©The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project

Sos Höyük

For site maps and drawings please click on the picture...

maps

For photographs please click on the photo...

Sos Höyük
Type:
 Mound
Altitude:
 1760 m
Region:
 Eastern Anatolia
Province:
 Erzurum
District:
 Pasinler
Village:
 Yigittasi
Investigation Method:
 Excavation
Period:
 EBA III EBA II EBA I

     

Location: It lies 13 km west of the Pasinler District; 24 km northeast of the Erzurum Province. It is located where the Sos Village is situated; immediate (500 m) north of the road connecting the district to the province. The village is easily accessible through a stabilized road. The recent name of the village is Yigittasi.
Geography and Environment: The mound is obscured by the village of Yigittasi (Sosköy) in the Pasinler Plain irrigated by the Aras River. One of the branches of this river; Çökender; passes by the mound on the north [Sagona et al. 1995:fig.3]. The oval shaped mound in the center of the settlement measures ca. 1.2 ha. It reaches out to 150x270 m in dimensions together with the terraces. It is ca. 20 m high together with the natural elevation it stands on. The exact size of the settlement can only be obtained by soundings. It is obscured by the modern village; except the northern part of the central mound. The northern slope extends to the stream with a soft inclination while the other slopes have been damaged due to the removal of the soil and erosion. To the west; there is a section which is 8 m high.
History:
Research and Excavation: The mound attracted the attention of the excavation team working at Karaz; Pulur and Güzeloba in the Erzurum Plain. It was included in the maps of their excavation reports. Although Sagona indicates that a sounding was carried out by H.Z.Kosay which was not published [Sagona 1984:247-248]; he doesn't repeat this information in his excavation report of Sos Höyük. Following the collaborative excavation by the University of Atatürk and the Erzurum Archaeological Museum in 1987 lasted for one season and not published yet; the excavation was re-started under A. Sagona in 1994 and it still goes on. It takes place in the registered archaeological sites list prepared by Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
Stratigraphy: As a result of the excavation and 14C dates [Sagona 2000:fig 3]; the stratification is as follows; Level I: Middle Age (1.110-1.300 AD) Level II.: Iron Age-Post-Achaemenid (1.000-200 BC) Level III: Late Bronze Age (1.500-1.000 BC) Level IV: Middle Bronze Age(2.200-1.500 BC) Building levels V b-d: Early Bronze Age Phases I-III (3.000-2.000 BC) Building level Va: Late Chalcolithic Age (3.500-3.000 BC) The excavator updates the stratification and the dating as the excavation results improve.
Small Finds: Architecture (ascending order): The building level Vb dating from the EBA I between 3000-2800 BC yielded clay floors well compressed to the three floor phases in a very small area on the southern part of the big curved city wall dating from the Late Chalcolithic Age. A circular hearth with projected edges; typical of Kura-Aras was uncovered in this building level [Sagona 2000:pic.3]. The floor of the hearth is made of thin clay elaborately. No other architectural remains were uncovered in this building level until the end of 1998 excavation. The building level Vb is; for now; dated to the EBA II between ca. 2800-2500 BC represented by a few architectural remains. Among the EBA building levels; the only structure providing a plan is found at trench M-N 16. Only half of it has been excavated until the end of the 1998 excavation. This single room is built of mudbrick on a foundation built by small quarry stones and a mantel base. The eastern part of it has been destroyed by the upper structure while the southwestern part by an EBA III/MBA I grave. It houses a circular hearth with high projections decorated with concentric spherical reliefs; a long bench and a storeplace of clay. It is obvious that the room was daily utilized. The hole in the middle of the main axis indicates that the ceiling was supported by a timber pillar. A new period started at Sos during EBA III (2500-2000 BC). The building level of Vd is dated to this period by the excavator. The interpretation about the change in the settlement area is based on the lots of garbage pits and two graves uncovered in this level. The dating of the building level depends on the finds of the graves. The garbage pits are round and they are oval shaped simple pits. No other architectural remain was uncovered in this level until the end of the 1998 excavation. Ceramics (ascending order): The EBA I level yielded a pottery industry of the traditional Kura-Aras and Sioni pottery seen at LBA. The common ware is the button-like projection decorated ware group of Kura-Aras. Various shades were applied on the surfaces of the vessels by means of the heat-adjusted kilns. The forms of lids and high-necked vessels; unrolled rimmed vessels and round bowls are common [Sagona et al. 2000:333-334]. It is reported that relief decorated cups; seen at EBA; even MBA; are recovered. The EBA II yielded various vessels of the ware named as the Early Transcaucasian or Karaz and plenty of sherds [Sagona et al. 2000:pic.10-11]. This is the only type of ware seen in this period. The exterior surface is black burnished; and interior surface is plain. Sherds decorated with relief and grooves are recovered. Also found are handled and long-necked vessels; short-legged vessels; rail-necked bowls. Rounded bowls are rare. Decorations by schematized animal patterns are interesting. The EBA III yielded samples of the ware seen at Martkopi and Early Trialeti cultures of Georgia in the graves. Martkopi-like vessel is a black burnished bowl while the Early Trialeti vessel is a incision decorated jug with triangles [Sagona et al. 2000:335-336; fig.12-13]. In the meantime; the standard Kura-Aras ware continues with forms like long-necked vessels; lids; bowls etc. This group of ware is known to continue until the midst of MBA with minor changes. Clay: Andirons (cult hearths) with god depictions on their end parts were uncovered. Chipped Stone: The chipped stone industry of EBA building levels examined by I.J. McNiven in detail yielded a lot of tools and residues in obsidian. Revealing fragments of all production stages made it clear that the tools were manufactured inside the settlement [Sagona et al. 1998b:35-37]. 20 km away from Sos; pebble stones and bulbs of obsidian can be collected from the Aras River and its branches. Among the tools are side-scrapers on blades; chisels and limited number of perforators [Sagona et al. 1998b: fig.13-14]. Also found are samples of winged and unwinged spearheads chipped by smoothing the both sides. Bone/Antler: Tools like perforator; spearheads and fish spears in bone were recovered. Human Remains: The EBA III yielded an Early Transcaucausian sort of simple pit burial (grave no. 3) which destroyed the southwestern part of the lower structure. The pit is slightly oval; 180 x 180 m in dimensions [Sagona et al. 1998:pl.2]. The dead were buried into the grave in contracted position almost in the east-west direction. A bowl of black ware burnished till it got the brightness of a silver and two beads in sea shell were left as grave goods The carbon dating of the skeletons gave 2560-2525 BC and 2500-2195 BC (calibrated) [Sagona 1998b:33; pl.2; Sagona et al. 1999:206]. Another grave; dated to EBA III for now; was uncovered in the trench M 15 of the 1997 excavation. As the pit was opened like a well at 2 m depth; it was identified by the excavator as a shaft grave. As grave goods; a deep incised; a vessel decorated with white paint filled in triangles [Sagona 2000:fig.12]; and a ring in white oyster shell were left. Fauna: The animal remains of the mound dating from the EBA were introduced by S. Howells. Bones of domestic cattle; sheep and goat; horse; dog and chicken were found. The people of Sos hunted the wild animals in the neighbourhood such as wild boar; brown bear; wild sheep and red deer. As a result of the analysis and reckoning; it is noted that the number of the wild animals hunted by the community of Sos living in a mixed economy is very poor [Sagona et al. 1997:188-191].
Remains:
Interpretation and Dating: In the preliminary reports of Sos Höyük; it is noted that the dating of the EBA building levels progresses in parallel to the developments in the excavation. The link between the trenches is not achieved yet and the calibrated dates of the finds provide rather distinctive results than the first publications. The 1999 and 2000 excavations may change the dates and the interpretations. A lot of carbon; bone samples were collected and dated which were published by Sagona in detail [Sagona 2000:351-354]. Sagona reports that likes of the EBA I pottery of Sos Höyük are found in the lower levels of Karaz and Büyüktepe and surface level of the Bayburt Plain settlements; and the likes of EBA II pottery in the middle levels of Karaz; Pulur and Güzelova. From EBA III; the relation with Caucasia was improved. It is claimed that; aside the Kura-Aras ware; samples of the Martkopi ware; the Early Trialeti ware and the sandy ware are recovered. This period is represented by the samples only coming from the garbage pits and graves. For exact details; the settlement of this period should be excavated in wider areas. The 1994-1998 excavations; yet; presented significant evidence for the chronology of EBA and MBA cultures in Eastern Anatolia. The samples of some decorated ware identified as EBA were proven to be of MBA.


To List