Archaeological identification and significance ofÉSAG(agricultural storage pits) at Kaman-Kalehöyük, central Anatolia

Abstract

Abstract Evidence for the presence of storage pits described in Hittite texts by the SumerogramÉSAGis presented from Kaman-Kalehöyük, a multi-period tell site in central Turkey occupied during the second and first millennia BC. Small earthen pits matching the description ofÉSAGwere part of the normal suite of domestic installations at the site throughout the period. Similar to pits seen across western Eurasia, they were probably used to store seed corn or seed for trade. Large earthen pits (>7m in diameter) were also present that matched the description of theÉSAGform, and in some cases contained archaeological cereal remains. Evidence from Kaman showsÉSAGwere part of Anatolian life for at least 4,000 years and suggests that the term was generic for lined, earthen storage pits. The presence of so many small pits at Kaman-Kalehöyük showed that it was an agricultural production site for much of its existence. The appearance of the large pits, confined to the Hittite period, reflects centralised control of grain supply, probably by the Hittite Kingdom, and fits a pattern seen at other sites in the region during the second millennium BC.

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