3,300-year-old Hittite secret passage found in Turkey
What has claimed to be the first Hittite skeleton has also been discovered
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A secret-passageway dating back 3,300 years has been discovered in central Turkey.
At the Alacahoyuk archaeological site in central Turkey, one of the sites of the ancient Hittite settlements, archaeologists excavating a sanctuary that had been discovered two years ago came across the ancient tunnel.
Speaking to Hurriyet Daily News, Aykut Cinaroglu, the head of excavations and professor at Ankara University, said the discovery of the secret passageway, known as a potern, is a significant discovery on the site.
“This is a big discovery in terms of Hittite architecture. This is my 55th year in my professional life. I never thought I would find a potern but I did,” he said.
Alacahoyuk was known as the religious capital for the Hittites, an ancient Anatolian people who ran an empire around 1600 BC. The former capital of the empire, Hattusha, is a Unesco archaeological site in modern day Turkey where temples, royal residencies and fortifications have been discovered.
Mr Cinaroglu said poterns were usually placed under a castle and extended out into the city. He said he believes there will be other poterns in the area, and that his team have dug 23 metres worth of the secret tunnel so far but that they believe it is longer.
“We have previously found a cuneiform [form of ancient script] tablet here, featuring a king who explains to priests what to do during ceremonies. This secret tunnel may have a sacred function.”
Daily Sabbah reports that the world’s first Hittite-era skeleton has potentially been found at the site, too, which is to be explored further in a documentary called ‘Following in the footsteps of history’.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments