Arslantepe (Malatya)
Arslan Tash? · Melid · Maladiya · Aslantepe
Late Chalcolithic to Neo-Hittite (5000 BCE–700 BCE; palace phase 3400–3000 BCE; Neo-Hittite 1200–712 BCE)·Late Chalcolithic / Kura-Araxes / Hittite / Neo-Hittite·🇹🇷 Malatya Province, Turkey
About
About Arslantepe (Malatya)
Tell city type site for emergence of state and palace economy (3400–3000 BCE): Late Chalcolithic palace (Room A 900) with wall paintings, storerooms with mass-produced bowls, sword hoard (earliest swords worldwide), and administrative sealing system. Neo-Hittite Lion Gate with two basalt lions. UNESCO 2021. Stratified from Late Chalcolithic to Byzantine; demonstrates early centralised economy preceding Uruk influence.
Why it mattersEarliest palace-state economy and earliest swords in world
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Function of palace vs temple economy before writing
- 02Origin of arsenic copper sword hoard – local or Caucasian metallurgy
Theories
- 01Arslantepe palace represents earliest known bureaucratic state with centralized storage (Frangipane)
- 02Violent destruction c.3000 BCE by Kura-Araxes groups
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- Chalcolithic village 5000 BCE; palatial complex 3400 BCE
- Period
- Late Chalcolithic to Neo-Hittite (5000 BCE–700 BCE; palace phase 3400–3000 BCE; Neo-Hittite 1200–712 BCE)
- Culture
- Late Chalcolithic / Kura-Araxes / Hittite / Neo-Hittite
- Purpose
- Palatial centre redistributing staples/ensa and cult on Malatya plain
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
Chalcolithic village 5000 BCE; palatial complex 3400 BCE
Initial construction
c. 1259 CE
Major expansion
On the ground
Structures & features
38.3803° N · 38.3608° E · 912 m · 3 mapped features
Palace Complex (Period VIA)
palace3400 BCE palatial compound with storerooms, audience hall and fresco
38.3805° N · 38.3605° ELion Gate
gateNeo-Hittite 8th c BCE gated entrance flanked by two basalt lions (now museum casts, originals in Ankara)
38.3795° N · 38.3615° ESword Hoard Findspot
depositFindspot of nine early swords (3300 BCE) in palace periphery
38.3802° N · 38.3608° E
Gallery