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©The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project
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Pirot Höyük |
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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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663 m |
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Region:
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Eastern Anatolia |
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Province:
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Malatya |
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District:
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Kale |
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Village:
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Kiyicak |
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Investigation Method:
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Excavation |
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Period:
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EBA III |
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| Location: The mound lies approximately 42 km east of Malatya; in Kuyucak/Kiyicak (Pirot) Village of the town of Merkez Kale; on the southern bank of Euphrates. It also known Ikiz Mound. |
| Geography and Environment: Previous to its inundation; the mound used to lie on a low elevation of an aged terrace of Euphrates. It is also called by the name of Ikiz Höyük since it has two cones. The 25 m high; large mound measures 140 m in South-North axis and 95 m in East-West axis. The eastern cone is elliptic and steeper; while the western cone is lower and broad [Karaca 1981:109-110]. The lower terraces of the mound and the western elevation is occupied by the modern village and the east of it is severely destructed by ditches and pits due to taking away soil and stones from the mound by villagers [Karaca 1983:69-70]. |
| History: |
| Research and Excavation: It was investigated by several scientists like H. H.von der Osten [von der Osten 1929:99]; K. Kökten [Kökten 1947:fig 77]; P. Meriggi [Meriggi 1962:268]; during the Lower Euphrates Basin Survey Project by Ü. Serdaroglu [Serdaroglu 1977:16-17] and M. Özdogan in 1977 [Özdogan 1977:55] and excavated in 1978; 1980-1983 under Ö. Karaca. |
| Stratigraphy: The excavator dates the levels I-II out of XII levels to the Middle Age/Byzantine Period; level III to the Iron Age; levels IV and V to the second millennium BC and levels VI-X to the EBA without any phase. Level VI is included in the latest phase of EBA III [Özgen 1985:39] while levels XI and XII are dated to the Late Chalcolithic Age. |
| Small Finds: Architecture: The EBA settlements were excavated by the terracing method only on the slope of the mound. The square C-D/10 yielded a mudbrick construction belonging to the level VI. A floor of compressed earth and two hearths were uncovered at the level VII. The hearths were built by placing sherds onto a sandy ground; and then applying thin plaster on them. The levels VIII-X yielded traces of a mass fire and the level X a construction with mudbrick walls. A clay bench was uncovered in a building in the level VIII and remains of a hearth and a kiln in the level XI. Pottery: The Karaz ware is found in all EBA levels. Level VI yielded pottery decorated with black paint on a greenish beige or pinkish beige wash [Karaca 1985:39] while samples of wheel-made ware with a grey paste called Akkads' ware and brown decorated ware on a light beige wash were recovered from the level VII. The level VIII is like an extension of the upper level. Samples of decorated ware are 10%. Yellowish beige colored pottery was recovered from the level IX. Also found is a limited number of painting decorated sherds on a yellowish or pinkish wash. The decorated samples vanish in the level X. Samples of reserved slip decorated ware; Karaz ware and chaff-ware expose that this level can; probably; be dated to the transition period from the Late Chalcolithic Age/EBA I [Karaca 1983:72]. Clay: A fragment of a cult hearth engraved with a human face on its front was recovered in the level XI. |
| Remains: |
| Interpretation and Dating: The EBA levels of Pirot attested only in a small area do not contribute to the archaeology of Eastern Anatolia much. |
