a hittite dam still functioning

Hittites ahead of their time in dam building

ÇORUM - Anatolia News Agency

The discovery of a Hittite dam constructed more than three millennia ago at the ancient site of Alacahöyük in northern Anatolia suggests that little has changed in the past 3,000 years in terms of building barrages

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Professor Aykut Çınaroğlu, who heads excavations at Alacahöyük. AA photos

A dam unearthed during excavation work in the northern Anatolian province of Çorum reveals that the dam construction techniques of the ancient past are similar to the techniques used today, according to archaeologists.

“We excavated the area but could not unearth the dam completely. This dam was built 3,250 years ago but with the same technique used today. They used clay instead of cement. It is important for us because even the Hittites understood 3,250 years ago that it was not possible to live in Anatolia without constructing a dam,” said Professor Aykut Çınaroğlu, who heads the excavations at Alacahöyuk. 

Excavations in the area have continued to shed light on history. The dam, which dates back to the Hittite period, is the oldest one ever found in Anatolia.

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