Occupations from 4,000 years ago in Anatolia

Archaeological findings and documents dating back 6,000 years, shedding light on the history of Kayseri, have been brought to light at the Kültepe Kaniş-Karum archaeological site, known as the 'place that marks the beginning of Anatolian history.' The tablets found at the site provide information about the professions of that era. Professor Dr. Fikri Kulakoğlu, the head of the Kültepe excavation, noted that the professions from 4,000 years ago were similar to those seen today, stating, 'There is a responsible person for every kind of profession you can think of today. There are heads of workers, heads of oil producers, individuals responsible for grain production, soldiers' leaders, head doorkeepers, washerpersons, carpenters, potters, cooks, barbers, priests, weavers, boatmen, construction masters, guides, innkeepers, and musicians.'

Excavations at the Kültepe-Kaniş-Karum site, located on the Kayseri-Sivas highway and led by Professor Dr. Fikri Kulakoğlu, continue under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and with the support of the Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality, shedding light on history with the findings obtained. The excavation at the Kültepe Kaniş-Karum site, with its rich history dating back 6,000 years, has been ongoing for 75 years without interruption. Professor Dr. Fikri Kulakoğlu stated that approximately 23,500 tablets have been found during the excavations. Emphasizing Kültepe's significance as the 'place that marks the beginning of Anatolian history,' Prof. Dr. Kulakoğlu explained, 'As you know, the tablets found at Kültepe mostly contain commercial content. They record every transaction, payments made, money received, goods given, just like any accounting records of a company today. These were inscribed on clay tablets with cuneiform script and were stored in archives when necessary. Approximately 23,500 tablets have been found during the excavations. From what has been read on these tablets, most of them are entirely related to commercial functions. However, occasionally, we also come across documents related to social issues. We consider Kültepe as the 'place that marks the beginning of Anatolian history.'

Prof. Dr. Fikri Kulakoğlu mentioned that some of the tablets found during the excavations provide information about the professions of that era, indicating that many professions we can think of today also existed 4,000 years ago. He stated, "Indeed, within the historical scope starting with the tablets here, we can capture many documents ranging from international treaties to royal names. Among these, one of the interesting topics for Anatolia is the documents clearly showing the conditions of being a state, having a centralized administration. These include legal documents, court decisions, or bureaucrats serving in the palace. Bureaucracy is an indispensable element of being a state. Therefore, according to the tablets found at Kültepe, there are texts mentioning at least 50 bureaucrats. In these texts, we learn both the titles of people serving in the palace and gain information about the professions practiced during that period. There are high-ranking bureaucrats, as well as bureaucrats responsible for specific areas. For example, we encounter a bureaucrat responsible for city gates, and similarly, a title that can be called the overseer of the market. Nearly 50 titles are mentioned in the texts. In addition to these major bureaucrats, there are also leaders of certain professional groups, such as heads of cattle herders, lumberjacks, and carpenters, head executioners, officials responsible for the threshing floors, warehouse supervisors, heads of weaponsmiths, officials responsible for orchards, auctioneers, gardeners, cooks, barbers, priests, weavers, boatmen, construction masters, guides, innkeepers, and musicians. We can capture almost all professions and bureaucrats that we can see in modern society today in the Kültepe tablets from 4,000 years ago.