The ancient city of Hattusa, located in the Boğazkale district of Çorum, is home to the capital of the Hittites. Archaeological excavations, which began in 1906, have been carried out under the direction of Prof. Dr. Andreas Schachner on behalf of the German Archaeological Institute since 2006.
In the 117th year of the excavations, a saw about 20 centimeters long, which was apparently used during the Galatian period, was unearthed on the northwestern slope of the “great castle” area of the ancient city.
The discovery of a Galatian saw at the excavation site was an interesting and important historical find. Head of the excavation Prof. Dr. Andreas Schachner told AA: “This saw was found in a Galatian building at the excavation site. The use of building goes back to about 2250 years ago. Normally, it is very interesting to find a saw from this period. We did some research and there are not many examples. We were able to identify a few examples from Roman times, but a saw from the 3rd century BC has not been seen yet, at least in Anatolia.”
Only the iron part of the saw remained. “From the holes on both sides of the saw, we can see that it had a semicircular handle on it. So the carpenter of the period could have used the saw by gripping the wood and moving it.”
Today’s saw has been found to be similar to those used thousands of years ago. “When we examine it in detail, when we look at the teeth of the saw, we can say that it is very close to the tools used until modern or recent times. The iron is a little thick, but otherwise it is made in the same style as today. In other words, we see that humans do not easily change a working tool.”
Schachner reminded that during excavations in the Lower City of Hattusa in the 1970s, a saw more than a meter long from the Hittite period was found. “We are at the intersection of Central Anatolia and the Black Sea Region. We see how important woodworking was in every period. However, the trees cut with this saw or the Hittite saw and the work done have not been preserved until today. Therefore, thanks to these artifacts, we can only learn a small part of their culture.”