Maşat Höyük (ancient Tapigga) has been excavated since 1973 under the direction of Prof. Dr. Tahsin Özgüç. I have been a member of the expedition since 1975 and would like to express my thanks to Professor Özgüç for permitting me to study and publish the Early Bronze Age material which is well represented at Maşat Höyük with diverse remains. The primary aim of Tahsin Özgüç is to expose the complete layout of the Hittite palace discovered at Maşat Höyük; the Hittite and the Early Brone Age settlements in the lower city will be studied subsequently. The excavations revealed that on the ruins of the Hittite palace, built on the summit of the hill, there were two Hittite building levels and three Iron Age building levels, which were studied carefully in order to preserve the palace in its original state. As Tahsin Özgüç reported, in the process of laying the deep foundations of the palace which represents the third Hittite building level at the citadel, the Early Bronze Age buildings below had been demolished and destroyed. However, isolated fragments of Early Bronze Age buildings appear below the floor level of the courtyard and of the northern colonnade of this extensive building. In the north - western section of the mound, which is outside the palace com.plex, the latest building level of the Early Bronze Age appeared as the first `cultural' level. Apparently some areas on the citadel were left free of construction during the Hittite period and the Iron Age.

From the west wing of the Sarıkaya palace at Acemhöyük have come objects of a variety of precious materials, including gold, ivory, rock crystal and obsidian. Before the systematic excavations of the site began, much damage had been done in this area by villagers in search of stone or clay. Although the disturbed condition of the palace remains has thus prevented a clear understanding of the provenience of these objects, recent excavations have contributed new information for this inquiry. Investigations at the palace, in particular in Room 17, have established that the ground floor of this two-story structure served for storage purposes. That the second floor was used at least in part to protect valuable possessions is indicated by the provenience of the obsidian plate and the radiolarium plate with stand which form the subject of this discussion. They were recovered from the collapsed ceiling debris in Room 17 of the Sarıkaya palace, at a height of 2.5 m. above the floor level.