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©The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project
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Gözlükule |
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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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150 m |
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Region:
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Mediterranean |
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Province:
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Mersin |
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District:
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Tarsus |
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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 lies in Gözlükule Quarter; southwest of Tarsus District northeast of Içel Province. The mound is known as "Tarsus" in some archaeological publications. |
| Geography and Environment: Flat and conical mound is 25 m long; and has a diameter of 300 m. Modern settlements surround the site; today. Tarsus Stream passes by the eastern side. The settlement is thought to be located very close to the sea during the first settlement. |
| History: |
| Research and Excavation: It was excavated by H. Goldman between 1934-39 and 1947-49. At present there is an excavation which particularly focused on the transition period from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age conducted in collaboration of the History Department of Bosphorus University (A. Özyar), Archeometry Center (H. Özbal) and the Kandilli Observatory. Excavations were resumed by Bosphorus University in 2007 under A. Özyar. It takes place in the registered archaeological sites list prepared by Ministry of Culture and Tourism. |
| Stratigraphy: The mound contains 33 building levels starting with the Late Neolithic to present. Altough there are Medieval Age levels, they have been destroyed to a great extent. |
| Small Finds: Architecture: The 1938 excavations took place in Section A on a group of Iron Age pottery kilns and walls previously identified in 1936 [Goldman 1940:60-61, 77]. These kilns served for the production of Cypriot ware, painted white and black on red [Goldman 1937:271-272]. Mudbricks and cobble stones were employed for the construction of the kilns found immediately in front of the walls. The fire place of the 3.75 m long kilns where the lateral walls were supported by stones, were built using the same material, and can be accessed through a dome shaped opening in a way that the kilns reflect a form of leaves with pointed ends [Goldman 1937:272]. The wall height is not much; since it has been well preserved, the foundation provides well evidence of their outline. The foundations were built of 3-3.3 m thick stones. Large stones were preferred on the exterior surface where the stones facing inside are smaller, which gave the wall a Cyclopean appearance [Goldman 1940:60-61, 77]. The walls were destroyed later during the Roman occupation. Further destruction resulted from the irrigation works of a farm nearby. Three Iron Age houses were found in section B [Goldman 1940:77]. A large size porous stone typical to the Iron Age houses was found in the floor of one of these houses [Goldman 1940:84]. Pottery: The Iron Age sherds unearthed by Goldman at Gözlükule were from the section B, and a series of pottery kilns at section A pottery workshop [Özyar et al. 2004:35]. The sherds revealed at section A excavations, have some close similarities with late Early Bronze/Middle Bronze Age Cypriot Black-Slip Ware, just as the 1st Millennium BC Tarsus sherds resemble the Cypriot Iron Age ware. The Gözlükule sherds mainly consist of ware under influence of Cyprus. Although there are local production and decoration types, characteristics of the ware are identical [Goldman 1938:33]. In addition to that, the Iron Age houses yielded a small number of local, buff colored ware decorated with parallel, red, brown, and black painted bands [Goldman 1940:84]. A wall unearthed between 14.25 m-14.50 m depths was accompanied by sherds almost entirely of Cypriot Iron Age origin [Goldman 1935:543]. Since the excavations at this section were not fully completed, their date is uncertain. Wheel made incision decorated ware usually in black-grey tones were found during the Gözlükule excavations. This ware group is known to belong to Early Iron Age and spread onto the area delimited by the Danube River. Majority of the unearthed Iron Age sherds were recovered from an entrenchment. A group of unearthed Gözlükule sherds of that period consists of plates. Some of these plates were incision decorated with symbols resembling the Hittite hieroglyphs. These specimens could not be accurately dated according to the excavation leader, but based on their flask-like vessel forms also observed in earlier periods, an assumption was made and an average date was given such as 1000 BC. The sherds were sometimes unearthed along with dark black and grey wheel made ware, with their incisions filled with white paste. These were usually dated to Early Iron Age and point out to northwestern trading routes that extend to Danube River banks. Cypriote type Iron Age sherds are immediately above these specimens at Gözlükule. Although there are numerous Cypriot type of specimens, very few were found inside well stratified areas [Goldman 1935:534-535]. 20% of the Cypriot Iron Age sherds at Gözlükule were imported, 80% of these were locally produced [Goldman 1937:272]. The excavations that were resumed in 2007, yielded Hellenistic and Roman period material, along with this Iron Age sherds were found mixed with the layers of the same deposit [Özyar et al. 2010:272]. A new layer is encountered in 2009 in the Southeast of Trench C7 17. An Iron Age crater is found in situ right in the North of the wall unearthed here [Özyar et al. 2011: 254]. Figurine: There are numerous terra cotta figurines unearthed inside Iron Age houses. Most of these are Cypriote horsemen figurines. The Mother Goddess figurines are very rare; hence only two such specimens were found. One of these is naked, holding her breasts [Goldman 1940:84-85; drw. 52]. The transparent 6 cm high figurine depicts an old man who is not wearing a beard. He was described with an eagle nose and wrinkled hands, wearing a simple and long clothing which touches his feet. It is assumed that he is wearing a conical hat that consists of some precious metals. The surface of the figurine was worked elaborately with fine details of curves on the knees and shoulders. As a result of the studies the figurine was dated after 1000 BC. There are also simple human figurines with hats and button eyes of Cypriote Iron Age context at Gözlükule [Goldman 1935:548]. Horse and rider type of figurines are captured in 2009 in Trenches C7 17 and B7 97 which is typical in Iron Age and Cyprus Island [Özyar et al. 2011: 255]. Seal/Seal Impression: The descriptions of a lyre playing musician and dancing girl on two separate seals unearthed at Gözlükule have Iron Age characteristics. Another seal is the post-Hittite period seal with hieroglyphic signs on its convex borders found inside the battlefield entrenchment. Besides these a bulla which possibly was carried away by water is also an important find. The impression on the bulla was made using a familiar method seen at Bogazköy, the Hittite capital. According to I. Gelb who has read the symbols or hieroglyphs on the seal, the seal starts with a triangle filled in the inside and from there towards the left it contains the signs for stone, king, seal, Tarhuns or Santas. The word or sign on the seal that reads "Izri[i]awa[a]" is not one typical Hittite annals. The term probably represents Great Hittite King's seal impression. This fragment was probably sent from the capital to the city governor or the prince (vassal). |
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