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©The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project
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Üçtepe / Kerh |
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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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614 m |
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Region:
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Southeastern Anatolia |
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Province:
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Diyarbakir |
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District:
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Bismil |
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Village:
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Üçtepe |
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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: It lies immediate west (200-300 m) of the former Kerh or Kerh-i Dicle Village recently named as Üçtepe located 10 km west-southwest of the Bismil District; 40 km southeast of the Diyarbakir Province [Sevin 1990:pic.2] |
| Geography and Environment: It is located on the western bank of the Göksu Stream; one of the branches of the Tigris. It stands on a conglomeratic hill. It measures 44 m in height and 200x180 m in dimensions [Sevin 1990:103-104]. Overlooking the valley of Göksu; it looks like an oval hill inclining from south to north. |
| History: |
| Research and Excavation: It was introduced by an Assyrian stele of limestone in 1865 by J.G. Taylor; and re-investigated under V. Sevin in 1987 and started to be excavated from 1988 believing that it could be the ancient city of Tusha or Tidu mentioned in the inscriptions. The excavation was continued until 1992; the year it was terminated due to the unfavourable political events in the region. |
| Stratigraphy: The systematic surface collection revealed that the site had been inhabited from the Halaf Period (Chalcolithic Age) to the Late Hellenistic Period. The excavation yielded very significant finds of particularly the New Assyrian Period. It was conducted in four different places; one on the northern and the three on the eastern slopes. The EBA levels were only reached at slope trench XII. Those levels are numbered 12 and 13 by V. Sevin. |
| Small Finds: Architecture: The building level 12 yielded a 80 cm thick mudbrick wall survived to present day as 80 cm in height and 4 m in length. As the trench is stepped; it is difficult to clarify to what building it belongs. Two pithoi were recovered from the building level 13. Pottery: The building levels of Üçtepe yielded intact vessels and sherds of ware known as plain ware and metallic ware of the region [Sevin 1994:pic.14/1-8; pic.16/5-6]. Plenty of foot sherds of wheel-made burnished ware with an orange-color paste introduced as the orange colored ware in Southeastern Anatolia was found [Sevin 1994:pic.15/1-7]. Also found are vessels bearing a darker color as a band on the rim distinctive from the group of ware with the same characteristics. V. Sevin reports that this ware is also recovered from the MBA building levels of Üçtepe and the earliest samples are introduced in this building level [Sevin 1994:404] |
| Remains: |
| Interpretation and Dating: V. Sevin dates the building levels 12 and 13 to the last phase of EBA (EBA III) and states that the transition from EBA to MBA was not interrupted in this region on the basis of the presence of some ware [Sevin 1994:404]; and indicates that the settlements of this period are dense in the vicinity of the Tigris. |
