A Preliminary Study on the Matal Workshop and Production Tools in the Hittite Anatolia Region

The metalware culture of Eurasia developed early in Anatolia in Western Asia and in northern China in East Asia, both regions adjacent to the grasslands. In particular, the ancient Black Sea–Caspian coastal region has been identified as one of the origins of metalware culture, while Anatolia under the Hittites is recognized as a center of ancient metallurgical civilization. However, despite global interest in the Hittites, related studies in Korea remain scarce. Recently, for the first time in Korea, special exhibitions and academic conferences on the Hittites were held, laying some of the foundations for research into Anatolia’s early metal culture. This paper therefore focuses on metal workshops and workshop zones of the Hittite period as a basic study of “Hittite Metal Culture.” The pre-Hittite phase encompasses both the early city-state period and the Assyrian Karum period, during which metal workshops operated various sub-unit production facilities within temple or residential areas. Copper ore was smelted directly, and alloy casting was carried out in parallel. The Hittite period proper includes the era of the ancient kingdom and that of the empire. Metal workshops produced and consumed metal products through casting and alloying, mainly using intermediate materials, in spaces that were evenly separated, even within temple and residential areas. This is confirmed by the discovery of production facilities and production tools within workshop contexts. Production facilities were generally small and divided into outdoor smelting installations and indoor processing spaces. The tools are similar to those of other Western Asian cultures, including the Hittites. Characteristic artifacts include bowl-shaped bellows, small blow tubes, crucibles with handles, and molds processed on only one side. Artifacts suggesting possible connections with the steppe plains will require further examination in future studies.