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©The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project
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Höyücek |
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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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750 m |
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Region:
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Mediterranean |
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Province:
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Burdur |
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District:
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Bucak |
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Village:
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Merkez |
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Investigation Method:
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Excavation |
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Period:
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Ceramic |
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| Location: This site is located in Kahveler Mevkii of Mimar Sinan quarter of Bucak District; 250-300 m east of Burdur-Antalya highway; southeast of Burdur Province. |
| Geography and Environment: Höyücek is a small and low lying mound which rises 3.5 m above the level of the plain and has a 12 m diameter [Duru 1991a:87; 1992b:552]. |
| History: |
| Research and Excavation: The mound was discovered by Mellaart [Mellaart 1970:146] and was revisited by M. Özsait of the University of Istanbul; Department of Ancient History during his surface survey of Pisidya [Özsait 1991b:64]. Excavations at the mound were conducted jointly with the Burdur Museum between 1989-1992 under the leadership of R. Duru of the University of Istanbul; Faculty of Letters; Department of Proto-historical and Near Eastern Archaeology. It takes place in the registered archaeological sites list prepared by Ministry of Culture and Tourism. |
| Stratigraphy: The latest occupational phase at Höyücek Höyük has been assigned to the "Sacred Areas Phase" of the Late Neolithic.The two phases of the Early Neolithic are the earlier "Early Settlements Phase"and the later "Temple Phase" [Duru 1944c:97]. There was clearly a hiatus between the Temple Phase and the Sacred Areas Phase [Duru 1992a:158]. Although the painted pottery found on the western slope of the mound suggests that there must have been a "post-Sacred Areas Phase" in this region; no such sherds were found during excavations in this region. These sherds were probably brought from another nearby site with the soil that was brought to the area to be used in the brick making kiln [Duru 1994c:99; 1995:458]. |
| Small Finds: Architecture: The oldest settlement at the site of Höyücek is the "Early Settlements Phase"; which is comprised of three sub-phases. The first 4 meters of material cultural deposition overlying virgin soil has been assigned to this phase. The fact that there is no stone or mudbrick architecture suggests that the houses must have been wood and then plastered with mud [Duru 1994c:98; 1996b:50]. The "Temple Phase" settlement at the site is represented by a temple-like structure with adjacent rooms. The fact that there were no other structures on the mound and the fact that the small-finds as well as the stationary finds have sacred qualities suggests that the structure was of religious importance. The adjacent rooms may have served as a residence for the priest and other spiritual leaders. No stone was used in any of the architecture. The buildings are made completely of mudbrick. The mudbricks for this structure include rectangular prismic-shaped; turtle shell-like mudbricks as well as mudbricks with round/long and oval bases [Duru:1995c:451]. The floor plan of the temple could not be determined because the western end of this structure was not excavated. Northeast of the temple is a small room which has 5 steps; each 10 cm in size; leading to it. There is a doorway between the adjacent room and the temple. The doorway was adorned with the antlers; chin and knuckle bones of deer. Stone and clay bowls and a pit with thousands of flint blades were found nearby. Clay boxes; grain boxes and granaries have been placed on the platforms along the eastern wall of the temple structure. There is a two roomed structure east of the temple. The larger of the two rooms has plastered floors and the doorway between the two rooms was later blocked [Duru 1992a:155-156; 1994c:97-99; 1996b:51]. The Late Neolithic Settlement at the site of Höyücek is called the "Sacred Areas Phase". Although there are few architectural structures in this phase; many sacred objects such as mother goddess figurines and other idols and a great number of small finds were found. The site was; therefore; still as sacred as it was in the "Temple Phase" [Duru 1992a:155; 1994c:99; 1996b:51]. Pottery: There is no difference in the ceramic assemblage found in the earliest three sub-phases of the site; which were 4 m in thickness [Duru 1994c:98]. The clay of the "Temple Phase" ceramics is usually brown or dark gray and well fired. Boot-shaped and kidney-shaped vessels are worth noting [Umurtak 1996:480; 487]. Cylindrical vessels with small and large piercings are common. The clay of the "Sacred Areas Phase" ceramics; on the other hand; is usually gray or brown in color. This ware has not been well described. Large bowls and deep bowls are common. In this phase there are no lugs or handles. A few vessels with raised and painted decoration were also found [Duru 1992a:156-157;1993a:148-149]. Clay Finds: Numerous figurines were found both on the surface and in the cultural depositional fill layers of the "Sacred Areas Phase". A few of the figurines have been made in a naturalistic style while the rest are stylized. Most of the figurines depict women sitting or sitting cross legged. Details have not been depicted. Heads are long and stick-shaped and are usually made from another material [Duru 1993b:155]. Some violin-shaped idols were found. In the Temple Phase"; on the other hand; only one human figurine was found. Excavations at this site also yielded four-legged clay tables; clay trays [Duru 1994d:129-132; 1995:463]. The legs of one of the clay tables were adorned with animal-head figurines which were painted in red [Duru 1991a:89; 1992a:157; 1994c:98]. Chipped Stone: Flint is the most common raw material in chipped stone tool production although obsidian is also used. The material collected from the surface of the mound included pressure flaked points. A pit in the "Temple Phase" included thousands of flint small blades and blade cores [Duru 1991a:90; 1992a:156-157]. Ground Stone: Several stone chisels and celts were collected prior to excavations; when the site was surveyed [Duru 1991a:88;90]. Some of the figurines from the"Sacred Areas Phase" are stone. The "Temple Phase"; on the other hand; yielded marble bowls and ladles; as well as small chisels; celts and one stamp seal [Duru 1993a:148; 1994c:98; 1995b:462-463;466]. Bone/Antler: Some of the figurine heads from the "Sacred Areas Phase" are made of bone. Many antler chisels were found; both in the excavation and in the surface survey [Duru 1991a:90; 1992a:157]. Fauna: The Neolithic fauna from both the "Temple Phase" and the "Sacred Areas Phase" are as follows: Brown bear (Ursus arctos); fox (Vulpes vulpes); hare (Lepus capensis); roebuck (Capreolus capreolus); deer (Dama dama); red deer (Cervus elaphus); pig (Sus scrofa); sheep and goat (Caprice); cattle and oysters. In the "Early Settlements Phase"; on the other hand; hare; pig; dog (Canis lupus f. familiaris); fallow deer; red deer; sheep and goat; cattle and horse remains were found. Both domesticated and wild pig; sheep; goat and cattle remains were found [Duru 1992a:156; 1995c:473-474; footnote 10]. Flora: The "Early Settlements Phase" fill yielded many fragments of wood and branches while the clay boxes in the "Temple Phase" were filled with vertically placed twigs; indicating that wood was widely used at Höyücek. The wood found in the depositional fill of the earlier phase is oak [Duru 1991a:88; 1992a:156]. |
| Remains: |
| Interpretation and Dating: R. Duru assigns the earliest phase at this site which he calls the "Early Settlements Phase" to the Early Neolithic and believes it dates approximately to the seventh millennium BC. The 14C samples obtained in the "Temple Phase"; on the other hand; date to 7;556±45 BP and 7;349±38 BP [Duru 1995b:742; 1995c:473] . The "Sacred Areas Phase" has been assigned to the beginning of the Late Neolithic [Duru 1995c:473]. |
