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©The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project
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Nervan Tepe |
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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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415 m |
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Region:
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Southeastern Anatolia |
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Province:
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Sirnak |
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District:
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Silopi |
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Village:
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Kavalli |
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Investigation Method:
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Survey |
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Period:
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Early |
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| Location: The mound lies in Kavakli Village; 7 km southwest of Silopi District; south of Sirnak. It is cited as "the mound near Nervan" in the research by Algaze and named as Nervan (Nehirvan) by G. Kozbe. |
| Geography and Environment: The site located on the east bank of Surik Stream is 3 km from Takyan Tepe and stands upon the accumulated deposit of Silopi Plain. It is 16 m high mound; measuring 210 m in east-west direction and 400 m in north-south direction. The settlements in this region are concentrated near natural fresh water springs and on low terraces of the rivers and streams that are active all through the year. The height of such terraces from river beds vary between 4 m and 15 m. |
| History: |
| Research and Excavation: The site is discovered during the 1988-89 survey project for documenting the sites endangered by future inundation. The project is sponsered by The Smithsonian Institute and ODTÜ TEKDAM and conducted by a team under the leadership of G. Algaze. The Silopi Plain section of this survey project covers the area between Cizre-Zaho highway south of the district of Silopi and Tigris and Habur Stream on the southwest. The site has been revisited by a team under G. Kozbe; during the Survey at Cizre-Silopi Districts of Sirnak Province in 2004. |
| Stratigraphy: The surface material collected by G. Algaze suggests the existence of a single-phase Halafian settlement. The stratigraphy of the mound could not be fixed. Despite to this issue the team under G. Kozse collected dense Habur pottery; besides a rather few of Halaf; Ubaid; Late Chalcolithic and Iron Age. |
| Small Finds: Pottery: The Halafian sherds resemble those recovered at the other Halafian sites of the region. Low sand-tempered; fine pasted; typical Halafian Painted Ware sherds are abundant. They are decorated with motifs such as bands; waves; cross-hatched triangles; and various others. Shades of brown are preferred for decoration. Red paint observed on some sherds may be the result of firing rather than the application of a separate color; therefore it is better to consider this; a monochrome ware. It was revisited and surveyed by G. Kozbe et al. in 2006, and new material were collected from the surface [Kozbe 2008:179]. Other: Lots of pottery slags (especially at southern section); grindstone; baked mud brick sherds; flint and pipe fragments belong to late period collected from the surface as well as potsherds [Kozbe 2004]. |
| Remains: |
| Interpretation and Dating: The finds from Nervan Tepe have parallels in Northern Syria; rather than Southeastern Anatolia. The pottery of this site resembles Early Halaf pottery from Sabi Abyad in form and in decoration. The mounds of Basorin; Takyan and Nervan are 5 km away from each other and they are line up along Surik Steram. This situation gives information about the settlement pattern of the region when the quality and and the size of the mounds are cosidered [Kozbe 2004]. |
