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©The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project
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Korucutepe |
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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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900 m |
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Region:
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Eastern Anatolia |
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Province:
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Elazig |
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District:
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Merkez |
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Village:
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Asagi Içme |
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Investigation Method:
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Excavation |
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Period:
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EBA I EBA II EBA III |
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| Location: It was located next to the Asagi Içme Village; 30 km east of the Elazig Province [van Loon 1987a:pl.1]. It is coded under 0 55/1. |
| Geography and Environment: It was one of the biggest mounds of the Altinova Plain. It measured 16 m in height and 190 m in diameter before flooded by the Keban Dam. It is referred to as Asagi Içme in some publications [Meriggi 1967:280]. |
| History: |
| Research and Excavation: It was discovered by C.A. Burney under the name of Asagi Içme; and attracted the attention of researchers conducting survey or exploring the region since it was near the former Elazig-Bingöl motorway. Then revisited by R. Whallon and S. Kantman; and a surface collecting is conducted; as a part of the salvage project for the sites that were going to be inundated by Keban Dam. In 1968-70; the mound was excavated by teams from Chicago Oriental Institute; University of California; and University of Amsterdam conducted jointly by M.N. van Loon and H.G. Güterbock [van Loon 1971:47]. During the excavation carried out under N.N. van Loon; virgin soil was reached at 20 m depth from the summit of the mound. It is then excavated again in 1973-75 by H. Ertem from Ankara University; Language and History Geography Faculty; Hititology Department for investigating the Hittite levels [Ertem 1979:33]. |
| Stratigraphy: Excavations yielded 12 levels as follows [van Loon 1978a:6]: Level A: Early Chalcolithic Age Level B: Late Chalcolithic Age Level C: EBA I-IIa (nearly 3000-2600 BC) Level D: EBA IIb (nearly 2600-2300 BC) Level E: EBA IIIa (nearly 2300-2150 BC) Level F: EBA IIIb (nearly 2350-2000 BC) Level G: MBA Level I-H: MBA Level G: LBA I Level J: LBA II Level K: Early Iron Age Level L: Middle Age |
| Small Finds: Architecture (ascending order): Level C: No architectural remains were found during neither the surface collection nor the excavations. However; the section caused by a bulldozer during the construction a farmhouse near the mound yielded some pieces in the building levels from 54 to 45 probably dated to that age by the excavator. Level D: A thin mudbrick walled and burnt construction was uncovered on the north and south of the middle hill of Korucutepe. Level E: This level yielded a construction with stone foundation overlapped by a thick walled building. During the renewing phase of the upper building; red mudbricks were used. Main building level in yellow color yielded a white painted hall; 6x9 m; in the central part entered from the south. Inside this hall; there is a pedestal of 1 m high in front of the eastern wall and above a circular and low elevation in front of it stands three horseshoe-like concentric hearths. Diameter of the outer hearth is 3 m and it surrounds a smaller hearth which in turn surrounds the smallest one. Various types of hearths lined along the outer wall of the hall and the finds recovered here expose that this construction is a sanctuary. Level F yielded floors only. Pottery: Only 30 broken vessels of handmade; straw-tempered; black or brown burnished Karaz ware belonging to Level D were completed. Forms of jugs with a band around their rim representing the period; bowls; small jars; lids and stands are common. Big storage jars bear complex relief decorations with stylized bird and four feet animals and crossed sliced rhombs. Level E yielded traditional black burnished (Karaz) ware of EBA as well as red; red-black; dark orange surface colored; unburnished ware. Samples of painted ware of EBA III were recovered from both Level E and F [van Loon 1971:pl.43/3]. Level F is introduced by one or two finds. Clay: A female idol; calf of her legs being fat; having a huge-body; bird-headed and her long hair depicted with incised decoration; recovered from Level D is suggested to resemble the idols of Ur Dynasty and Akkads Period in North Mesopotamia [van Loon-Güterbock 1972:80; pl.55/1]. Levels C; D and E yielded fragments of movable sacred hearths called andiron [van Loon 1978b:97]. Flora: It was revealed that societies lived in Korucutepe during phase D preferred to sow red wheat rather than wheat. Detailed investigations yielded the use of trees like ash tree; elm; oak tree and poplar fond of humid climate for the construction of buildings. |
| Remains: |
| Interpretation and Dating: Korucutepe doesn't contribute much to the prehistoric archaeology of the Altinova Plain as it was not excavated in detail particularly for Chalcolithic Age and EBA. Settlement plans of this age are not evident. Bullas and potems which are very significant in terms of the history of the region during the second millennium BC found during the first years of the excavation naturally oriented the excavation to this period. It is accepted that the EBA settlement is not as significant as the second millennium BC settlement and the village established here was ancillary to Norsuntepe during that period. |
