The site of Körtiktepe in southeastern Turkey is one of few sites in the Upper Mesopotamia basin ... more The site of Körtiktepe in southeastern Turkey is one of few sites in the Upper Mesopotamia basin that attests continuous, permanent occupation across the boundary from end of the colder, drier Younger Dryas (YD) into the comparatively wetter and warmer Early Holocene (EH). This allows for the study of the degree of environmental change experienced on a local level over this boundary as well as for the study of the adaptations that the occupants of the site undertook in response to these changes. The mammal assemblage of Körtiktepe remains relatively stable across the YD – EH transition with the main contributors to diet being mouflon ( Ovis orientalis) and red deer ( Cervus elaphus) in approximately the same quantities, although the contribution of aurochs ( Bos primigenius) increases in the EH. The most significant changes can be seen in the shift in avifauna remains, with a sharp increase of waterbirds during the EH. It is proposed that these shifts reflect changes in the local en...
Yerlesik hayata gecis beraberinde Canak Comleksiz Neolitik Donem (PPN) yerlesimlerde maddi kultur... more Yerlesik hayata gecis beraberinde Canak Comleksiz Neolitik Donem (PPN) yerlesimlerde maddi kultur degerlerin uretiminde oldugu gibi, insan ve doga arasindaki yeni etkilesim algilamalariyla iliskili oldugu iddia edilen yeni kultsel, rituel ve sembolik faaliyetler konusunda da devrim niteliginde degisimleri gundeme getirmistir. Guneydogu Anadolu Bolgesi’nde yer alan ve dunyanin en zengin PPN maddi kultur degerlerine sahip olan Kortiktepe, bu ozelligiyle Bati Asya Neolitiginin gelismesi ve yayilmasinin oncusu sayilan cok az sayidaki erken kultur ve uretim merkezi arasinda yer almaktadir. Bu makalede, Kortiktepe’den ortaya cikarilan son derece buyuk rakamli buluntu toplulugu arasinda tek bir ornek olarak bulunan kalp seklinde bir kemik objeyi sunulmustur. Morfolojisi, uretim ayrintilari, olasi kullanimi ve genel arkeolojik degerlendirmeler sonucu elde edilen ilk gozlem, kalp bicimli bu essiz eserin bilincli bir sekilde islendigi ve muhtemelen olu rituelde kemik kolye ya da amulet (muska...
BAF-Online: Proceedings of the Berner Altorientalisches Forum, 2017
Location: Körtik Tepe, Province Diyarbakır, Southeastern Turkey, at the confluence of the River T... more Location: Körtik Tepe, Province Diyarbakır, Southeastern Turkey, at the confluence of the River Tigris and the Batman Creek. Period: Younger Dryas to Early Holocene (10400-9200 BCE) Focus: Archaeological evidence for permanent occupation of the site; conditions favouring early sedentism at the intersection of two ecological regimes: the riverine environments and the steppe/tree-steppe mountain ranges of the hinterland; ecological and socio-economic impact of sedentism and of climatic changes from the Younger Dryas to the Early Holocene; interpretation of burial customs comparing evidence of daily practices and emerging differentiation in burial rituals. Methods: Archaeobotany, stable isotope analyses, modelling of radiocarbon sequences; holistic approach
Abstract The PPNA site of Kortiktepe in the Upper Tigris Basin yielded one of the richest Pre-Pot... more Abstract The PPNA site of Kortiktepe in the Upper Tigris Basin yielded one of the richest Pre-Pottery Neolithic assemblages in Western Asia. The site also stands among a few key Epipalaeolithic–Neolithic transitional centers that played vital roles in the origin and evolution of Neolithic symbolism in Upper Mesopotamia. The site was occupied from the second half of the 11th millennium BCE, and throughout much of the 10th millennium BCE the sedentary hunter-gatherers at Kortiktepe engaged in a socio-symbolic organization with elaborate funerary practice and extensive manufacture of symbolic artifacts, including figurative plaquettes, engraved stone vessels, incised shaft straighteners with elaborate designs, scepters, and large assemblages of beads, mostly unearthed from c2000 intra-site burials. No other PPN site has yielded such an extensive number of burial remains and grave goods. Here, we present a group of painted bone plaquettes displaying morphological features and some imagery so far not seen at any other Pre-Pottery Neolithic site in Western Asia. Assessing the specimens in light of the wider symbolic practices among the first Neolithic societies, we argue that Kortiktepe was an important center of symbolic trend at the dawn of the Neolithic in the Upper Tigris Basin.
Recent archaeological discoveries, refinements in genetic analyses and the archaeobotanical data ... more Recent archaeological discoveries, refinements in genetic analyses and the archaeobotanical data require a reconsideration of the nature of the emergence of sedentary farming communities in Southeastern Turkey. In the rescue excavations prompted by the Batman and Ilisu dam projects several Early Holocene sites were discovered. For the first time, new data from Kortik Tepe now provide detailed evidence of a local Epipalaeolithic origin for these permanent settlements. In this article we summarize the results and analyses of the 2010-2012 excavations as well as palaeopedological and archaeobotanical data of the Younger Dryas layers at Kortik Tepe. Human isotope studies and the archaeological data suggest a permanent occupation of the site and might point to a local primordial adoption of a sedentary lifestyle in this region as early as the 11th millennium BC.
One of the greatest challenges of contemporary archaeology is to synthesize the large amount of r... more One of the greatest challenges of contemporary archaeology is to synthesize the large amount of radiocarbon and archaeological data into a useful dialogue. For the late Epipaleolithic and the Early Neolithic of the Near East, many14C ages have been published without precise stratigraphic documentation. Consequently, for archaeological age models we often must use some more elementary approaches, such as probabilistic summation of calibrated ages. The stratigraphy of Körtik Tepe allows us for the first time to study an extended series of14C ages of the earliest Holocene. In particular, we are able to analyze the data according to stratigraphic position within a well-documented profile. However, because of a plateau in the14C age calibration curve at the transition from the Younger Dryas to the Early Holocene, dates of this period can be interpreted only if an extended sequence of dates is available. Due to problems remaining in the calibration procedure, the best way to achieve an in...
En introduction brève présentation historique et topographie du site d'Alinda à l'occasio... more En introduction brève présentation historique et topographie du site d'Alinda à l'occasion d'une étude archéologique développée des tombes. Proposition pour un classement typologique de ces monuments funéraires.
DESCRIPTION Dicle'nin batı yakasında, ekolojik çeşitliliğiyle prehistorik yerleşimler için ze... more DESCRIPTION Dicle'nin batı yakasında, ekolojik çeşitliliğiyle prehistorik yerleşimler için zengin ve değişken imkanlar sunan Körtik Tepe'deki kazı çalışmaları, bir yıl aradan sonra tekrar başlatılmıştır.
Becoming sedentary is considered a decisive threshold in the progress from foraging to farming (e... more Becoming sedentary is considered a decisive threshold in the progress from foraging to farming (e.g. Dunbar 2013). In this article we present the stratigraphy of one early Holocene dwelling at Körtik Tepe, southeastern Turkey (37°48ʼ51.90ʼʼN, 40°59’02ʼʼE), which not only provides evidence for a strong territorial commitment to the tell but it also suggests year-round sedentism. Additionally, micro-morphological analyses of three soil samples from inside this building provide invaluable information concerning the fabrication of a pristine form of textile.
The site of Körtiktepe in southeastern Turkey is one of few sites in the Upper Mesopotamia basin ... more The site of Körtiktepe in southeastern Turkey is one of few sites in the Upper Mesopotamia basin that attests continuous, permanent occupation across the boundary from end of the colder, drier Younger Dryas (YD) into the comparatively wetter and warmer Early Holocene (EH). This allows for the study of the degree of environmental change experienced on a local level over this boundary as well as for the study of the adaptations that the occupants of the site undertook in response to these changes. The mammal assemblage of Körtiktepe remains relatively stable across the YD – EH transition with the main contributors to diet being mouflon ( Ovis orientalis) and red deer ( Cervus elaphus) in approximately the same quantities, although the contribution of aurochs ( Bos primigenius) increases in the EH. The most significant changes can be seen in the shift in avifauna remains, with a sharp increase of waterbirds during the EH. It is proposed that these shifts reflect changes in the local en...
Yerlesik hayata gecis beraberinde Canak Comleksiz Neolitik Donem (PPN) yerlesimlerde maddi kultur... more Yerlesik hayata gecis beraberinde Canak Comleksiz Neolitik Donem (PPN) yerlesimlerde maddi kultur degerlerin uretiminde oldugu gibi, insan ve doga arasindaki yeni etkilesim algilamalariyla iliskili oldugu iddia edilen yeni kultsel, rituel ve sembolik faaliyetler konusunda da devrim niteliginde degisimleri gundeme getirmistir. Guneydogu Anadolu Bolgesi’nde yer alan ve dunyanin en zengin PPN maddi kultur degerlerine sahip olan Kortiktepe, bu ozelligiyle Bati Asya Neolitiginin gelismesi ve yayilmasinin oncusu sayilan cok az sayidaki erken kultur ve uretim merkezi arasinda yer almaktadir. Bu makalede, Kortiktepe’den ortaya cikarilan son derece buyuk rakamli buluntu toplulugu arasinda tek bir ornek olarak bulunan kalp seklinde bir kemik objeyi sunulmustur. Morfolojisi, uretim ayrintilari, olasi kullanimi ve genel arkeolojik degerlendirmeler sonucu elde edilen ilk gozlem, kalp bicimli bu essiz eserin bilincli bir sekilde islendigi ve muhtemelen olu rituelde kemik kolye ya da amulet (muska...
BAF-Online: Proceedings of the Berner Altorientalisches Forum, 2017
Location: Körtik Tepe, Province Diyarbakır, Southeastern Turkey, at the confluence of the River T... more Location: Körtik Tepe, Province Diyarbakır, Southeastern Turkey, at the confluence of the River Tigris and the Batman Creek. Period: Younger Dryas to Early Holocene (10400-9200 BCE) Focus: Archaeological evidence for permanent occupation of the site; conditions favouring early sedentism at the intersection of two ecological regimes: the riverine environments and the steppe/tree-steppe mountain ranges of the hinterland; ecological and socio-economic impact of sedentism and of climatic changes from the Younger Dryas to the Early Holocene; interpretation of burial customs comparing evidence of daily practices and emerging differentiation in burial rituals. Methods: Archaeobotany, stable isotope analyses, modelling of radiocarbon sequences; holistic approach
Abstract The PPNA site of Kortiktepe in the Upper Tigris Basin yielded one of the richest Pre-Pot... more Abstract The PPNA site of Kortiktepe in the Upper Tigris Basin yielded one of the richest Pre-Pottery Neolithic assemblages in Western Asia. The site also stands among a few key Epipalaeolithic–Neolithic transitional centers that played vital roles in the origin and evolution of Neolithic symbolism in Upper Mesopotamia. The site was occupied from the second half of the 11th millennium BCE, and throughout much of the 10th millennium BCE the sedentary hunter-gatherers at Kortiktepe engaged in a socio-symbolic organization with elaborate funerary practice and extensive manufacture of symbolic artifacts, including figurative plaquettes, engraved stone vessels, incised shaft straighteners with elaborate designs, scepters, and large assemblages of beads, mostly unearthed from c2000 intra-site burials. No other PPN site has yielded such an extensive number of burial remains and grave goods. Here, we present a group of painted bone plaquettes displaying morphological features and some imagery so far not seen at any other Pre-Pottery Neolithic site in Western Asia. Assessing the specimens in light of the wider symbolic practices among the first Neolithic societies, we argue that Kortiktepe was an important center of symbolic trend at the dawn of the Neolithic in the Upper Tigris Basin.
Recent archaeological discoveries, refinements in genetic analyses and the archaeobotanical data ... more Recent archaeological discoveries, refinements in genetic analyses and the archaeobotanical data require a reconsideration of the nature of the emergence of sedentary farming communities in Southeastern Turkey. In the rescue excavations prompted by the Batman and Ilisu dam projects several Early Holocene sites were discovered. For the first time, new data from Kortik Tepe now provide detailed evidence of a local Epipalaeolithic origin for these permanent settlements. In this article we summarize the results and analyses of the 2010-2012 excavations as well as palaeopedological and archaeobotanical data of the Younger Dryas layers at Kortik Tepe. Human isotope studies and the archaeological data suggest a permanent occupation of the site and might point to a local primordial adoption of a sedentary lifestyle in this region as early as the 11th millennium BC.
One of the greatest challenges of contemporary archaeology is to synthesize the large amount of r... more One of the greatest challenges of contemporary archaeology is to synthesize the large amount of radiocarbon and archaeological data into a useful dialogue. For the late Epipaleolithic and the Early Neolithic of the Near East, many14C ages have been published without precise stratigraphic documentation. Consequently, for archaeological age models we often must use some more elementary approaches, such as probabilistic summation of calibrated ages. The stratigraphy of Körtik Tepe allows us for the first time to study an extended series of14C ages of the earliest Holocene. In particular, we are able to analyze the data according to stratigraphic position within a well-documented profile. However, because of a plateau in the14C age calibration curve at the transition from the Younger Dryas to the Early Holocene, dates of this period can be interpreted only if an extended sequence of dates is available. Due to problems remaining in the calibration procedure, the best way to achieve an in...
En introduction brève présentation historique et topographie du site d'Alinda à l'occasio... more En introduction brève présentation historique et topographie du site d'Alinda à l'occasion d'une étude archéologique développée des tombes. Proposition pour un classement typologique de ces monuments funéraires.
DESCRIPTION Dicle'nin batı yakasında, ekolojik çeşitliliğiyle prehistorik yerleşimler için ze... more DESCRIPTION Dicle'nin batı yakasında, ekolojik çeşitliliğiyle prehistorik yerleşimler için zengin ve değişken imkanlar sunan Körtik Tepe'deki kazı çalışmaları, bir yıl aradan sonra tekrar başlatılmıştır.
Becoming sedentary is considered a decisive threshold in the progress from foraging to farming (e... more Becoming sedentary is considered a decisive threshold in the progress from foraging to farming (e.g. Dunbar 2013). In this article we present the stratigraphy of one early Holocene dwelling at Körtik Tepe, southeastern Turkey (37°48ʼ51.90ʼʼN, 40°59’02ʼʼE), which not only provides evidence for a strong territorial commitment to the tell but it also suggests year-round sedentism. Additionally, micro-morphological analyses of three soil samples from inside this building provide invaluable information concerning the fabrication of a pristine form of textile.
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