Geç Tunç Çağı Anadolusunda Kayalıpınar (Samuha)'nın ağ merkeziyeti analizi: Alternatif bir başkentin belirleyicileri

This study aims to explore the main advantage of Kayalıpınar (Samuha) in the Old Assyrian and Hittite period) located 55 km west of Sivas, in its emergence as one of the foremost centers of Hittite Anatolia (ca. 1650-1200 BC) across the spheres of administration, religion, military, and trade: One of the most important nodes of the Assyrian Trade Colony network according to its history of holding first a wabartum status (small port) and then developing into a karum (major port) during the Colony Period, Kayalıpınar (Samuha) became the capital of a major province of the Hittite State, the Upper Land located on the Eastern sections of Central Anatolia. The great king Hattusili III gained power in Kayalıpınar (Samuha) until his victory over king Urhi-Teshup in this very city, followed by his reign over the Hittite throne. The city was associated with the great goddess Shaushga of the Hittite Pantheon, being home to a great temple of the deity acting as a religious education center for the Hittite royal youth. As Anatolian geography is weaved with rivers, mountain ranges, and other smaller geographical obstacles that act as natural boundaries; geography dominated the expansion of power throughout history. Considering the challenges posed by the Anatolian landscape, the research seeks to identify the logistical and geopolitical advantages that drived Kayalıpınar's (Samuha) prominence: The analysis employs calculations of Least Cost Path and the Gravity Model as the foundational elements of network data. Accessibility is approximated through walking distances, while settlement size is represented by archaeological site surface area. Utilizing these datasets, gravity calculations are applied to ascertain the flow between cities. Subsequently, a social network model is constructed based on the gravity values, and four distinct centrality measures (degree, closeness, betweenness, Eigenvector) are computed for the entire network. Through comparative analysis of Kayalıpınar's (Samuha) different centrality values, it has been shown that Kayalıpınar's (Samuha) main advantage was rooted in its betweenness centrality, and the city served as a bridge node.