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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: |
| 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: Architecture: Until 2011, Basur Höyük 3rd millennium BC finds are being represented by the potsherds with no architectural context recovering from the trenches located on different sections. In 2011, the layers and graves dated to this period were discovered. During the studies conducted in Trench P6 on the southwest slope of the mound, two walls extending in the southwest and northwest-southeast directions were exposed. A great number of potsherds with buff, tile red, dark brown colored paste were encountered during the studies. Based on the findings, the structures in this trench are dated to the late phases of 3rd millennium BC. Two tandoori related to the mudbrick room without stone foundation, which was exposed in the plan square of R6 in 2010, were found. Around the tandoor on the north of the room, a large number of flint and obsidian tools were recovered. Based on the findings found in this trench, it can be said that there was a courtyard used for daily activities around the room in question dated to the mid 3rd millennium BC [Saglamtimur-Ozan 2013]. During the studies conducted in 2012, remains belonging to EBA were exposed in the plan squares P5-R5 and G5-6. It was revealed that EBA settlement consists of at least three building levels. In the earliest phase of plan square G5-6, a mudbrick structure was found. The structure was erected with thick mudbrick walls. It has no stone foundation. The back of it, which extends in the northeast-southwest direction, has a niche. There is a hearth on its side wall. The fire spot of the hearth is too small and it yielded small bone fragments and three large potsherds. Therefore, it is possible that this hearth was used for ritualistic purposes. Only the plastered floors of the remains belonging to the later building level were preserved. Several building levels were determined in the plan squares P5-R5. In the plan square R6, the first phase of EBA is represented by a rectangular structure without stone foundation. In the same area, a room with stone foundation in squarish plan was exposed. The floor and walls of this room are white plastered. There is a hearth in front of its back wall facing to the northeast. Three steps rising towards up were found in the fire spot of this hearth. It is possible that this hearth was used for ritualistic purposes as well. All of this data indicate that there could be a hearth cult in Basur Höyük during EBA [Saglamtimur-Ozan 2014:517]. Pottery: The 2012 studies yielded potsherds with light brown and green-like / cream colored paste. The shapes consist of necked and neckless jars. There are also a few sherds with paint and relief decoration. The majority of the potsherds comprise of slipped or plain wares. In the building levels dated to the second half and mid 3rd millennium BC, buff, light and dark brown, light brown / gray surfaced and red slipped wares were found. Among the types, there are spouted vessels, vessels with long foot and pedestal and ring or disk-shaped base and long and short-necked jar [Saglamtimur-Ozan 2014:517-518]. Human Remains and Graves: In the trenches of R10, R9 and S10, the graves dated to EBA were found. The graves were exposed in the sloping area on the southeast section of the mound. During the excavation in the plan square of R10, large slab stones reaching from north section to the southeast were encountered. Also a cist grave (M1) was found in this area. The upper slab stones of the grave with a dimension of 0.93x1.85 m were broken and fallen into the grave. Therefore, the majority of the pottery inside was damaged. Similar graves (M2, M3) were discovered in the plan squares of S10 and S9. The one in S10 (M2) measures 1.65x2.15 m, the other one in S9 (M3) is 1.65x2.35 m in dimension. The skeletons were heavily damaged due to the acidic nature of soil [Saglamtimur-Ozan 2013]. As a result of the studies carried out in the southeast section of the mound in 2011 and 2012, the total number of graves reached up to 9. 5 of the graves are cist graves and 4 of them are simple earth graves. Cist graves were formed with four rectangular stones. These graves were covered by large stone blocks. The largest grave is 2.35x1.65 m in dimension and the smallest one measures 1.95x0.85 m. The depth of them ranges from 1 m to 1.2 m. There are two types of burial: cremation and direct inhumation [Saglamtimur-Ozan 2014:518]. Burial Goods: After inhumation and bronze finds and pottery were placed as grave goods, these three graves that were exposed in 2011 have been filled with soil. All of the graves contain a large number of complete vessels and metal finds. The complete vessels are dominated by vessels with or without paint decoration called Nineve 5. Among the metal finds, there are spearheads, pins which some of them have animal figurine on their top and vessels with decoration. Cylindrical stamps were also found in the graves [Saglamtimur-Ozan 2013:265]. In 2012, the graves exposed in the southeast of the mound yielded painted and plain wares, bronze spear, cylindrical seals with geometric decoration and beads [Saglamtimur-Ozan 2014:518]. |
| Remains: |
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