003° N · 33.8332° EHatipler Tepesi Palace
palaceSecond Old Assyrian palace with ivory workshop
38.3998° N · 33.8335° E