Samsun, Turkey – September 7, 2025 – Archaeologists at Oymaağaç Höyük in Vezirköprü, Samsun, have been conducting excavations for two decades in what is now widely recognized as the sacred Hittite city of Nerik. Recent discoveries from the 20th season of digs not only continue to shed light on Hittite religious life but are also providing the first tangible clues about the Kaška people, the elusive indigenous population of northern Anatolia.
The project, carried out under the auspices of Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism and as part of the “Legacy to the Future Project,” is led by a large team of archaeologists. Among them is Assoc. Prof. Mehmet Ali Yılmaz, Deputy Head of Excavations and a faculty member at Ondokuz Mayıs University’s Department of Archaeology.
Two Decades of Work in Nerik
Excavations began in 2005 and over the years revealed the temple of the Weather God, confirming the site as the long-lost city of Nerik mentioned in Hittite texts. According to Yılmaz, the team is now expanding its research to earlier layers of settlement to answer key questions:
- When was the site first inhabited?
- What was Nerik’s role before the Hittite period?
- Who were the people that occupied the region prior to Hittite control?
Iron Age and Middle Bronze Age Discoveries
In the northwest section of the mound, researchers uncovered extensive Iron Age architecture, revealing structural patterns closely tied to the region’s traditional Anatolian building styles. The use of wood, mudbrick, and stone reflects a continuity of architectural techniques still visible in local villages today.
But perhaps more significant are the Middle Bronze Age layers now being explored. Until recently, evidence from this period was minimal, but the latest excavations unearthed a new ceramic repertoire from the Middle Bronze Age. This material could bridge the gap between the Late Bronze Age Hittite period and earlier indigenous settlements.
Searching for the Kaška People
The most intriguing development is the potential identification of cultural traces linked to the Kaška people. Known primarily through Hittite texts as fierce adversaries, the Kaškans inhabited northern Anatolia and were long considered a major obstacle to Hittite expansion.
Assoc. Prof. Yılmaz emphasized the importance of this line of research:
“We know from Hittite sources that the Kaškans lived in this region before the Hittites took control of Nerik. But who exactly were they? What was their material culture? What kind of houses did they live in? The new Middle Bronze Age finds may finally give us answers about these local people, who remain one of the great mysteries of Anatolian prehistory.”
Cultural Continuity and Sacred Traditions
Archaeologists also aim to understand how Nerik became a sacred city. Was its holiness a Hittite innovation, or did it carry spiritual importance even earlier under the Kaškans? Yılmaz suggests that sacred traditions may have been inherited, with the Hittites adopting and reshaping local beliefs to reinforce their dominance over the region.
The Legacy of Nerik
The ongoing work at Oymaağaç Höyük highlights not only the religious significance of Nerik in Hittite culture but also its role as a key site for understanding the interaction between imperial powers and indigenous peoples. The discovery of Middle Bronze Age materials provides an unprecedented opportunity to reconstruct the history of the Kaškans, a people once feared by the Hittites but largely invisible in the archaeological record.
