Çadır Höyük
Çadır Höyük is an important ancient settlement and archaeological site in Yozgat Province, Turkey 16 kilometers south of Sorgun. It lies around 70 kilometers from the Hittite capital of Hattuša. The artificial mound contains the remains of some 6,000 years of human settlement ranging from the Middle Chalcolithic era to the Byzantine period. The mound reaches the height of 32 metres above the valley plain. Recent excavators of Cadir Hoyuk have identified this site tentatively with the Hittite city of Zippalanda. Location 
Cadir Hoyuk is located in a bend of the Kızılırmak River near Kerkenes, a sacred mountain of the Hittites. Nearby are several other important Hittite sites, such as Kusakli Hoyuk. Occupation history 
Evidence of the first known settlement at Cadir Hoyuk has been radio-carbon dated to the Early Chalcolithic (5300-4500 BC); nevertheless the occupation may well be even earlier than that, and go back to Neolithic (ca. 5500 BC). During the Late Chalcolithic period, at the larger centers in the area such as Alişar Höyük and Çadır Höyük, rather large courtyards and buildings such as the "Burnt House" indicate a form of administration that organized significant construction projects. At this time the settlement developed a Lower Town and a terraced Upper Town. Towards the end occupation retreated to the Upper Town. Pottery shows that, during this period, there were contacts with southeastern Europe. Some other objects indicate that there were also contacts with the Kura-Araxes culture in the Caucasus. Some of the pre-adult burials in this period showed evidence of head shaping. Following the Late Chalcolithic occupation, evidence for the Early Bronze Age at Cadir is sparse, mostly coming in the form of handmade ceramics. Cadir Hoyuk appears to have flourished during the Middle and Late Bronze Age (2000-1100 BC). The remains from this period represent a revival of political complexity and construction efforts. This is the time of the emergence of the Hittite state in the mid-seventeenth century BC. The period between the end of the Karum period (Old Assyrian period) and the beginning of Hittite administration is well represented at Cadir. The settlement continues from the Hittite era into the Iron Age. Archaeology
The site of Çadır Höyük is about 260 meters by 200 meters (about 5 hectares in area) at its base. It rises to a height of about 32 meters above the plain. It was first worked in a salvage excavation ahead of expected inundation by the Gelingüllü Dam. Work began with a survey in 1993 and an excavation season in 1994. After it turned out that the site would not  be flooded the project converted to a regular excavation which worked annually from 1998 to the present time. Work was directed by Ronald L. Gorny on behalf of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. Work included obtaining a number of radiocarbon dates, from the Chalcolithic, Early Bronze, Middle Bronze, Late Bronze, and Early Iron ages. See also

 Yozgat Museum
 Cities of the ancient Near East

References

Further reading
Cassis, Marica, and Sharon R. Steadman, "Çadır Höyük: Continuity and Change on the Anatolian Plateau", In East to West: Current Approaches to Medieval Archaeology. Edited by Scott Stull. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, pp. 140–154, 2014
Cassis, Marica, Anthony J. Lauricella, Katie Tardio, Madelynn von Baeyer, Scott Coleman, Sarah E. Adcock, Benjamin S. Arbuckle, and Alexia Smith, "Regional Patterns of Transition at Çadır Höyük in the Byzantine Period", Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies 7, pp. 321–49, 2019
Cassis, Marica, and Anthony Lauricella, "Positive Abandonment: The Case for Çadır Höyük", In Deserted Villages: Perspectives from the Eastern Mediterranean. Edited by Rebecca Seifried and Deborah B. Stewart. Grand Forks: University of North Dakota Digital Press, pp. 27–66, 2021
Erdal, Yılmaz Selim, "Interpreting Subadult Burials and Head Shaping at Çadır Höyük", Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology & Heritage Studies 7.3, pp. 379-385, 2019
Gorny, Ronald L., et al., "The 2000 and 2001 seasons at Çadır Höyük in Central Turkey: a preliminary report" ,Anatolica 28, pp. 109-136, 2002
Gorny, Ronald L., "The 2002-2005 Excavation Seasons at Çadır Höyük: The Second Millennium Settlement", Anatolica 32, pp. 29-54, 2006
Lauricella, Anthony J., Stephanie Offutt, and Tevfik Emre Şerifoğlu, "Landscape heritage at Çadir höyük: From cartography to digital imagery", Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology & Heritage Studies 7.3, pp. 368-378, 2019
S. M. Paley, "The Excavations at Çadır Höyük, 2004", 27. Kazı Sonuçları Toplantısı. 30 Mayıs – 3 Haziran 2005, Antalya, pp. 351–366, 2005
Ross, Jennifer C., Gregory McMahon, Ya  ̆gmur Heffron, Sarah E. Adcock, Sharon R. Steadman, Benjamin S. Arbuckle, Alexia Smith, and Madelynn von Baeyer, "Anatolian Empires: Local Experiences from Hittites to Phrygians at Çadır Höyük", Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies 7, pp. 299–320, 2019
Ross, Jennifer, "Çadir Höyük: The Upper South Slope 2006-2009", Anatolica 36, pp. 67-87, 2010
Steadman, Sharon R., et al., "The 2009 and 2012 seasons of excavation at Çadır Höyük on the Anatolian north central plateau", Anatolica 39, pp. 113-167, 2013
Steadman, Sharon R., et al., "The 2013 and 2014 Excavation Seasons at Çadir Höyük on the Anatolian North Central Plateau", Anatolica 41, pp. 87-123, 2015
Steadman, Sharon R., Gregory McMahon, and Jennifer C. Ross, "Chalcolithic, Iron Age, and Byzantine Investigations at Çadır Höyük: The 2017 and 2018 Seasons", In The Archaeology of Anatolia: Recent Discoveries (2017–2018). Edited by Sharon R. Steadman and Gregory McMahon. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, vol. III, pp. 32–52, 2019
Steadman, Sharon R., and Gregory McMahon, 'Recent Work (2013–2014) at Çadır Höyük on the North Central Anatolian Plateau", In The Archaeology of Anatolia: Recent Discoveries (2011–2014). Edited by Sharon R. Steadman and Gregory McMahon. Newcastle Upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, vol. I, pp. 69–97. 2015
Steadman, Sharon R., Gregory McMahon, Jennifer C. Ross, Marica Cassis, T. Emre  Serifo  ̆glu, Benjamin S. Arbuckle, Sarah E. Adcock, Songül Alpaslan Roodenberg, Madelynn von Baeyer, and Anthony J. Lauricella, "The 2013 and 2014 Excavation Seasons at Çadır Höyük on the Anatolian North Central Plateau", Anatolica 41, pp. 87–124, 2015
Steadman, Sharon R., T. Emre  ̧Serifo  ̆glu, Gregory McMahon, Stephanie Selover, Laurel D. Hackley, Burcu Yıldırım, Anthony J. Lauricella, Benjamin S. Arbuckle, Sarah E. Adcock, Katie Tardio, and et al., "Recent Discoveries (2015–2016) at Çadır Höyük on the North Central Plateau", Anatolica 43, pp. 203–50, 2017

External links
Dig site for Çadır Höyük
Early Byzantine Excavations at Çadır Höyük in Central Anatolia - Dumbarton Oaks - 2006
The Byzantine Period at Çadır Höyük: A Rural Community in the Byzantine Hinterland: Report on the 2008 Season - Dumbarton Oaks - 2009
Ece Nagihan - 5 August 2022, Cadir Hoyuk - Archaeological Excavations Continue Without Slowing Down. expatguideturkey.com

Archaeological sites in Central Anatolia
History of Yozgat Province
Geography of Yozgat Province