Horoztepe

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

Horoztepe, as one of the earliest known settlements in the region, has a history extending back to the 3000s BCE. Throughout history, Horoztepe and its surroundings have come under the rule of numerous states, including the Kingdom of Hattusa, the Hittite Empire, the Phrygian Civilization, the Medes, the Persians, Macedonia Kingdom, the Kingdom of Pontus, the Roman and Byzantine Empires, the Danişmendids, Anatolia Seljuk State, Mongols, the Ilkhanids, the Ottoman Empire, and the Republic of Türkiye place. 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 important 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. Long years saw no systematic excavation, but in 2014, at the invitation of the Erbaa Municipality, Professor Dr. Dirk Wicke conducted a detailed preliminary survey of the site. Based on the report and project prepared from the surface survey, an excavation application was submitted to Culture and the Ministry of Tourism, leading to the launch of a new excavation program in 2015. The planned research aimed to uncover both the cemetery area and settlement layers, and excavations continued until 2019 accordingly.

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 vessels, bronze, silver and gold jewelry and everyday objects. Mirrors, spears, dagger and axe like war tools, as well as solar disks and chalpara musical instruments have also been discovered. Notable among the figurines are those of a bull and a deer, as well as the statuette of the Mother Goddess nursing her child.

^{A weapon found at Horoztepe –} Erbaa Municipality

^{A solar disk found at Horoztepe –} Erbaa Municipality

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

^{The statuette of the Mother Goddess nursing her child –} Erbaa Municipality

The Main Mother Goddess statuette is a unique example not found elsewhere in West or Central Anatolia and is regarded as one of the oldest known sculptures in Anatolia. Parts of the Horoztepe finds are exhibited in the Tokat and Amasya Museums, while some artifacts have been taken abroad via law channels and are displayed 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 artifacts but also fragments and metal debris dating to the Hittite and later periods. These findings indicate that Horoztepe was not merely a burial ground but also a long-term settlement. Upon completion of ongoing work, the site is expected to make significant contributions to both the archaeological world and region tourism.