Kaman-Kalehöyük

Kaman-Kalehöyük is a multi-period archaeological site in Kırşehir Province, Turkey, around 100 km south east of Ankara, 6 km east of the town center of Kaman. It is a tell or mound site that was occupied during the Bronze Age, Iron Age and Ottoman periods. Excavations in the mound have been carried out since 1986 under the direction of Sachihiro Omura, on behalf of the Middle Eastern Culture Center in Japan and the Japanese Anatolian Archeology Institute. The distance to Hattusa, the Hittite capital, is about 100 km. In 550 BC, Kırşehir and its region, along with the whole of Anatolia, came under Persian rule. Although no significant settlement remains and finds belonging to this period were found in Kırşehir, seals belonging to the Persian period were found in the Kaman Kale Höyük excavation. It is learned from the sources that there was a settlement named Zama here in ancient times. During the period of the Kingdom of Cappadocia, which was established in 333 BC, Kırşehir and its region were under intense pressure due to the lack of authority. In 18 AD, the Roman Emperor Tiberius officially annexed Cappadocia to Rome and made it a state. During the Roman period, the Kırşehir region spread rapidly in Christianity as well as paganism. In the Kaman region, there are remains of Byzantine buildings and the ruins of Ömerhacılı Castle. This indicates that there was a Byzantine settlement in the region.