Proceedings of the 10th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Volume 2, B. Horejs, C. Schwall, V. Müller, M. Luciani, M. Ritter, M. Guidetti, R.-B. Salisbury, F. Höflmayer and T. Bürge (eds), Harrassowitz Verlag, Wiesbaden. , 2018
vation at Uşaklı Höyük, a multi-period site located on the southern bank of the Egri Öz Dere, not... more vation at Uşaklı Höyük, a multi-period site located on the southern bank of the Egri Öz Dere, not far from the city of Yozgat, on the Central Anatolian Plateau. The results of a five year survey (2008–2012) provided substantial evidence for the occupation of the site which extended from the Early Bronze Age to the Ottoman period, with some evidence of a Late Chalcolithic phase. Within this period, the most significant occupation dates to the 2nd and 1st millennia BC. Excavations carried out between 2013 and 2015 produced significant evidence dating to the Late Bronze and Iron Ages both on the high mound and on the large, extended terrace. Impressive architectural features in the form of granitic boulders were revealed in Area A and fragments of cuneiform tablets found on the slopes of the mound suggest the importance of the settlement at the time of Hittite rule over the region. The Iron Age period is also characterised by intensive building activity centred on the höyük. Here, in Area C a complex retaining structure consisting of a large stone glacis, walls and earthen fillings has been exposed
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different parts of the site, reconstructing its settlement history.1 This work has revealed that Uşaklı was occupied over large portions from the end of the 3rd millennium BCE to the Common Era, experiencing multiple construction and destruction events at different scales, and
has allowed us to collect information about the sequence of occupation and individuate large buildings and defensive structures mainly dated to the Late Bronze and Iron Ages.
In this article we summarize the main results of the 2021 excavation season.
At Uşaklı Höyük, probably the holy city of Zippalanda in central Anatolia, the excavations of large official buildings dating back to the Hittite period revealed hundreds of ceramic potsherds belonging to large plates with fire-resistant fabrics characterised by curved walls and, frequently, by a wide, banded rim. The use of this cooking device, which appears to be exclusive to Hittite contexts, is quite remarkable since it constitutes the only handmade type among the massified, wheelmade production of the period. Preliminary analysis of incidence, distribution, context, ethnohistorical and iconographic evidence, technological and archaeometric evidence, technological and ethnographic experimentation, suggests that large plates were crucial for the production of flat breads.
heart of the Anatolian plateau; this region saw the rise of the first urban settlements during the 2nd millennium BCE
and rests at the center of the territory defined in the Hittite texts as the “Upper Land” (Fig. 6-1). The development of
the ancient settlement owes much to the possibility of exploiting the potential water supply of two streams, the Kötü
Dere and the Eğri Öz Dere, flowing a few dozen metres northwest and northeast of the site, as well as the nearby
springs. Also critical was its position along a communication axis that would play a central role over the centuries.
The reciprocal visibility between the site and the peak of Kerkenes Dağı, which must have always been an important
reference point in movements between the plateau and Cappadocia, may have helped to define Uşaklı’s function and
importance. During the most recent campaigns the archaeological team has been working to reconstruct the shape of the
settlement at the time of the Hittite kingdom, and to understand the sequence of occupation and development after the
changes that occurred between the Late Bronze Age and the Iron Age (Mazzoni et al. 2019).
Bölgede yürütülen filolojik proje, Anadolu’nun en önemli inanç merkezlerinden biri olan ve dini me- tinlerde sıklıkla kutsal Daha Dağı ile ilişkilendirilen Hitit Dönemi kenti Zippalanda’nın yerinin tespiti ve araştırılması üzerinde yoğunlaşmaktadır. Sözü geçen antik kentin Uşaklı/Kuşaklı Höyük ile, Daha Dağı’nın ise Kerkenes Dağ ile özdeşleştirilebileceği önerisi dikkatle incelenmiş ve büyük ölçüde kabul edilmiştir. Hitit şenliklerinin kutlanması bağlamında Zippalanda kentiyle ilişkili diğer yerleşim birimleri ve ufak köylerin de analizi, bu filolojik araştırmanın odağını teşkil etmektedir.
different parts of the site, reconstructing its settlement history.1 This work has revealed that Uşaklı was occupied over large portions from the end of the 3rd millennium BCE to the Common Era, experiencing multiple construction and destruction events at different scales, and
has allowed us to collect information about the sequence of occupation and individuate large buildings and defensive structures mainly dated to the Late Bronze and Iron Ages.
In this article we summarize the main results of the 2021 excavation season.
At Uşaklı Höyük, probably the holy city of Zippalanda in central Anatolia, the excavations of large official buildings dating back to the Hittite period revealed hundreds of ceramic potsherds belonging to large plates with fire-resistant fabrics characterised by curved walls and, frequently, by a wide, banded rim. The use of this cooking device, which appears to be exclusive to Hittite contexts, is quite remarkable since it constitutes the only handmade type among the massified, wheelmade production of the period. Preliminary analysis of incidence, distribution, context, ethnohistorical and iconographic evidence, technological and archaeometric evidence, technological and ethnographic experimentation, suggests that large plates were crucial for the production of flat breads.
heart of the Anatolian plateau; this region saw the rise of the first urban settlements during the 2nd millennium BCE
and rests at the center of the territory defined in the Hittite texts as the “Upper Land” (Fig. 6-1). The development of
the ancient settlement owes much to the possibility of exploiting the potential water supply of two streams, the Kötü
Dere and the Eğri Öz Dere, flowing a few dozen metres northwest and northeast of the site, as well as the nearby
springs. Also critical was its position along a communication axis that would play a central role over the centuries.
The reciprocal visibility between the site and the peak of Kerkenes Dağı, which must have always been an important
reference point in movements between the plateau and Cappadocia, may have helped to define Uşaklı’s function and
importance. During the most recent campaigns the archaeological team has been working to reconstruct the shape of the
settlement at the time of the Hittite kingdom, and to understand the sequence of occupation and development after the
changes that occurred between the Late Bronze Age and the Iron Age (Mazzoni et al. 2019).
Bölgede yürütülen filolojik proje, Anadolu’nun en önemli inanç merkezlerinden biri olan ve dini me- tinlerde sıklıkla kutsal Daha Dağı ile ilişkilendirilen Hitit Dönemi kenti Zippalanda’nın yerinin tespiti ve araştırılması üzerinde yoğunlaşmaktadır. Sözü geçen antik kentin Uşaklı/Kuşaklı Höyük ile, Daha Dağı’nın ise Kerkenes Dağ ile özdeşleştirilebileceği önerisi dikkatle incelenmiş ve büyük ölçüde kabul edilmiştir. Hitit şenliklerinin kutlanması bağlamında Zippalanda kentiyle ilişkili diğer yerleşim birimleri ve ufak köylerin de analizi, bu filolojik araştırmanın odağını teşkil etmektedir.
research on the site of Uşaklı Höyük and its territory in the years 2008–2013. This paper will
present an overview of the results obtained by the survey and 2013 season of excavations
Combining extensive and intensive methods and varying sampling strategies, mounded sites, fields, grazing land, uplands and valley floors were explored over the course of five work seasons [2.1]. Along with collecting archaeological materials, focused scraping operations on the steep slope of the high mound were planned in order to obtain more information on the settlement sequence.
An intensive sampling strategy of all the artefacts relating to the main topographical or surveyed units had the initial aim of obtaining a detailed scatter of the different categories of finds. In each of the surveyed units we marked, mapped and picked up all of the artefacts found on the surface. This systematic collection yielded a sufficient amount of pottery to identify the ware and shape groups and, accordingly, to date the occupation of the site in terms of wide chronological periods [2.2]. Moreover, the dispersal of specific categories of materials provided an indication of areas where some of these periods may be better documented [2.3]. The surveying and collecting carried out in the field enabled us to sketch a rough history of settlement in the area, from the Late Chalcolithic to the Ottoman period [3]. According to our results, the site of Uşaklı shows an intensive phase of occupation dating to the 2nd millennium, and evidence for a significant settlement dating to the 1st millennium [4].
Özetçe.
Arkeolojik araştırmalar: yöntem ve buluntular.
Floransa Üniversitesi’ne bağlı bir ekip tarafından gerçekleştirilen arkeolojik araştırmalar, Eğriöz deresinin yukarı çığırı boyunca ve Kerkenes Dağı’nın kuzeyinde yer alan ve bölgedeki en geniş yüzölçümüne sahip sit olma özelliğini taşıyan Uşaklı Höyük ile onu çevreleyen 5 km yarıçaplı havzası üzerinde odaklanmıştır [1].
Araştırmanın hedefi, sit yakınında sonraki dönemlerde başka yerleşmelerin de gözlendiğine ve yerleşim düzeninin zaman içerisindeki gelişimine dikkat çekerek, sit kapsamındaki yerleşmeyi tarihlenmek ve daha geniş bir bölgesel ve kronolojik bağlam içerisinde değerlenmektir [2].
Yaygın ve yoğun yöntemleri birleştirmek ve farklı örnekleme stratejilerinden yararlanmak suretiyle tümsekli araziler, tarlalar, otlaklar, yaylalar ve alçak vadiler beş çalışma sezonu boyunca dikkatle araştırılmıştır [2.1]. Arkeolojik buluntuların toplanmasına en olarak, yüksek höyüğün dik yamacı boyunca gerçekleştirilen odaklı yüzey kazıma operasyonları ile yerleşim sekansına dair daha fazla bilgi elde edilmesi planlanmıştır.
Başlıca topografik veya araştırmaya tâbi ünitelerle ilişkilendirilen tüm artefaktları kapsayan yoğun bir örnekleme stratejisi ile, öncelikle farklı buluntu kategorilerinin ayrıntılı bir saçılımını elde edebilmek hedeflenmiştir. Araştırılan her bir ünite için yüzeyden elde edilen tüm artefaktlar işaretlenmiş, haritalandırılmış ve toplanmıştır. Bu sistematik buluntu toplama işlemi sayesinde teşhis edilerek şekillere göre gruplandırılmak için yeterli sayıda çanak çömlek ele geçirilmiş olup, buradan hareketle alandaki yerleşmenin daha geniş bir kronolojik dönem içerisinde tarihlendirilmesi mümkün olmuştur [2.2].
Buna ek olarak, belirli kategorilerdeki buluntuların dağılım düzeni, tarihi dönemlerden bazılarının daha iyi tespit edilmesinin mümkün olacağı alanların varlığına işaret etmektedir [2.3]. Yürütülen araştırma ve toplama çalışmaları sayesinde, alanın yerleşim tarihinin genel hatlarıyla Geç Kalkolitik Çağı ile Osmanlı Dönemi arasında uzandığı belirlenmiştir [3].
Elde edilen sonuçlar doğrultusunda, Uşaklı sitinin M.Ö II. milenyuma uzanan yoğun bir yerleşim sürecinden geçtiğini ve M.Ö I. milenyuma tarihlendirilebilen önemli bir yerleşim düzeninin varlığına dair kanıtlar sunduğunu söylemek mümkündür [4].