Mysteria
Verified37.1780° N · 36.9430° E · 610 m

Coba Höyük (Sakçagözü)

Coba Höyük · Coba Huyuk · Sakcagozu Mound · Sakçagözü Tell

EBA-Iron Age (c.3000-700 BCE)·Amuq/Syro-Hittite (Amuq A-J to Iron Age Patina)·🇹🇷 Gaziantep Province, Nurdağı District, Sakçagözü pass (Amanos piedmont), Turkey

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About

About Coba Höyük (Sakçagözü)

Coba Höyük (Sakçagözü) on the Amanos-Amuq isthmus (Gaziantep Province, Nurdağı District, Sakçagözü pass (Amanos piedmont)) controls the Marash-Amanos pass that links the Karkamış/Carchemish Euphrates corridor to the Mediterranean. MBA Alalakh levels and Iron Age Syro-Hittite citadel with orthostat reliefs document the Hittite-Mitannian frontier.

Why it mattersAmanos-Amuq gateway between Karkamış plain and Orontes, documenting Hittite-Syro-Hittite continuity near Tell Tuqan.

Open questions

Mysteries & theories

Mysteries

  1. 01Function of fortified enclosure vs flood defence?
  2. 02Chronology refined by radiocarbon or ceramic seriation?

Theories

  1. 01Regional centre vs satellite model
  2. 02Diffusion vs local development

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.3000 BCE EBA Amuq; Iron Age Syro-Hittite 900 BCE
Period
EBA-Iron Age (c.3000-700 BCE)
Culture
Amuq/Syro-Hittite (Amuq A-J to Iron Age Patina)
Builders
Amuq/Syro-Hittite (Amuq A-J to Iron Age Patina) community builders
Purpose
Amuq-Orontes gateway linking Karkamış/Carchemish to Mediterranean
Abandoned
c.2000-1200 BCE
Rediscovered
Surveyed and excavated (regional project)
Excavation
Excavation ongoing

  1. c.3000

    Foundation and early occupation

  2. c.2500 BCE

    Peak fortified horizon

  3. 1990

    Modern excavation and publication

On the ground

Structures & features

37.1780° N · 36.9430° E · 610 m · 3 mapped features

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