Underground history unearthed in Yozgat

The central Anatolian city of Yozgat has been one of the areas of archaeological excavations for many years. With the beginning of summer season, the city hosts archaeological teams from Turkey and the world Surface surveys and excavations that have been continuing in the central Anatolian province of Yozgat’s five different areas have been initiated once again this year, this time in three areas.

Yozgat Museum Directorate officials are working on the remains of a historic Roman bath in the Sarıkaya neighborhood, while foreign archaeologists are carrying out excavations in Çadırhöyük, which was home to five civilizations in history, and the Kerkenes mount, where the traces of the lost city of Pteria have been unearthed.

A team, led by Dr. Gregory McMahon of the American New Hampshire University, will continue working in Çadırhöyük, which is located near the district of Sorgun’s Peyniryemez village, until the middle of August.

The first surface survey started in Çadırhöyük in 1993 and permission for archaeological excavations was given in 1994. As a result of excavations there, artifacts from five different civilizations and five different ages, including the Copper, Bronze, Hittite, Hellenistic and Upper Byzantine eras, have been so far unearthed.

The surface survey and excavations were previously carried out on the Kerkenes plateau by a team headed by British archaeologist Dr. Geoffrey Summers. The plateau is home to the traces of the lost city of Pteria in Sorgun’s Şahmuratlı village. Beginning from the previous year, the team left its place to 30 foreign archaeologists, headed by U.S. archaeologist Dr. Scott Branting from the...