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©The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project
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Burhan 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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500 m |
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Region:
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Southeastern Anatolia |
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Province:
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Sanliurfa |
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District:
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Hilvan |
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Village:
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Burhan |
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Investigation Method:
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Survey |
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Period:
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EBA I |
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| Location: The mound was located 15.5 km northwest of the Hilvan District as the crow flies; northwest of the Sanliurfa Province before the Atatürk Dam was constructed. It was obscured by the Burhan Village which was also submerged by the dam. It can be seen in the older maps that the name of the village used to be Beddun [Behm-Blancke 1984:134; fig. 28 a-b]. |
| Geography and Environment: The mound was located on the eastern bank of the Euphrates. It was a medium-sized hill. It measured 8 m high and 120 m wide. The settlement was not noticed from the other bank of the river. |
| History: |
| Research and Excavation: It was overlooked due to an inaccessible road between the Tille Bridge and Burhan Village during the survey conducted under the Lower Euphrates Project in 1977. However the Hassek team discovered the site and conducted a detailed survey in 1980. The surface finds of Burhan Höyük were published in detail in order to introduce a sister village of Hassek Höyük dating from the Late Chalcolithic Age-EBA [Behm-Blancke 1984:134-137]. It takes place in the registered archaeological sites list prepared by Ministry of Culture and Tourism. |
| Stratigraphy: Depending on the surface finds; it is suggested that the site had been inhabited during the Late Chalcolithic Age; the EBA I; the second millennium BC and the Roman Period. |
| Small Finds: Pottery: In addition to the samples of the plain ware; many sherds of the reserved slip decorated ware were found. N. Karg dated the sherds by means of comparisons [Behm-Blancke 1984:145-147]. Clay: The most significant find is a terra cotta figurine found by the Hassek team during their survey on the eastern side of the hill. The idol being preserved at the Urfa Archaeological Museum is a bird headed idol with a stiff neck; short arms and a flat body [Behm-Blancke 1984:pl.27]. Except for the scarf on her neck; it is naked and painting decorated in the front and the back. The breasts suggest that it is a goddess figurine. |
| Remains: |
| Interpretation and Dating: The evaluation of the Burhan Höyük finds in detail strengthened its function in the cultural development of the Adiyaman-Urfa region. Similar finds can be seen in a wide area ranging from the Amuq Plain to the Malatya-Elazig region and even Northern Syria. The presence of an EBA I settlement is certain. |
