Küllüoba Höyük
Küllüoba Höyük · Kulluoba Hoyuk · Küllüoba · Seyitgazi Höyük
Early Bronze Age I–III (c.3500–2000 BCE) with Late Chalcolithic base·Western Anatolian EBA (Eskişehir phase, Troy I–II contemporary)·🇹🇷 Eskişehir Province, Seyitgazi District, Turkey
About
About Küllüoba Höyük
Early Bronze Age (c.3500–2000 BCE) fortified town near Seyitgazi revealing EBA II–III urbanism west of the Anatolian plateau: excavated by Turan Efe (Bilecik University) since 1996. Upper town with monumental walled compound (Complex I–II) and lower town with planned radial houses, early tin-bronze evidence and sealing impressions linking Küllüoba to the central Anatolian trade network. Beneath EBA, Late Chalcolithic levels and Neolithic substratum. Stratified ceramics anchor the Eskişehir plain sequence between Demircihöyük and Troy. Buried mudbrick fortifications and courtyard houses make it a type-site for western Anatolian 3rd-millennium urbanization.
Why it mattersBest stratified EBA II–III sequence between Demircihöyük and Beycesultan; defines Eskişehir plain proto-urban model and early tin-bronze distribution.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Source of early tin at inland plateau site — trade or local?
- 02Why double-walled upper compound — palace or communal store?
Theories
- 01Efe Anatolian Resilience model vs Troy-centric colonisation
- 02Central Anatolian Trade Network gateway debate
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.3500 BCE (EBA I) fortified compound; EBA II–III town c.3000–2000 BCE
- Period
- Early Bronze Age I–III (c.3500–2000 BCE) with Late Chalcolithic base
- Culture
- Western Anatolian EBA (Eskişehir phase, Troy I–II contemporary)
- Builders
- Western Anatolian EBA (Eskişehir phase, Troy I–II contemporary) builders
- Purpose
- Fortified administrative-mercantile centre on Eskişehir–Kütahya route controlling plateau–Aegean trade
- Abandoned
- c.2000–1900 BCE EBA/MBA transition contraction
- Rediscovered
- Excavated 1996–present Turan Efe (Bilecik University) & Eskişehir Museum
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
2000
Initial work at Küllüoba Höyük
2015
Stratigraphy and geophysics synthesis for Küllüoba Höyük
On the ground
Structures & features
39.4112° N · 31.3810° E · 965 m · 3 mapped features
Upper Town Complex II
citadelUpper citadel with monumental hall
39.4114° N · 31.3812° ELower Town radial houses
settlementEBA II–III planned houses with courtyard
39.4110° N · 31.3808° ESouth gate bastion
fortificationFortified gateway with stone footing
39.4109° N · 31.3811° E