Early Hellenistic and Galatian Graves at Hattusa
During the 2026 season at Hattusa, excavators opened a well-preserved cist grave, ringed with a stone wall, in a cemetery of the Early Hellenistic and Galatian periods. According to an Anadolu Agency report of 11 August 2026, excavation director Prof. Dr. Andreas Schachner said it was the best of such graves they had found so far.
Location and dating
In the reports the cemetery lies on Hattusa’s northwest slope. Schachner says they found it while trying to clear the area around a granary. He dates the graves to the Early Hellenistic and Galatian periods, that is, the end of the 4th century BC to the 3rd century BC. According to the same report, 5 graves were uncovered in this area last year and 3 this year, making 8; 9 more graves of the same period lie to the west, so 17 are known in total. Schachner describes the cemetery as sparse rather than dense.
The latest grave
According to the reports, the grave is a stone cist surrounded by a stone wall about 7 metres in diameter, with a second line of stone wall inside it, roughly the size of an average adult. The skeleton was found intact. A knife lies at the right shoulder of the individual; Schachner says they do not yet know whether it was a grave offering or an item buried with the dead, and that this will become clearer once the whole grave is opened. Earlier graves yielded items such as coins and a cosmetic set. Schachner notes that the earlier graves mostly belonged to women, while this one may belong to a man.
Context and next step
Schachner says hundreds of graves from various periods exist across Boğazköy, with about 200 from the Roman period alone, and that these finds give them information about “a little-known period”. After the excavation is completed, the graves are planned to be restored and opened to visitors. According to the reports, the excavations carried out on behalf of the German Archaeological Institute are uncovering remains of Hattusa from the Chalcolithic to the Roman period. For the excavation periods see the history of the Hattusa excavations.
Sources
- Cumhuriyet (AA), “Çorum’da 2 bin 300 yıllık mezarlar bulundu” (2,300-year-old graves found in Çorum), 11 August 2026. https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/yasam/corum-da-2-bin-300-yillik-mezarlar-bulundu-simdiye-dek-en-iyisini-bulduk-2528188
- Yeni Şafak (AA), “Hattuşa’da heyecanlandıran keşif” (An exciting discovery at Hattusa), 11 August 2026. https://www.yenisafak.com/galeri/gundem/hattusada-heyecanlandiran-kesif-2-bin-300-yillik-yeni-mezarlar-gun-yuzune-cikarildi-bu-mezarlardan-simdiye-dek-en-iyisini-bulduk-4847174