Mysterious Bronze Age Cult Buried Its Structures

During excavations at the Küllüoba Mound site in the city of Eskişehir in central Anatolia, Turkey, archaeologists have unearthed ruins associated with an ancient cult that may have roots going as far back as 10,000 years into the past. This cult had the habit of burying buildings intentionally, apparently to preserve them for far-future generations.

Digging Up Cult Behavior

Under the supervision of Dr. Murat Türkteki, a professor in the archaeology department at Bilecik Şeyh Edebali University, a team of 15 researchers has been carrying out excavations exclusively at the mound, which is located in Eskişehir’s Seyitgazi district. They’ve been trying to learn more about a site that was occupied continuously from 3,200 BC to 1,950 BC, making this one of the most enduring settlements in Bronze Age Anatolia.

The ongoing digs that produced the latest finds have been sponsored by several government agencies, including Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Eskişehir Metropolitan Municipality, along with the city’s Chamber of Commerce and Chamber of Industry.

The archaeological team has been uncovering some fascinating evidence of the activities of the “structure burial” cult, which was established in the region in the earliest days of the settlement’s existence. This year, explorations at the mound unearthed eight buried buildings, all of which appeared to have been residential. Curiously, the back sections of the houses were cleaned, emptied, and sealed up, but people continued to live in the houses’ front sections for quite some time.

In an interview with the Anadolu Agency (AA), Dr. Türkteki disclosed that the newly unearthed ancient structures were among the first buildings constructed at the Küllüoba Mound site. This shows that the cult members were likely the founders of the settlement, with those who lived there later simply following in their footsteps.

Prof. Dr. Murat Türkteki with the shiny black beak-mouthed jug found at the site. (Anadolu Agency)

A Mysterious Ancient Practice Puzzles Archaeologists

During this summer’s excavations at Küllüoba Mound, the most significant discoveries have been linked to the ancient cult. These consist of the group of 5,200-year-old structures that were entombed in their entirety on the western side of the mound.

Before burial, the structures were cleaned and emptied completely. The buildings and the elements within them, including silos, hearths, and ash pits, were covered with deep layers of earth, which preserved everything remarkably well. Even the delicate mud silos, which could collapse under too much pressure, were preserved intact, demonstrating how much care was taken to ensure everything was given a proper burial.

“We found that the back rooms of all the structures were deliberately buried under red sterile soil, preserving the walls up to 2.5-3 meters,” Dr. Türkteki said. “Normally, only foundations remain in mounds, but here the walls are almost intact up to the roof.”

One of the houses found at the site, under excavation. (Anadolu Agency)

Near the exteriors of the entombed structures, the archaeologists unearthed deposits of bones from sheep and goats, along with the shattered remains of some shiny black-beaked pitchers. The archaeologists believe these are remnants of a sacrificial ritual, carried out in conjunction with the structures’ burials.

“Before burial, doors and ventilation areas were sealed with stones, likely as part of a ceremony,” Dr. Türkteki stated. “Parts of sacrificial animals were placed in the sealed areas, and a ceremonial vessel was thrown into the structure, leaving it empty except for the hearth and silo.”

It seems this ritual would have occurred right before the structures were sealed, as would have been required by the ancient cult’s belief system.

According to Dr. Türkteki, the ceremonial burial of buildings was already an established practice in southeastern and central Anatolia during the Neolithic and Chalcolithic (Copper) periods, which came before the Bronze Age. 

“We were unaware of such a practice in the Bronze Age until now,” he said.

As Dr. Türkteki noted, there was a significant passage of time between when people first started burying structures in the region, and when the newly discovered buildings in Eskişehir were entombed. He thinks this fact could be significant.

“In the southeastern Anatolian Neolithic period, special structures were buried, indicating a burial ritual,” he said. “Although social memory spans thousands of years, the purpose here might be different, given the 7,000-year gap between the periods. The practice seems similar, but the intent could vary.”

He acknowledged that the real purpose of structural burials in any ancient period are difficult to discern, even though there was obviously a ritual element involved.

“This [the burial of the buildings] requires a large workforce and a collective effort. There is an organizational aspect, but why was this done? Was there a threat? A geographical threat, a climatic threat or some other physical threat? Our work on this matter continues.”

The Community-Building Explosion in Early Bronze Age Anatolia

Dr. Türkteki said that the eight structures unearthed so far were all part of an organized settlement that was constructed based on a distinctive blueprint.

“We can say that they are arranged on a circular axis, very close to the surface,” he said. “There are rectangular structures. They are positioned vertically and horizontally but continue to be arranged in a circular axis. When we complete this circle, we can preliminarily say that we are talking about a settlement with a diameter of at least 100 meters.”

While the newly discovered structures at Küllüoba Mound are impressively ancient, dating to the fourth millennium BC, they are not entirely unique.

“Settlements began to appear on the plains [of Anatolia] during this period,” Dr. Türkteki confirmed. “This shows us that, climatically, a favorable environment for agriculture was created during this time.”

He said that approximately 200 new settlements were established in the early Bronze Age in the vicinity of Eskişehir alone. This means that migrants were arriving in the region in large numbers, and that may very well have included the people who brought the “structure burial” cult to this part of Anatolia.

Top image: ancient Bronze Age structures at the Küllüoba Mound site in the city of Eskişehir in central Anatolia,Turkey that were intentionally buried     Source: Anadolu Agency

By Nathan Falde