The site of Kültepe served as a major hub within the Assyrian trade network during the early second millennium BCE. Its expanding commercial activities, socio-economic diversity, and cosmopolitan population necessitated a structured process of urbanization. Although excavations since 1948 have revealed extensive data, the Lower Town Level II has not been evaluated holistically in terms of its settlement organization and urban layout. This study presents the first integrated reconstruction of this level’s spatial pattern, drawing on planimetric data and the distribution of architectural remains. The findings demonstrate a dual urban fabric, comprising an organically developed zone around the mound and a more formally organized network in the eastern sector, characterized by coordinated streets, intersections, squares, and infrastructure. This analysis provides new insight into early urbanization processes in Central Anatolia and clarifies Kültepe’s position within broader discussions of ancient urbanism.
Öğreten et al. (Mon,) studied this question.