Excavations reveal new insights into sacred Hittite city

SAMSUN

Archaeological excavations continue in the sacred Hittites city of Nerik, located in the northern province of Samsun’s Vezirköprü village, where 3,000-year-old hazelnut shells and wooden pieces cut with bronze tools have been discovered.

The team, including academics from the U.S., Australia, Germany and Türkiye, has been conducting excavations for 17 years in the ancient city, which belongs to the Hittite god of air, Nerik.

Noting that 3,000-year-old hazelnut shells were extracted from the sacred water inside the tunnel, the excavation team said, “We believe that the temple there was used for many years. We see in the Oymaağaç Mound that it was used in the Old Hittite period, that is, from the 16th century B.C. to the 12th century B.C. We found a tunnel above the temple, and as we excavated the tunnel, we moved toward the water. At a depth of approximately 8 meters, we reached the area that the Hittites called 'holy water.'"

"We believe that Nerik had a history of 3,500 years. But we were shocked when we found wooden remains inside the pool as there is no wet material in Anatolia. When we dug a little more in that area, we also found hazelnut shells. The 3,000-year-old hazelnut shells confirmed that the Black Sea Region was a hazelnut production center. Carbon dating tests on the wooden findings and hazelnut shells revealed they are approximately 3,000 years old.”

Cuneiform tablets found after excavations in Nerik in Oymaağaç Mound are the most important material culture remains, according to experts. As a result of long-term studies, research and discussions, the location of the holy city of Nerik, thought to be on the northern borders of the Hittite Empire, was definitely in the Oymaağaç Mound.

The artifacts unearthed from the region are presented to the public in the Nerik section of the Samsun Museum.