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©The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project
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Gritille |
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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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426 m |
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Region:
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Southeastern Anatolia |
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Province:
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Adiyaman |
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District:
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Samsat |
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Village:
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Halilan |
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Investigation Method:
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Excavation |
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Period:
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EBA III |
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| Location: Before it was flooded by the Atatürk Dam Lake; the site was located southeast of the city of Adiyaman; 7 km northeast of the old town of Samsat and 3 km northeast of the old neighborhood of Kovanoluk (Biriman). The survey code of the site is T 51 / 9. |
| Geography and Environment: The site of Gritille was located on the western shore of the old Euphrates River; which flowed from northeast to southwest; before the Atatürk Dam was built. The conical; oval mound; now beneath the dam lake; had a 13 m thick cultural material deposit and was 80x40 m at the top and 150x100 m at the base. The mound; also known as Tille; lies on conglomerate and gravely soil along the Euphrates River. The upper part of the mound lay 24 m above the water-level of the Euphrates River before the construction of the Atatürk Dam Lake [Ellis 1983a:83]. The exact size of the mound cannot be determined because the eastern part of the mound was eroded by the Euphrates. The mound; therefore; became oval in shape and lay along the river; parallel to it. Systematic survey conducted on and around the mound revealed that the most extensive occupation of the site was in the thirteenth century AD. The fact that the mound overlooks a flat plain along the Euphrates and the fact that there are two springs on the eastern side of the mound were probably major factors in its selection as a habitation area. The islands formed on the base of the Euphrates River Valley are attractive places for grazing in the summers when the surrounding pastures are dry. The trees that grow along the Euphrates River may have also supplied the inhabitants of Gritille with adequate wood. Good quality flint for producing chipped stone tools may be obtained from the ridges a couple of kilometers west of the mound. The Gritille Region is thus highly equipped with many necessities. |
| History: |
| Research and Excavation: The site was discovered in 1975 by a survey team led by Ü. Serdaroglu [Serdaroglu 1977:117; fig.9; 64 maps]. Because the site was in the region expected to be flooded by the Atatürk Dam Lake; the area was resurveyed in 1977 by M. Özdogan of the University of Istanbul; Faculty of Letters; Department of Prehistory during the Lower Euphrates Basin Project. Excavations at the site were conducted from 1981 to 1984 with the financial support of Bryn Mawr College and North Carolina University under the direction of R.S. Ellis and M.M. Voigt. Voigt worked especially on the Neolithic layers. While the first two years of excavation were devoted to determine the general stratigraphy of the site; the Neolithic and Medieval layers were researched in detail in the last two seasons. The steep east-southeastern side of the mound was selected for the excavation of the Neolithic layers at the site. Because the mound was so steep; excavators resorted to north-south step trenching. Different excavation strategies were used in accordance with the architectural remains. |
| Stratigraphy: The mound was firstly occupied during the Neolithic Age; and then abandoned until the third millennium BC. The settlement of EBA was followed by the Hellenistic and Roman Period settlements. A castle was built on the hill during the Middle Age. |
| Small Finds: Architecture: Remains of EBA have been severely destroyed both by the pits of the Hellenistic Period and the foundations of the Middle Age castle. Pottery: Pottery industry of EBA including 2400-2000 BC is compared with the finds of phases I-J of Amuq as well as Lidar; Kurban Höyük; Tell Chuera and Tell Sweyhat [Ellis 1983:84]. Seals: The cylindrical seal decorated with geometrical patterns is evaluated in the culture of Jamdat Nasr. One of the pots bears a stamp seal. The excavator reports that the markings of pots are also seen in Syria and Palestine. Human Remains: The 1982 excavation yielded two graves in the EBA layer. One of them belongs to a 20 years old female. The burial was recovered in a small circular pit encircled by stones. No grave goods were left. The other grave is a simple cist grave built by paving the walls of a circular pit with mudbrick. The grave houses two burials; a female/male child 8-10 years old and an adult. The burials were placed face to face. The shell of a sea animal left near the skull of the adult is suggested to be an amulet. There is a well-worked spearhead in quartz near the child. |
| Remains: |
| Interpretation and Dating: The EBA settlement of Gritille was not identified in detail because of the main concern with the Neolithic Age levels and the severe destruction. |
