Çorum Alacahöyük Archaeological Site

Alacahöyük Museum and Ruins

The Alacahöyük Museum is located in the village of Alacahöyük in the district of Alaca, 50 km from the city of Corum. The first local museum in Alacahöyük was opened in 1940. The museum moved to the building within the ruins in 1982 and was reorganized in 2011.

The artefacts unearthed in the Alacahöyük excavations that started in 1935 are exhibited in the halls named after the heads of the excavations. The place and importance of Alacahöyük excavations in Turkish archaeology is explained on the wall panels in Hamit Zübeyr Kosay Hall. Excavation materials and some of the scientific publications on the Alacahöyük excavation are exhibited in a display case where the history of the excavation is described.

The Chalcolithic, old Bronze Age and Hittite period artefacts discovered in the Alacahöyük excavation are exhibited in the Remzi Oguz Arik Hall and the Hittite and Phrygian period arte-facts are exhibited in the Mahmut Akok Hall.

The Alacahöyük, discovered by W.G. Hamilton in 1835, is being brought to light by on going excavations carried out in different periods. In Alacahöyük, which was an important cultural and art centre of its period, 4 civilizations were discovered. The Sphinx gate, which is one of the entrance gates of the city, and the re-liefs rendered on the walls on both sides are works of the Hittite period.

Alacahöyük Ancient Bronze Age King Tombs dated 2500 B.C.

Alacahöyük old Bronze Age heraldic tombs, which had great contributions in the Enlightenment of Hatti civilization, are the most important finds of this period. Intramural (cityburials) graves were gat-hered in a specially reserved area. The rectangular tombs, which were built with stone on all sides, were covered with wooden girders, and the heads and legs of sacrificed cattle were placed on the drips.

The abundance of gifts presented to the deceased, consisting of sun courses, animal ritons, gold, silver, electrons, copper, bronze, iron and precious stones, indicate that the tombs belonged to a member of the heraldic family.

Double-Headed Eagle

The Sphinx gate has a double-headed eagle relief with rabbits on its feet on the inner surface of the Sphinx on the right side.