The original name of the mound is not known and Kilise Tepe in Turkish means "church-hill" referring to a church ruin.

The site is thought to have been part of the land of Tarḫuntašša, formed when Muwatalli II moved the Hittite capital.

In the Late Bronze layer (Level III) some timbers were recovered which gave a dendrochronology date of 1380 BC.

Level II produced 4 lentoid stamp seals typical of 13th century BC Hittite Empire.

[16][17][18] The Cambridge team is headed by Nicholas Postgate and is responsible for the Iron Age excavations.