Figure 16: Red-slipped jug with incised mark. Maximum diameter: 26cm.

Figure 17: The ten marks that were incised on pottery found during the 2000 season.

Figure 18: A tentative working reconstruction of the "Cappadocia Gate", which omits any roofing of the passage.

'Palace Complex'. The marks are usually single, although one appears to comprise two signs, and it can be seen that they were scratched in after the pots had been fired. Several have been found high on the shoulders of jugs, where they were incised behind or slightly to the right of the handle. This careful placement argues against idle doodling and suggests that they may be representative of some kind of deliberate record keeping. The presence of a mark on the funnel and another on a base shows that not all, if any, of these marks were used to indicate capacities or contents. Whether they represent potters marks, owner's marks or some form of administrative notation connected with the use of the vessels is uncertain.

The marks, whatever their function, demonstrate that there was some level of record keeping, whether or not it was truly literate. Further, it might well be expected that the language of this particular system was a local (Anatolian) one. If this can be substantiated, it raises the possibility that these few signs represent the first ever evidence that the Cappadocian language was written in an alphabetic script with close affinities to Phrygian.

The 'Cappadocia Gate'
New architectural reconstructions and graphic simulations of the 'Cappadocia Gate' provide realistic impressions of the original appearance of this impressive monument (Fig. 18). These visualisations also highlight a number of outstanding architectural problems that will perhaps be resolved through the complete clearance of the gateway passage and the adjacent internal chamber over the next three seasons. Outstanding issues include the nature of the original road surface, which was presumably paved with stone, and the ways in which the gate passage was drained. It may be presumed that the outer gate passage was roofed over to provide access between the flanking towers, particularly if the passage was narrower than shown in Figure 18. Such an arrangement would have greatly enhanced the defensive properties of the gate. It is not yet clear, however, whether such a walkway over the passage would have been vaulted or carried on long, horizontal beams. It seems possible that the sandstone battlements along the front of the towers might also have been carried across the passage. Depictions of Iron Age city gates from Assyria and Urartu suggest that the passage battlements would have been at the same height as the city wall rather than at the greater elevation of the towers. The reconstruction shows sandstone battlements rising flush with the wall, the weight being too great for support on overhanging parapets. Many of the sandstone blocks, the use of which was apparently restricted to the gate towers. have been exposed to sufficient heat for parts or all of one face to have turned pink, which is clear evidence for the incorporation of structural timber. Future clearance of the gate might also determine the position of the double leaved doors that would have once controlled movement through the passage.

Evidence of burning from the front of the eastern section of the glacis could also be taken to suggest that timber shelters once stood on top of the towers. The existence of some form of shelter from the often extreme weather conditions would not be surprising.

A detailed proposal for conservation and limited reconstruction, which addresses the twin concerns of preservation and the safety of visitors, has been drawn up in advance of plans for further clearance and excavation in and near the Gate.