Horoztepe

Horoztepe is located east of the Erbaa district of Tokat, south of the Kelkit River, on the Erbaa Plain. Today, the site is bounded to the west by the İmbat Stream and surrounded on all other sides by modern housing and roads.

Horoztepe is one of the region’s oldest known settlements, with a history extending back to the 3000s BCE. Throughout history, Horoztepe and its surroundings have been under the rule of numerous states, including the Hattusa Kingdom, the Hittite Empire, the Phrygian Civilization, the Medes, the Persians, the Macedonian Kingdom, the Kingdom of Pontus, the Roman and Byzantine Empires, the Danişmendids, the Anatolian Seljuk State, the Mongols, the Ilkhanids, the Ottoman Empire, and the Republic of Türkiye. Discovered in 1944 by Professor Kılıç Ökten, Horoztepe was identified in 1954 by Raci Temizer as a settlement of the Alacahöyük type. Excavations initiated in 1956 under the leadership of Professor Tahsin Özgüç and Mahmut Akok established Horoztepe as the third major center in archaeological literature, following Alacahöyük and Mahmatlar.

The first excavations in 1956 were rescue operations with limited scope, focusing primarily on the cemetery area. During these excavations, rich artifacts dating to the Early Bronze Age were recovered. For many years, no systematic research was conducted. However, in 2014, at the invitation of the Erbaa Municipality, Professor Dr. Dirk Wicke carried out a detailed preliminary survey of the site. Based on the report and project prepared following the surface survey, an excavation application was submitted to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and a new excavation program was launched in 2015. The planned research aimed to uncover both the cemetery area and settlement layers, and excavations continued until 2019.

The artifacts recovered during the excavations demonstrate that Horoztepe was one of the significant burial and settlement sites of its period. Among the finds are beak-spouted jars, bronze, silver, and gold jewelry and daily-use objects. Additionally, mirrors, spears, daggers, and axes, as well as sun disks and chalparas, musical instruments of the period, have been discovered. Notable among the figurines are those depicting bulls and deer, as well as the Mother Goddess figurine nursing a child.

^{A weapon found at Horoztepe -} Erbaa Municipality

^{A sun disk found at Horoztepe -} Erbaa Municipality

^{A deer figurine found at Horoztepe -} Erbaa Municipality

^{The Mother Goddess figurine nursing a child -} Erbaa Municipality

The Mother Goddess figurine is a unique example not found elsewhere in Western and Central Anatolia and is regarded as one of the oldest known statues in Anatolia. Parts of the Horoztepe finds are exhibited in the museums of Tokat and Amasya, as well as the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. Some artifacts, however, have been illegally removed from the country and are now on display in museums in New York and Paris.

Today, Horoztepe lies within the boundaries of the Erbaa settlement. Projects initiated after 2014 aim to fully excavate the site and develop it as an open-air museum. Surface surveys have revealed not only Early Bronze Age pottery and metal fragments but also ceramic and metal remains from the Hittite and later periods. These findings indicate that Horoztepe was not merely a cemetery but also a long-term settlement. Upon completion of ongoing work, the site is expected to make significant contributions to both the archaeological community and regional tourism.