©The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project

Norsuntepe

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Norşuntepe
Type:
 Mound
Altitude:
 885 m
Region:
 Eastern Anatolia
Province:
 Elazig
District:
 Merkez
Village:
 Alisam
Investigation Method:
 Excavation
Period:
 Late Middle

     

Location: The site is located 26 km southeast of Elazig; within the geographical triangle of the villages of Alisam (Harmanpinari); Yukari Aginsi (Elmapinar); and Asagi Aginsi (Kavakalti). It is 3 km south of the village of Alisam. The mound has become an island in the reservoir of Keban Dam after 1975 and now is vanishing slowly. The name is local and the location code is O 54 / 8.
Geography and Environment: The conical; 150x130 m mound with a height of 35 m used to be one of the larger mounds of Altinova Region. It used to cover an area of 500x300 m together with its slopes. The region is a watery and fertile plain; framed by Mastar and Bingöl Mountains and irrigated by Heringet Stream and Karasu River. Today; this plain is mostly inundated; as well.
History:
Research and Excavation: Attracting the attention of scientists conducting surveys on the plain (Kökten; Meriggi) and the travelers going from Elazig to Bitlis as it could be easily seen from the motorway; the mound was investigated in 1967 in detail by R. Whallon Jr. and S. Kantman who were surveying the area that would be flooded by the Keban Dam [Whallon-Kantman 1970:2]. The excavation; started in 1968 under H. Hauptmann in the name of the German Archaeological Institute; ended up in 1974 when the hill partly submerged. The excavation was conducted in four areas; acropolis; southern terrace; western slope and fields in parallel to its size. Building levels of EBA were uncovered in the acropolis and the slopes. The site is presented as a central settlement beside a fresh water spring to which many of the small settlements in the region are sattelites [Whallon-Kantman 1970:2].
Stratigraphy: A continious settlement between Middle Chalcolithic Age and Middle Iron Age (Middle and Late Chalcolithic Age; EBA; MBA; LBA; EIA; MIA) is recovered in Norsuntepe as a result of the excavations conducted in four different areas: acropolis; southern terrace; western terrace; and the periphery of the southern terrace. The Chalcolithic Age levels could be recovered only on the western terrace; in a limited area. The Middle Chalcolithic Age remains come from a 3x3 area directly on water table; below a 14 m high cultural deposit. All Chalcolithic Age levels are between Levels XL-XXXI: Middle Chalcolithic in Levels XL-XXXVII; Late Chalcolithic in Levels XXXVI-XXX [Hauptmann 1997b:1354]. The Late Chalcolithic Age levels are cited as Western Terrace Trenches; Levels 1-10 in the articles about the 1971-74 campaigns in publications titled Keban Project.
Small Finds: Architecture: Middle Chalcolithic Age: These levels could be recovered solely in the small deep sounding of 3.3 m2 in Trench 17 K. There is no information about the Ubaid Period architecture; probably due to the small size of the excavated area. Late Chalcolithic Age: Level 10: Being the level with best architectural results among all Chalcolithic Age levels; Level 10 yields a structure with three rooms around a large open-court beside a thin; long open area (probably a street); small rooms built for workshop purposes; and an area with separate structures reminding the texture of a village; on the east. All walls are made of mud-brick; some with traces of red and black paint on the plastered; white painted walls. The roof is thought to be flat. It is observed that there may be some single-roomed structures. Level 9: Three single-roomed mud-brick constructoins and a street are excavated. Level 8: There are at least three subphases to this level. Small single-roomed houses and a larger rectangular structure surround an open-court. A 3 m wide street is located at the south. The rooms withhold round hearths and ovens. Structures with thick walls decorated with niches are recovered in the deep sounding in 17 J-K Trench. The depiction of a deer-like animal painted in red-brown over a background of black and red flames between two niches is interesting. Geometric designed wall paintings are observed in a room recovered in 18-19 J-K Trenches. It is concluded that the Late Chalcolithic Age houses of Norsuntepe were decorated with such wall paintings. Level 7: The settlement plan is not much different from the levels below; but the western section is destructed by EBA structures. Numerous burials are recovered under the floors proving that the burial customs are of intramural tradition. The debris of previous levels is flattened; covered with mud-bricks and the field is used after terracing as is observed in other levels; too. New house plans show up; in this level. Level 6 is a continuation of the plan in Level 5. Only a few of the agglutine or independent houses of the levels between 5 and 1 are recovered. Some of the rooms are quite large. The process of covering with mud-brick and terracing continues [Hauptmann 1974a:79-82;plate.72;80]. Some levels show traces of conflagration. Pottery: Middle Chalcolithic Age: Various wares such as dark faced burnished ware; grafite slipped ware; paint-decorated ware; and sherds contemporary with Korucutepe A; Amuq D and E phases are recovered at Norsuntepe. Late Chalcolithic Age: There is not much difference between the assemblages of the lower levels. Dominant ware groups are light red-brown or brown chaff-tempered ware. Brush strokes are very rare. Funnel-shaped deep bowls are found intensely. In higher levels (Level 7); sherds in high chaff-tempered; brush stroked ware and painted ware are recovered. Paste is observed to be in lighter colors. Dominant motifs of decoration are cross-hatched triangle friezes and butterflies. Relief-decoration is existent; as well. The level is considered to be contemporary with Amuq F. Tell el Seyh; Tabara Akrad VII; and Tepe Gawra XI-IX bear similar examples to this assemblage. The highest levels (Levels 1-5) yield sherds in brush stroked (Coba) ware; fine pasted ware; greenish buff ware; metallic ware; and purple and red painted ware. These levels are dated to Korucutepe B Phase; end of Amuq F Phase; and Late Uruk Period. Chipped Stone: Flintstone and obsidian are used together as raw material for this industry. The flat core tools in the early phases are replaced by flake tools in the late phases of the Late Chalcolithic Age. Other tool types are hunting weapons such as winged arrowheads and spearheads. Ground Stone: The ground stone tools (flat axe; shaft hole axe; hammer stone; grinding stone; and millstone) enlighten the daily life of the Late Chalcolithic Age Eastern Anatolia. Metal: Norsuntepe; as opposed to the close; contemporary sites; demonstrates a village very much developed in the early metallurgy of the region. Copper ore and slag are recovered in Late Chalcolithic Age Level 10 (XXXVI); slag pits; copper ore; and metal casting objects are recovered in Level 9 (XXXV). Human Remains: Intramural burials below floors (pithos burials; basket burials; and pit burials) are recovered especially numerously in Levels 7 and 8.
Remains:
Interpretation and Dating: Especially the Late Chalcolithic Age culture of the Altinova Region; a part of the cultural heritage starting with Late Neolithic Age; is well-documented in Norsuntepe. The settlement texture consists of rectangular houses seperated from each other by narrow streets and small courtyards in a complex order. They are built with mud-brick; without stone foundation; and the roof is assumed to be flat. The finds suggest that simple agricultural societies that are not very rich; but quite crowded lived in this region and this period [Arsebük 1986a:67-68]. Neither any public structure nor a defensive structure or a fortification wall could be recovered due to the limited area of excavation. Therefore the social stratification of these societies is still a question mark and it is claimed that there were no wars between them in the period of interest. Their economy seems to be based on agriculture and animal husbandry; but hunting does not play a major role. The ceramic analogies suggest that the societies of the region are either influenced by Mezopotamia or were trading. It is reported that the flat; plane or concave stamp seals of the early phases are replaced by planoconvex seals in the later. As a concluding remark; we'd like to point out that the inundation of large settlements of Altinova Region such as Norsuntepe; before sufficient archaeological data is recovered; is a considerable loss on behalf of the archaeology of Eastern Anatolia.


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