Rocky Landscape of Gerdekkaya: An overview of the survey project in Çorum Alaca Region

The architectural elements and structure traces located on the rocky landscape, alongside the rock-cut tombs and the extensive illegal excavation activities causing damage, indicate the presence of a significant settlement in Gerdekkaya awaiting archaeological discovery. The settlement of Gerdekkaya can be identified as a fortification settlement from the Hellenistic period. New data regarding Gerdekkaya within the framework of rocky landscape is explored. The settlement, inhabited during multiple periods, was within the boundaries of the Mithradatic Kingdom's geography in antiquity and situated between the Mithradatids and its neighbor Galatia. This study involves the identification and interpretation of the currently available archaeological data from Gerdekkaya. It provides the first information about this settlement, located in the southwestern direction of the Mithradatic Kingdom's geography, referred to in modern literature as terra incognita, or unknown lands. Considering the fortress’s characteristics and location, this study defines an important fortification settlement in Gerdekkaya that will provide data for the Central Black Sea Region’s archaeology. It also offers guiding information for future planned excavations. In this context, information was gathered through archaeological survey and geological prospection