Zincirli Höyük (Samʾal)
Late Bronze–Neo-Assyrian (c.1600–700 BCE; Kilamuwa dynasty 9th c.)·Hittite → Aramaean Samaliyya → Assyrian province·🇹🇷 Gaziantep Province, Southeastern Anatolia, Turkey
About
About Zincirli Höyük (Samʾal)
Perfect circular Aramaean capital Samʾal with inner citadel (double-entry) and outer town 40 ha. Hilani palace IV with lions and sphinx orthostats, Kilamuwa funerary stele with Phoenician and Samalian Aramaic, and Hadad temple bas-reliefs of Kulamuwa. Chicago OI (von Luschan 1888) and new Chicago/Tübingen (C. Casana) campaigns exposing gate chambers. Zincirli Höyük (Samʾal) — Aramaean Citadel of the Kilamuwa Dynasty context and stratigraphy linking to regional chronology.
Why it mattersZincirli Höyük (Samʾal) — Aramaean Citadel of the Kilamuwa Dynasty
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Stratigraphic relation to neighboring cultures?
Theories
- 01Regional trade node
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- Occupied Late Bronze–Neo-Assyrian (c.1600–700 BCE; Kilamuwa dynasty 9th c.)
- Period
- Late Bronze–Neo-Assyrian (c.1600–700 BCE; Kilamuwa dynasty 9th c.)
- Culture
- Hittite → Aramaean Samaliyya → Assyrian province
- Builders
- Local communities
- Purpose
- Double-walled round city with hilani citadel and Kilamuwa stele
- Abandoned
- post-period
- Rediscovered
- 19th-century surveys, modern excavations
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
Late Bronze–Neo-Assyrian
Double-walled round city with hilani citadel and Kilamuwa stele
On the ground
Structures & features
37.1036° N · 36.6825° E · 450 m · 2 mapped features
Hilani Palace IV (Sphinx Gate)
palacePalace with sphinx orthostat portico and lion bases
37.1040° N · 36.6830° EDouble City Wall and Kilamuwa Tomb Chamber
wallCitadel inner + outer wall circuit with stele burial chamber
37.1030° N · 36.6820° E
Gallery