The mound settlement is located on the southern side of Çaltılar village, in the Fethiye district of Muğla.Çaltılar Höyük lies in eastern Muğla, northeast of the Seki Plain and about 30 km northwest of the Elmalı Plain. The Küçüklü Stream passes to the east of the mound, while the Çobanisa Stream flows to its west. In addition, about 300 m north/northwest of the mound there is a water source known as Kırkpınar. The Küçüklü Stream joins the Karaçulha Stream, which flows southwest of the mound, to form the Eşen River that runs into the Seki Plain. In this context, the mound occupies a strategic position within the region containing the water sources that constitute the ancient Xanthos river system. The area corresponds to the geographical region referred to as “Lukka” in Hittite texts.The settlement covers an area of approximately 3 hectares and rises about 12 meters high. It was surveyed and published between 2008 and 2012 by an archaeological team directed by Nicoletta Momigliano. The site has been excavated by Ayşegül Aykurt of Hacettepe University since 2021.Excavations that began in 2021 have provided important findings concerning the prehistoric periods of western Anatolia. The excavations revealed that the mound was inhabited during the Late Chalcolithic, Early Bronze, Middle Bronze, Late Bronze, and Archaic periods. Excavation and geoarchaeological studies showed that the Late Chalcolithic settlement was located about 4 meters below the present plain level, on the edge of a marsh in the area where the mound now stands. With the drying of the marsh at the beginning of the Early Bronze Age, settlement shifted to the mound area and continued there until the end of Early Bronze II / beginning of III.After this period, the mound was abandoned; it was reoccupied during the Middle Bronze Age and again deserted afterward. In the Late Bronze Age, the northeastern part of the mound was used as a cemetery area; however, the associated habitation sites of the tomb owners have not yet been identified. After a long hiatus, the mound was reoccupied in the second half of the 7th century BCE and the first half of the 6th century BCE. This phase of occupation ended as a result of an earthquake.The excavations indicate that the settlements at Çaltılar Höyük maintained connections with both the inland regions of Anatolia and overseas areas. These findings enhance the historical and cultural significance of the region and contribute to a deeper understanding of ancient periods.