Acıgöl Höyük
Acıgöl Höyük · Acıgöl
Late Neolithic – Early Chalcolithic (6500–5000 BCE)·Cappadocian Late Neolithic·🇹🇷 Nevşehir Province, Cappadocia, Turkey
About
About Acıgöl Höyük
Acıgöl Höyük in Nevşehir Province, Cappadocia, Turkey is a Late Neolithic – Early Chalcolithic (6500–5000 BCE) tell of Cappadocian Late Neolithic tradition. Obsidian procurement and blade-production village on Acıgöl caldera. 6500 BCE, the site forms a stratified mound/karst mound 180×120 m, 8 m high, obsidian workshop terraces. Excavations since the mid-20th c. expose pisé and mudbrick on basalt socle, obsidian knapping floors, plastered pits architecture with diagnostic ceramics, lithics and administrative finds.
Archaeobotany and radiocarbon anchor the sequence, informing regional Cappadocian Late Neolithic networks across the Nevşehir Province. Threats include erosion, volcanic ash quarrying, urban expansion; research continues on Cappadocian Late Neolithic chronology.
Why it mattersType-site for Cappadocian Late Neolithic Late Neolithic – Early Chalcolithic (6500–5000 BCE) in Nevşehir Province, Cappadocia; key for chronology, technology and interaction.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Chronology of Cappadocian Late Neolithic levels?
- 02Function of extramural cemetery?
Theories
- 01Demic diffusion vs local adoption
- 02Ritual aggregation centre
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.6500 BCE
- Period
- Late Neolithic – Early Chalcolithic (6500–5000 BCE)
- Culture
- Cappadocian Late Neolithic
- Purpose
- Obsidian procurement and blade-production village on Acıgöl caldera
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
c.6500 BCE
Initial construction / first occupation
c.1200 BCE
Major expansion / fortification phase
20th c.
Systematic excavation begins
On the ground
Structures & features
38.5500° N · 34.5170° E · 1250 m · 3 mapped features
Acıgöl Höyük — Central Mound
tellCentral mound with stratified architecture Levels I–IV
38.5504° N · 34.5175° EAcıgöl Höyük — Lower Town Workshop
workshopWorkshop/midden with pottery, slag or lithics
38.5494° N · 34.5164° EAcıgöl Höyük — Cemetery/Gate
cemeteryExtramural cemetery or gate area
38.5502° N · 34.5162° E