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©The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project
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Boztepe |
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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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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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Merkez |
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Investigation Method:
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Excavation |
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Period:
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| Location: The site of Boztepe is located 8 km east of the town of Bismil in Diyarbakir Province and just to the south of Bismil-Batman highway. |
| Geography and Environment: Boztepe is a small and low mound. In spite of the fact that in some areas cultural debris measures more than 4 m in depth; its facade against the rolling terrain and neighboring hills makes it almost indistinguishable from the surrounding landscape. Many parts of Boztepe are covered by the remains of a modern village and there is a road on the southeast side of the mound. |
| History: |
| Research and Excavation: Excavations at Boztepe were carried out during the Salvage Project of the Archaeological Heritage of the Ilisu and Carchemish Dam Reservoirs coordinated by METU TAÇDAM and in 1999 excavated by The Upper Tigris Archaeological Research Project (UTARP) under the direction of Bradley Parker. |
| Stratigraphy: Archaeological investigations in Boztepe were focused on two different areas; Area A and Area B. In both of these areas there were four trenches that named as A1; A2; A3; A4 and B1; B2; B3; B4. The small finds; architectural remains and burials indicate the settlements in Hellenistic Period; Iron Age and Halaf Period. Soundings placed in areas C and D revealed no architecture. Significant levels dating to the Halaf period in their correct stratigraphic position found in the sounding in area C. Thus; during the Halaf period; the site did indeed extend at least to area C [Parker et al. 2001:589]. There is no clarified stratigraphy mentioned by the researchers at the end of the excavations in 1999. |
| Small Finds: Architecture: There is no architecture of Halaf period revealed at Boztepe. In spite of the probe in B1 trench ended with a Halaf surface resting on virgin clay there is no certain architecture mentioned. Pottery: The Halaf ceramic assemblage from Boztepe consists of shallow an flaring straight-sided bowls; globular hole-mouthed and necked jars and several miniature vessels. These ceramics have a variety of typical Halaf motifs including red scalloped designs; which occur exclusively on the inside of vessel rims; black crosshatching on a cream slip and red diamonds also on a cream slip. One particularly interesting complete vessel is decorated with a procession of long-necked animals. Also included among this assemblage are a number of typical Halaf rough undercoated wares. Human Remains: In A1 trench of Area A found four Halaf period burials. The exposure of the Halaf cemetery was 12 square meters and contained three complete burials and one fragmentary burial. All the bodies were interred in a flexed position on an east-west axis with the head facing east. Grave goods were found in all four burials [Parker et al. 2001:585]. |
| Remains: |
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