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©The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project
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Yazir Höyük |
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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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945 m |
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Region:
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Central Anatolia |
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Province:
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Eskisehir |
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District:
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Sivrihisar |
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Village:
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Dutlu |
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Investigation Method:
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Excavation |
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Period:
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| Location: The mound lies in Örenbaglari Mevkii; east of Dutlu village and 3.6 km southwest of Çardaközü village of Günyüzü Town; east of Sivrihisar District of Eskisehir Province. |
| Geography and Environment: Yazir Stream that joins Çardak Özü in the north; flows by the site. The ovoid mound; surrounded by fertile fields; lies on a natural elevation in this valley; approximately 20 m higher than water level. It covers an area no more than 95 m in diameter depending on distribution of pottery and the cultural deposit is 9 m high [Temizer 1960:157]. In 1955; a great fissure was dug in the center of the mound by illicit diggers. |
| History: |
| Research and Excavation: The finds from these fissure were taking to the Gordion team and then the mound was visited by R. Temizer for a section collecting regarding stratigraphy. |
| Stratigraphy: The whole stratigraphy was fixed by Temizer regarding the section. The results are: 1st Level: gray soil including remains of stone foundations between 0-150 cm; 2nd Level: remains of stone foundations between 150-250 cm; 3rd Level: a thick deposit of immense conflagration between 250-400 cm (the floor of a structure was observed high in this level and a pithos burial was seen in lower in this level); red soil strata covers the portion between 400-550 cm in the section; remains of stone foundations stand on gray soil; in between 600-800 cm; and virgin soil has not been reached neither by the illicit diggers; nor by Temizer. |
| Small Finds: Architecture: Nothing but the existence of stone foundations and mudbrick remains witnessed in the section is mentioned about the architecture. These structures are expected to be in the Central Anatolian architectural style. Pottery: During his section gathering; Temizer has collected pottery only from the conflagrated 3rd Level and he has evaluated the sherds taken to him by the villagers as surface material. The results of this analysis are: 1st group consists of hand-made; fine sand tempered; brown; gray-brown or black surface colored; slipped and burnished ware. Some examples exhibit paint decoration on the interior. Straight bands arranged in net design is the most popular decoration motif. 2nd group; too; is hand-made; sand tempered and coarse in paste and wine red; brown and gray-brown colored and burnished on the surface. 3rd group is even coarser; rough sand tempered and smoky brown slipped. It is stated that the 1st group appears in the 3rd Level; whereas the others are surface material. It is impossible to visualize the typology of the ceramics from Yazir Höyük with the little amount of full profile sherds. Strap-handles on shoulders are schematized into animals by applying knobs. High pedestal bowls and narrow necked slightly carinated vessels exist. Among the sherds with incised decoration; one with row of reverse triangles formed by bunches of parallel lines cutting across each other is worthy of mentioning. Other: Although it is stated that chipped stone tools out of obsidian and flint; and bone tools are abundant; no other explanation is given. |
| Remains: |
| Interpretation and Dating: Yazir Höyük finds and stratigraphy have been of interest for many archaeologists regarding the interrelations between Central Anatolia; Marmara; Northern Anatolia; and consequently Southeastern Europe. The settlement is claimed to be contemporary with Büyük Güllücek; Pazarli; Kayapinar (?); and Ikizhöyük. Parzinger assumes that the Levels 1-2 are contemporary with Karanovo VI; Alisar 14 M- 12 M; and Alacahöyük 14-9; and Levels 3-4 with Alisar 15 M; Beycesultan Late Chalcolithic 1; and Karanovo V [Parzinger 1993:pl.9]. Similar ware features to that of Alacahöyük IV and Büyük Güllücek are actually observed in the sherds found from the lower levels of the main section of the mound. Pottery with Alisar 0-1 a traits are found in the upper levels. Temizer regards this settlement as an intermediate station between Central Anatolian and Aegean Region Late Chalcolithic Age settlements. Yazir Höyük is one of the rare settlements of which the stratigraphy is exposed with a careful section collecting; although no excavation is conducted. |
