Traces of the Kaška People Unearthed at Oymaağaç Höyük: New Clues to the Hittite Sacred City of Nerik

In the Vezirköprü district of Samsun, northern Türkiye, Oymaağaç Höyük—identified over two decades of excavations as the Hittite sacred city of Nerik—has revealed new traces of the elusive Kaška people, one of Anatolia’s lesser-known indigenous groups. Recent finds, including architecture and pottery from the Middle Bronze Age and Iron Age, are offering unprecedented insights into the cultural landscape of the Black Sea’s interior.

Excavations at the site, which began in 2005, are carried out under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Heritage for the Future Project, led by a team from Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMU). Assoc. Prof. Mehmet Ali Yılmaz, deputy director of the excavation team, says this year’s discoveries extend the site’s history well beyond the Hittite period:

“We had already confirmed Nerik’s identity by uncovering a temple dedicated to the Storm God and Hittite structures on the mound’s summit. Now, radiocarbon dates and newly unearthed finds push the settlement’s origins back to around 4500 BCE. The Middle Bronze Age pottery assemblage we uncovered this year is particularly important for understanding the region’s cultural continuity.”

Unraveling the Mystery of the Kaška People

Mentioned extensively in Hittite cuneiform texts, the Kaškas were known as fierce adversaries of the empire’s northern frontier. Yet their material culture has long been a mystery. According to Yılmaz, these findings may help define their presence:

“We are investigating who the Kaškas were, how they lived, and why the Hittites fought to control this region. Further excavations will likely reveal more about this enigmatic indigenous group and their role in shaping northern Anatolia’s history.”

Iron Age Architecture and Cultural Continuity

Excavations on the mound’s northwest slope have revealed extensive Iron Age architecture characterized by the combined use of mudbrick, stone, and timber—a building tradition echoed in Hittite structures and even in rural architecture of the region today. These discoveries underscore deep cultural continuities across millennia.

A Strategic and Sacred Center: Nerik

Ancient Hittite records describe Nerik as the “city of the Storm God,” a major cult center and strategic stronghold in the empire’s northern territories. Temple remains and cuneiform tablets unearthed at Oymaağaç Höyük have confirmed Nerik’s sacred status, shedding light on the Hittites’ religious and political strategies in Anatolia’s north.

A Turning Point for Anatolian Archaeology

The Oymaağaç excavations are rewriting the history of the Black Sea interior, offering a rare glimpse into the interactions between the Hittites and the Kaškas. The newly uncovered Middle Bronze Age material and early settlement phases are expected to reshape our understanding of the region’s cultural evolution.