©The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project

Tepecik - Çiftlik

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Tepecik - Çiftlik
Type:
 Mound
Altitude:
 1450 m
Region:
 Central Anatolia
Province:
 Nigde
District:
 Çiftlik
Village:
 Merkez
Investigation Method:
 Excavation
Period:
 Ceramic

     

Location: The site lies northwest of the city of Nigde; 1 km east of the small town of Çiftlik.
Geography and Environment: The mound lies in a small valley between two streams; immediately east of the Melendiz Mountains. It has a 200 m diameter and is 4-5 m high. The mound is currently plowed and used as an agricultural field. This process has caused much damage to the mound. The valley that the mound lies in is rich in water sources and has very fertile soil. Obsidian resources are located very close to the mound and have been used by the inhabitants of this site.
History:
Research and Excavation: The mound was discovered in 1966 by I.A. Todd. In 1973; it was surveyed by M. Fornaseri of the Malatya; Aslantepe crew; who was searching the area to try and discover where the Late Chalcolithic chipped stone tools at Aslantepe may have come from. Another collection was conducted on the mound in 1990 by a Japanese team led by Omura; who were surveying the Central Anatolian region. The excavations were initiated in 2000 under the leadership of E. Biçakçi of Istanbul University and E. Faydali from Nigde Museum. It takes place in the registered archaeological sites list prepared by Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
Stratigraphy: Beneath the surface soil was reached the burnt and ashy first level. The second level was reached in all tree of the trenches. In the areas where this level was well preserved; remains that appear to have a few building pheses were revealed. In addition to Neolithic finds; the site yielded both Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age finds. Stratigraphy become clear after 2004 season excavations and reported as below: Late Period (Late Roman-Byzantine) Middle Chalcolithic Early Chalcolithic Transition Period: Early Chalcolithic-Neolithic Neolithic [Biçakçi et al. 2006:223]. More accurate information was obtained on the culture deposit locations of Tepecik-Çiftlik levels thanks to the radiocarbon dating results at the end of the 2007 researches. According to radiocarbon dating the primary phases of level 3 were dated to 6000 BC. The dates based on the specimens taken from the center of level 4 suggest approximately 6300 BC. Based on this information it may be mentioned that the level 3 of Tepecik-Çiftlik which was dated to Early Chalcolithic Period started circa 6000 BC. The level 4 which is assumed to be the final level of Neolithic Period may be dated to circa between 6400/6300 BC and 6000 BC [Biçakçi et al. 2009:210]. After ten years of field work, five main occupational phases were determined: I. Late Roman-Byzantine (Level 1, represented by heavily disturbed graves) II. Middle Chalcolithic (Level 2, mainly exposed in the nortwest section of the excavation area) III. Early Chalcolithic (Level 3, exposed over almost all of the excavation area) IV. Pottery Neolithic Upper Phase (Level 4 and 5) V. Pottery Neolithic (Level 6 to 9, known from a deep sounding in Trench 16K) [Biçakçi et al. 2012].
Small Finds: Architecture: Stone foundations and floors of the level 2 were found. In the same area were recovered the remains of a building with stone walls preserved more than 1 m high. Wall fragments and stone paved areas adjacent to them were encountered in the same area; but the kind of structure they might belong was not understood. The floor was paved with stones. On an unpaved area of 1.50 squaremeters in the middle of this paved floor was found a comb full of burnt seeds. A room measuring 2x2 m was found in another trench. The eastern and southern sides of the room was bordered with stone walls. No wall remains were encountered on the northern and western sides but the room's borders were determined by plaster traces [Biçakçi et al. 2003:398]. A 4th level was revealed at 2.5 m depth during the researches performed in an area of 19x19 m in dimensions which was named 'central trench' during the researches in 2006. A new building was unearthed that belongs to the level 3 underneath the L building, during the removal of the lower phases of level 3. It was found that the building named AJ contained at least two rooms and its floor paved with large pieces of slate rocks was partially preserved. It was found that the furnace revealed in 2001 belonged to this building, and it was built in the northwest corner of the building, over the slate covered floor [Biçakçi et al. 2008:483]. The building levels of level 4 were revealed inside the trenches 17J and 17K. The building remains which were heavily destructed belong to two different phases and they consist of sub-foundation walls, only the bottom courses were preserved. The southwest corner of a building that was dated to the first phase (4.2) was unearthed at trench 17J, on the northeast corner of the trench. The building that was named AL was made with flat and large stones placed lengthways on the external course at the west wall, and with smaller and cross-wise placed stones on the internal course, the space between the two courses was filled with small stones. The two wall remains that extend in parallel in the south of the building suggest that the building was renewed a few times at this section. These walls were also built in a similar technique to the west wall. The remains of the bottom of a fireplace which was partially under the eastern section of the trench was found inside the room. The remains of the floor which was clearly renewed many times consisted of pebbles at the bottom, thick layer of adobe in the middle and plaster on top. It was surounded by a wall that could not be found. The fire place was placed on an elevated platform. The plastered floor lowered on the side of this elevation and extended through the room. The heavily ruined remains of a building which belong to the phase 4.1 of trench 17J was found in the mid-west section of the trench. The northern end of the building which measures 4.5 m in east-west axis was completely destructed. These building remains which were found 0.3-0.4 m above the AL building was named AM. Besides the east, south and west wall fragments the floor remains in the southeast corner paved with flat stones was also preserved. It is clear that due to the differences in their masonry techniques, construction axis, and elevations the buildings AL and AM belong to two different phases of level 4. Sub phases were identified in both buildings [Biçakçi et al. 2008:484-485]. The other building remains of the level 4 were revealed in the south half of the trench 17K. The remains consist of the corner of a building and a garden wall. At the internal corner of the room at the section where the north and west walls of the building constitute a corner, the wall stones were not laid in corbelling technique but they were placed side by side so that they constitute a curve. This technique is an interesting detail not often observed in the stone walls of Tepecik-Çiftlik. Many burnt wooden remains were found underneath the burnt adobe debris and collapsed stones due to the fire inside the building. The garden wall which lies east to west from the northwest corner of this building named AJ, further extends to the west then towards the south making a curve; this curve suggest that the area surrounded by the wall is an elevation and the wall was constructed in respect to the declination of the slope. The wall has two more building phases. It is observed that light buff colored, harder mortar was used on the garden wall unlike the adobe mortar used in the building walls. Another feature observed on the wall is that there are bastion like profiles extending outwards at two spots on the walls [Biçakçi et al. 2008: 485-486]. During 2007 campaign, it was found that the west end inside the trenches 16-17/J-K was used as burial area [Biçakçi et al. 2009:206]. Two adjacent cupola furnaces and remains of the east wall of one building were exposed on the northwest of Trench 18J in 2010. The furnaces measures 300x150 cm and 150x75 cm. One of them is eggshaped; the other one is oval shaped. Based on their manufacturing techniques, it has been thought that these furnaces are different from the ones in Level 3 which is dated to Early Chalcolithic [Biçakçi 2012:73]. Large amounts of carbonized grains and wooden pieces were encountered on a plane in the lower phases of the ditch in Trench 17J in Level 5. On the western part of the same plane, white, ashy layers which were known from previous years were reached. It has been observed that large and small tuff-like stones were concentrated on the floor of the ditch. A round shaped pit with a diameter of 2.50 m and a depth of 0.60 m was discovered on the northern part of Trench 17J. The floor and the edges of the pit which contain various ashy layers were covered with layers consisting of white ash and obsidian flakes. It has been suggested that the pit was used as a waste pit for collecting the waste assemblage in obsidian workshop. The excavation in the room BB which is called burial chamber continued in 2010 as well. This quadrangular planned structure has more than one phase. A wall formed with double-row large stones is located on the south of it. It has been thought that the wall, which extends in the east-west direction, belong to the large sized phase. A wall surrounding the burials was added later for the purpose of dividing the structure into two parts. The studies show that there are 25-30 individuals inside the room. In the room that contains primary and secondary burials, a miniature vessel that can be regarded as a burial gift was recovered. The only architectural remain belonging to Level 5 is the room called BB.Levels 7, 8 and 9 were discovered in Trench 16K but no architectural remains were encountered in these levels. Although the density of obsidian finds remains same, the density of bones and pottery is reduced. It is interesting that the pottery becomes more thick-walled and coarse as getting deep [Biçakçi 2012:75-77]. In 2015, the excavations were conducted in Trench 15L, 15I and 16I. The first findings recovered from Trench 15L and 15I, which were recently opened, consist of a destruction pit and partially preserved architectural remains. The destruction pit in Trench 15L extends in the northwest-southeast direction and divides the trench into two. There is a living area that contains an oven (named 15L-SB1) in the south of the trench. A pit encircled with small stones destroyed the east part of the oven. The floor of the oven was paved with small pebbles and it was plastered with mud mixed with yellowish clay. An obsidian blade was found among the pavement stones. This area probably belongs to Late Neolithic. The wall consisting of a single row of stone, which was added later to the north wall of Room BJ, borders the open area in the north of the room. This is important for understanding the relations between the open area activities and the usage of the spaces. The north section of Room BY in Trench 15I was partially destroyed. It is not yet clear that which phase of Level 2 the living area in which the finds were recovered belong to. The architectural remains belonging to the earlier phase of Level 2 were exposed. The plinth wall numbered S85 was exposed. It measures 0.60-0.70 m in width and extends in the southeast-northwest direction. A rubbish pit measuring about 1.50 m in diameter damaged the wall. In the excavation part of Room CS, scattered mud brick plaster remains and small sized pebbles were found near the north wall. It is believed that these remains belong to a damaged oven. However, the fact that the remains were found makes this idea suspicious. In Trench 16I, the south wall of Room CU in the northeast, which extends in the east-west direction, turns the south and makes an angle in L shape. The stone plinth wall is about 0.80 m in width. There are also other rooms built in the west of the structure. Room CK is the room between the cell shaped storage areas in the west and the west wall of Room CU. Since the north and the west parts of this room remained under the unexcavated fill, it is not yet clear that how this room was built. There are traces of a fire (?) in Room CM. The scattered burnt wooden remains extending in the east-west direction probably belong to the roof collapsed during the fire [Biçakçi et al. 2017:81-89]. Pottery: Todd mentions that no closed vessel fragments were found at the site. The burnished rim sherds resemble Çatalhöyük East material. Omura notes that some the ceramics collected from the surface of the site have relief decoration like Kösk Höyük types (see Kösk Höyük) [Omura 1992:543]. The vessel shapes of 2001 season include flat sided bowls with flaring rims; large; necked storage jars with flat mouths; and small bowls. Also excurving convex; excurving concave; flat and spherical bodied. simple; flat; rounded and tapering mouthed bowls with rounded rims and closed vessels are available. Three different types of decoration were used. The first type is relief decoration that is commonly observed on the red and buff burnished vessels; especially horned cattle and human figures are seen. The majority of the figures is described in motion. Dog figure is used together with the horned cattle. The second type is incised and dotted decoration. This technique is seen on the black slipped vessels; triangles; spirals; meanders are common motifs. The third type is painted decoration and is seen on a few examples [Biçakçi et al. 2003:398]. It was found that the large open vessels found at level 5 during the 2006 campaign were also used at level 4. The main ware group consists of mottled ware group baked at open hearth. Common group of ware consist of dark colored black burnished ware. A small amount of red coated, zigzag decorated sherds that were found in the upper levels at level 5. are more common at level 4 [Biçakçi et al. 2008:487]. During 2007 campaign it was found that the band relief decorated purplish red slipped ware became more common inside level 4. A nearly ellyptic rectangular shallow 'plate' that belongs to the early periods of level 4 is interesting [Biçakçi et al. 2009:209]. In 2015, a jar was found in the open area in the north of Room BJ in Trench 15L. The base of the jar preserved but the body was damaged up to the rim. In Trench 16I, a round shaped silo adjacent to the south wall of Room CL and some jars were found. The jars have a wide body and a narrow mouth. The results of the flotation of the fill taken from two jars (which can be joint) show that these jars contain grains. This shows that the jars were used exactly like a silo. Stones were used supporting the bases of the jars in order to make the jars stand upright [Biçakçi et al. 2017:83, 89]. Chipped Stone: Obsidian was used for all tools and weapons since this raw material is abundantly available nearby. Mostly grayish-black opaque obsidian was used. Many cores; some pressure flaked points; a variety of types of scrapers; a few blades and many flakes and debitage products were found [Todd 1980:93;96;100-104]. Pressure retouched arrowheads; numerous "Y" shaped blades; cores; scarpers were encountered. 2 large and many smaller chipped stone workshops were found at level 4 during researches in 2006. The primary researches on the material gathered in the area unveiled that chipped stone tools were produced in the settlement and impress technique was widely used during this production [Biçakçi et al. 2008:487-488]. During the 2015 excavations, an obsidian arrowhead and an unworked obsidian block were recovered from Room AA in Trench 16I. Trench 15I yielded an obsidian core and an arrowhead [Biçakçi et al. 2017:84, 88]. Ground Stone: Numerous celts; grinding stones; hammer stones; flaking discs; basalt discs; stone rings; pestles; ground stones and mortars were encountered. The variety of the tools and the dense usage traces on them are interesting. A stone figurine in sitting position and measuring 17 cm is also among the important stone finds [Biçakçi et al. 2003:399]. In 2015, a grinding stone was found in the open area in the noth of Room Bj in Trench 15L. A section that contains a great number of ground stone tools was determined in the south part of Trench 15L. A female statuette was found among the ground stones in the west part of Trench 16I. The statuette was produced from a porous volcanic rock. The front face was worked, while the back part was left as it was. It measures about 0.20 m high. The arms were crossed below the breasts and they were highlighted with incisions. The mouth and eyes were not depicted and the nose was marked with a slight protrusion. A pestle was also found in the area in which the statuette was recovered [Biçakçi et al. 2017:83, 84, 87]. Bone/Antler: The bone tools are the largest group of small finds. Numerous bone awls; unidentified tools made from long bones; polishing tools; spatulas and possible spoons were found. Lots of idols made of wild horse and donkey's phalanx bones were also encountered. Some of the idols were shaped without changing the natural form; and the projecting parts of some examples were smoothed [Biçakçi et al. 2003:399]. Within the level 4 that was revealed in 2006 a few wiild boar antlers were possibly found in situ [Biçakçi et al. 2008:486]. Among the remarkable finds the long bone object on which a livestock animal head was described and one end was punctured, which was possibly used as an ornament, and a concave bone plate used as a wristguard which contains holes on both short sides were found during the 2005 campaign. Besides these 33 idols made of phalanx bones were found. Based on their forms and production techniques these idols were classified under 6 groups. The similar specimens were found in Northern Syrie, inside the settlements of Dja and Mureybet which date to the 10th-9th Millenium during the Pre-Ceramic Period. But the specimens found here have different production techniques [Biçakçi et al. 2008:488]. Bone finds were found in the silo in Room AA of Trench 16I in 2015. Black pea grains were detected on a hipbone belonging to a bovine animal. The bone was probably used as a shovel-like tool [Biçakçi et al. 2017:88]. Human Remains: It was found that out of the 9 skelettons revealed inside the level 4 that was unearthed in 2006 four belonged to adults, two to children, and three to toddlers. Some burials only contained long bones, and no skulls could be found; in some of these some bones of adults and toddlers were found in a mixed condition. Some of the skeletons were found in tact. One of the children burials that was found here was put inside a pithos, and it contained a few burial presents such as beads and celts. Some of the burials are secondary and possibly a few skeletons were removed from their burials and were re-buried together. At this kind of secondary burials some skeletons miss many bones [Biçakçi et al. 2008:484]. In trench 17 J of level 4 right south of the hearth a burial that belong to a baby of 2-6 months was found which is partially in the eastern profile of the trench. The baby was placed inside a straight, cylindrical vessel. The traces found at the bottom inside the vessel which were stuck to the vessel, and in pretty destructed condition suggest that the baby was wrapped inside a cover such as a mat or textile [Biçakçi et al. 2008:484-485]. In 2010, sub-floor burials belonging to the rooms of AK, AY and BA were encountered in Trench 18K. Two burials of infants, contained in pots, were foundunder the Room AK. In the Room AY, primary and secondary burials belonging to 5-6 individuals consisting of adult, juvenile and infant were found. These burials are scattered around in the room. The collective burial, which consists of one adult, one juvenile and one infant, is located on the eastern part. The pots which their mouths were turned-down to the south were placed as burial gifts [Biçakçi 2012:73-74]. In 2015, a damaged infant burial was exposed in Room CS in Trench 15I. It was found in the north, outside the room during the deepening studies. Two beads related to the burial were found as a result of the sieving of the soil [Biçakçi et al. 2017:85].
Remains:
Interpretation and Dating: It is believed that Tepecik-Çiftlik was mainly occupied during the Neolithic. The vessels with relief decoration are compared with Kösk Höyük vessels; and based on this comparison it is suggested that the settlement in Tepecik-Çiftlik may have continued in Early Chalcolithic. The mound is located very close to Göllü Dag; which is one of the most important obsidian sources of Near East. The excavations are expected to give information about the settlements of the societies that are related to these sources. The researches in 2006 revealed that the chipped stones found inside the level 4 contained remains of the materials that were re-used. These remains could have been gathered inside the settlement or from the obsidian ore or workshops used during different periods around the Göllüdag region. It was found that the spearheads and the arrowheads with two striking platforms with double or single surface made with pressure technique found in level 5, were produced during all periods and possibly this type of tool production extends through the older and lower levels of Tepecik-Çiftlik which are not excavated yet. This type of heads were produced in the region since Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) as found by Balkan-Atli based on the Göllüdağ-Kaletepe workshop [Bıçakçı et al. 2008:488].


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