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©The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project
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Basur Höyük |
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For site maps and drawings please click on the picture...  |
For photographs please click on the photo...  |
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Type:
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Mound |
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Altitude:
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m |
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Region:
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Southeastern Anatolia |
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Province:
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Siirt |
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District:
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Botan |
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Village:
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Aktas |
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Investigation Method:
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Excavation |
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Period:
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| Location: Başur Höyük is located at the village of Aktaş, in the Botan Valley northwest of Siirt, in the area of the Ilısu Dam. |
| Geography and Environment: It lies beside Basur Stream that comes from Bitlis Valley and flow into Botan River in Bostancik Village. Occasional floods of Basur Stream are damaging western part of the mound [http://arkeoloji.ege.edu.tr/Protohistorya/Projeler/basur/basur.htm, 22.6.2011; 11:41]. Western territory of Van Lake Basin connects to vicinity of Siirt through Bitlis Valley. Accordingly it functions as a corridor of culture between Southeast and Eastern Anatolia. Botan and Bitlis valleys are natural routes that used frequently with regard to obsidian deposits on mount Nemrut in Neolithic Age. Surface finds pointed out the mound was started, as a settlement in Neolithic Age and its location on the route was an important fact of its attained dimensions. Wide arable land in the surroundings and the available topographical structure are seem to be the other facts that contribute the growth of the mound due to continuous settlement [http://arkeoloji.ege.edu.tr/Protohistorya/Projeler/basur/basur.htm, 22.6.2011;11:49]. The mound is 250x150 m in dimensions and 15 m in height [http://www.une.edu.au/cat/sites/basur.php, 22.6.2011;11:51]. |
| History: Finds obtained from excavations and surveys showed that the mound was settled since 7th millennium BC. Remains of the recent village on mound had damaged the late period Medieval buildings and a part of 1st and 2nd millennium BC buildings [http://arkeoloji.ege.edu.tr/Protohistorya/Projeler/basur/basur.htm, 22.6.2011;11:46]. |
| Research and Excavation: The site was discovered during Siirt survey conducted by American archaeologist Robert J. Braidwood and Halet Çambel in 1963. It was recorded as the mound S 64/4 along Basur stream [http://www.kesfetmekicinbak.com/arkeoloji/08367/, 22.6.2011;11:44]. A five-year program of excavations is being undertaken by Haluk Saglamtimur of Ege University. |
| Stratigraphy: Three main levels were reached as a result of excavations. These are Medieval Level, 2nd Millennium BC Level (Middle Bronze Age) and 4th Millennium BC Level (Late Uruk Period) [http://arkeoloji.ege.edu.tr/Protohistorya/Projeler/basur/basur.htm, 22.6.2011;11:54]. |
| Small Finds: Remains of the recent village on mound had damaged the 12th-14th century AD medieval buildings and a part of 1st and 2nd millennium BC buildings. 4th and 2nd millennium BC buildings cover an extensive area on the levels close to the surface of the mound [http://www.kesfetmekicinbak.com/arkeoloji/08367/, 22.6.2011;11:55]. The earliest building level is South Mesopotamia originated Late Uruk phase, which is dated to second half of 4th millennium BC. Public buildings, storehouses and many of potsherds were found within the buildings dated to this period extended on a wide area at southern trenches of the excavation area [http://arkeoloji.ege.edu.tr/Protohistorya/Projeler/basur/basur.htm, 22.6.2011;11:57]. Architecture: 4th millennium BC buildings were partially well preserved although they were close to surface. Places with walls of ca. 0.70-0.90 cm thick consisted of adjacent multi-room buildings. Thickness of stone foundations was indicating the presence of second floors. Mud brick parts partially colored in red came from the fillings removed over the rooms and provided information about super structure and the end of the buildings. These buildings with mud brick bodies were probably damaged with a fire. A monumental building, which was part of the large building complex brought out in 2008 campaign in Basur Höyük, was remarkable. It had a main entrance paved with flagstones and nearby the place and in the second phase another building was constructed. This building with walls of ca. 1.50 m thickness was having two phases. The building was considered to be a sacred place depending on the huge fire pit. The fire pit with a diameter of 1.80 m brought out within this place in the middle of storehouses. Dimensions of this fire pit, which could not be defined as an ordinary hearth, was covering the whole place. The purpose of this fire room and its relationships with the storehouses would be understood in forthcoming years. There were courtyard-like areas between the rooms with stone foundations and mud-walls. Lentil, barley and wheat were the most common grains among the grains came out in this room, which gave plenty of spouted jars. Store houses extended on a wide area suggested that the mound was an administrative center in Late Uruk period [http://arkeoloji.ege.edu.tr/Protohistorya/Projeler/basur/basur.htm, 22.6.2011; 11:59]. During the 2011 studies, potsherds dominantly consisting of beveled rim vessels were recovered from Trench V8 on the south section of the mound [Saglamtimur-Ozan 2013:265]. During the 2012 studies, remains dated to the 5th millennium BC (the earliest level of the site) were found in the sounding opened in the plan square P7. In this area, a fill comprising of partially burned mudbrick fragments was exposed. In the plan square S9 in which the remains belonging to the 4th millennium BC were unearthed, a layer consisting of at least two building levels was determined. Rectangular and square planned structures, that have stone foundations with a width of two rows of stone, were exposed in the first building level. In the second building level, on the other hand, multi-roomed structures with thinner walls were unearthed. These structures are in rectangular plan. Sub-floor pot burials were found in this building level. The studies carried out so far show that only the southern half was inhabited during Uruk Period. During this period, the surface of the mound was leveled and the slopes were terraced. Large communal buildings were built on this flattened area and the terraced area was used for domestic buildings [Saglamtimur-Ozan 2014]. Pottery: The fill of the plan square P7 yielded a great number of plain potsherds as well as Ubaid potsherds with dark colored decoration on red and buff / cream slip. In Basur Höyük, mainly plant tempered potsherds and a few mineral tempered necked jars and neckless jars with globular body were found in the earliest phase of Late Chalcolithic levels. In the subsequent phase, on the other hand, brown slipped vessels and plant-tempered pottery were revealed. Typical forms of this phase are cooking pots (casserole) and hammerhead bowls. In addition, bowls the bottoms of which were trimmed with flint or obsidian tools were found. Many plant tempered wares and a small number of molded beveled rim bowls with mineral temper were revealed in the last phase of Late Chalcolithic (Uruk Period). Wheel-made conical bowls, mineral tempered hammerhead bowls and carinated bowls were also found [Saglamtimur-Ozan 2014:515-516]. |
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