Reading the Late Bronze Age Ceramic Evidence at Uşaklı Höyük (Central Turkey). The Pottery from the Area A Test Sounding

Excavations at the site of Uşaklı Höyük, on the central Anatolian Plateau, have revealed traces of a lengthy occupation ranging from the Early Bronze Age to the Late Roman periods. In particular, they have provided sound confirmation of the importance of the centre during the Late Bronze Age, when it was probably to be identified with the sacred Hittite city of Zippalanda. The Late Bronze Age monumental structures uncovered on the lower terrace and on the high mound had been markedly affected by later building activities, but a perfectly sealed sequence of materials has been revealed in a test sounding below monumental Building II, in Area A. After an overview of the different contexts brought to light between 2013 and 2017 at Uşaklı Höyük, the paper discusses the Late Bronze Age ceramic evidence in the frame of the long sequence of occupation of the site and against the background of central Anatolian cultural horizons. The analysis focuses on the materials from the Area A test sounding, which provide a reference post quem for the construction of the monumental Building II.