Georadar Investigation of Graves and Wall Remains in Alacahöyük, Central Anatolia

Archaeological excavations have been conducted in two distinct areas of Alacahöyük, located in the northwest of Alaca in the Çorum province and one of the most important Hittite settlements. The subsurface structure of the site was investigated using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), which has become widespread in similar studies over the last few years. On the basis of archaeological considerations that graves of princes are thought to be situated in a defined zone (Zone A) and that the possible existence of wall remains are believed to be in another zone (Zone B), we obtained GPR data using the Ramac CU II GPR system with 100 MHz antennae in 2007. In all profiles of the study area, time slices were obtained from the data collected according to the different positions of the transmitter-receiver antennae, some of which were parallel to one another and to the profiles while others were parallel to one another and perpendicular to the profiles. This was performed after the data went through basic processing steps and were mapped to observe what types of structure extensions were involved and to what depths they occurred. The results revealed the presence of strong reflections in GPR sections, which indicated the location of wall remains and some probable princes´ graves. Consequently, excavations were recommended where the presence of anomalies was observed. Archaeological finds during the following excavations corroborated the existence of remains where strong reflections were observed in the maps or radargrams.