Hittite Capital Yields Clues: Sacrifice Traces Found in L-Shaped Rooms

Archaeologists excavating the ancient Hittite city of Şapinuva in Turkey's Ortaköy district have uncovered an L-shaped room within a 3,400-year-old monumental structure, revealing potential evidence of animal sacrifice.

The ongoing investigation aims to determine the purpose of this significant building, which is believed to have been constructed around 1380 BCE. The site of Şapinuva, a crucial Hittite settlement after Hattusa, has been the subject of continuous archaeological digs since 1990. These excavations have already yielded approximately 4,000 tablets, offering insights into the administrative structure, daily life, and cultural practices of the Hittite state 3,500 years ago.

Led by Önder İpek from Hitit University, the current phase of the excavation involves a multidisciplinary team of philologists, restoration experts, geologists, and archaeozoologists. In 2024, geophysical surveys identified a large underground structure, and initial excavations revealed about 20% of it. This year, the team has entered the interior rooms, including the L-shaped spaces where an animal skeleton, identified as a lamb or goat, was found near the floor. Further analysis is underway to confirm the animal's species and the room's function.

"We will learn the function of this building through the studies we conduct in the inner rooms," İpek stated. "The archaeological material we find here will provide data about the building's function. We cannot yet say whether this building was a public structure, a temple, or an administrative building." The discovery adds another layer of mystery to Şapinuva, a city known to have hosted Hittite King Tudhaliya II and served as the Hittite capital for a period.

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We will learn the function of this building through the studies we conduct in the inner rooms. The archaeological material we find here will provide data about the building's function. We cannot yet say whether this building was a public structure, a temple, or an administrative building.