Archaeologists working at an ancient Hittite settlement in central Anatolia have uncovered a rare hieroglyphic seal bearing an inscription that someone deliberately erased thousands of years ago, according to researchers from the Italian Archaeological Mission in Central Anatolia.
The dome-shaped seal, carved from steatite or red hematite, was found this summer in an open-air area near a stone monument known as the Circular Structure, at the site of Uşaklı Höyük. A geometric pattern decorates its upper surface.
On the underside, a wave motif frames a circular space that once held the owner’s name, carved in Anatolian hieroglyphs. The script was used across Anatolia and northern Syria between the late Bronze Age and the Iron Age.
That name had been scraped away on purpose, researchers said, while the decorative border around it was left untouched. The damage was not the result of wear but of an intentional act, likely meant to erase the memory and authority of whoever owned the seal.
Anatolian hieroglyphic script reveals Hittite seal’s hidden name
Despite that effort, specialists were able to recover faint traces of the inscription beneath the abrasion and read the name it once bore. Researchers said the identity revealed, and its significance, will be detailed in a future publication.
Such hieroglyphic seals rarely survive from Hittite Anatolia, and researchers said the object’s craftsmanship alone confirms its importance to the historical record.
The discovery came during the mission’s 14th excavation season, which ran from early May to mid-July and is led by the University of Pisa in partnership with Turkish institutions. Excavators also reported progress elsewhere at the site.
On the citadel’s summit, a team uncovered the remains of a substantial wall coated in thick plaster and scorched by fire, tentatively dated to the middle Iron Age based on pottery fragments found nearby.
Burnt Iron Age wall suggests citadel’s monumental rebirth
Researchers mentioned that the structure, distinct from smaller domestic walls found in earlier seasons, may represent the earliest evidence of monumental construction on the citadel since Hittite public buildings there were abandoned centuries earlier.
Near the Circular Structure, excavators also recovered large pottery fragments, including pieces of Red Lustrous Wheelmade Ware and vessels shaped like an arm holding a cup, along with a fragment decorated with the relief of a bull’s head, an animal associated with the Hittite storm god.
Uşaklı Höyük is increasingly identified by researchers as ancient Zippalanda, a Hittite holy city linked to the worship of the storm god. The excavation, now in its 19th year, is conducted under a permit from Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
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