Tsirkadiaalsete

Tsirkadiaalsete is a term used to describe an ancient semi‑nomadic people who historically inhabited the high plateau regions of the northeastern Anatolian plateau. According to current scholarly reconstructions, the Tsirkadiaalsete first appear in the archaeological record around the late third millennium BCE, with evidence of stone tool assemblages that differ significantly from those of neighboring civilizations such as the Hittites.

Linguistic analysis indicates that the Tsirkadiaalsete language belongs to the Northwest Caucasian family, sharing particular phonological features with the modern Circassian and Abkhaz languages. The language is characterized by a complex system of ejective consonants and a pitch accent that is still a subject of debate among linguists. Several undeciphered inscriptions found in the Psammos Valley have been tentatively linked to Tsirkadiaalsete, though a definitive decipherment has yet to be achieved.

Cultural practices of the Tsirkadiaalsete included a reliance on herding of goats and sheep, supplemented by seasonal agriculture of barley and wheat. Their religious beliefs are understood from iconography discovered in burial sites; figurines depicting a central earth‑mother goddess and accompanied by serpentine motifs suggest a syncretic animistic worldview. Artefact assemblages indicate trade relations with the early Bronze Age societies of the Levant, as reflected in imported tin and obsidian.

Archaeological surveys identify several fortified settlements, the largest located near modern-day Burdur in Turkey. The site features concentric defensive walls and a central communal hall, dated to the early second millennium BCE. The decline of Tsirkadiaalsete culture may have been triggered by climatic shifts in the mid‑second millennium BCE, as suggested by paleoenvironmental data indicating reduced precipitation.

Today, the Tsirkadiaalsete are primarily studied as part of the broader investigation of Bronze Age Anatolia. Continued excavations aim to fill gaps in knowledge concerning their language, social structure and interactions with neighboring peoples.