| Research Abstract |
Although "Cultural Chronology" in Anatolia was constructed by European and American researchers from 19th to the beginning of 20th century, in later 1970's it was pointed out that the "Cultural Chronology" was not always correct. In 1985 the Middle Eastern Culture Center in Japan conducted a preliminary survey at Kaman-Kalehoyuk, an archaeological remain almost in the middle of the Republic of Turkey, and the full-scale excavation there has been continued since 1986. Since then four cultural layers have been confirmed: the first layer is Ottoman period, the second is the Iron age, the third is the Middle and the Late Bronze age and the fourth is the Early Bronze age. The main aims of this research are, reconstructing the "Cultural Chronology", to ascertain following five questions, mysteries of Anatolian Archaeology: 1) whether the "Dark Age" (from 12th century BC to the middle of 8th century) existed or not, 2) when the Iron age started, 3) why the Hittite Empire collapsed, 4) when the Assyrian Colonial period ended and 5) when Indo-European people came into Anatolia.
In consequence of careful examination of excavated finds and architectural remains, the followings have come into focus : 1) in 3 millennium BC Indo-European people invaded Central Anatolia and became conflated with native Anatolian culture, besides 2) Mesopotamian culture came into a vortex of the culture, that is to say, native Anatolian, Indo-European and Mesopotamian culture fused together. 3) The Hittite Empire was formed based on the fused culture, and 4) the fused culture and the improvement of metallurgical technology greatly helped the empire to become part of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.
According to this research, it is possible to say that coming under the strong cultural influence from neighboring region, in 2 millennium BC Anatolia constructed new culture, and the fused culture, not having an impact on surrounding area, existed as the Anatolian own cultural sphere.
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