©The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project

Sumaki

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Sumaki
Type:
 Mound
Altitude:
 m
Region:
 Southeastern Anatolia
Province:
 Batman
District:
 Besiri
Village:
Investigation Method:
 Excavation
Period:

     

Location: It is located in an area where the Garzan River meanders, at the exit of the Garzan Valley, in the east of Besiri District of Batman Province. It is located within the area to be flooded due to Ilġsu Dam.
Geography and Environment: The settlement is located in the Garzan Creek Valley, in the east of Diyarbakir Basin. Garzan Mountains rise in the northeast of the valley and the volcanic mountain Kirdagi is located to the southwest. The basaltic flows reach the vicinity of Sumaki Mound. The valley has risen due to tectonic reasons in the last five thousand years. The area where the settlement is located is covered with clayey soil. The streambed of Kani Husur, which flows from the north of the mound, was closed due to landslide but the river reopened its streambed. There are finds and stones which were abraded by running water, in the fills of the trenches located 27 m up to the present streambed. During the Holocene, the mean annual precipitation was 675-950 mm (two times more than that today) in two periods (6400 BC and 5600s BC). Between these two humid and hot periods there was a short dry and cold period. These are the periods in which the settlement is existed [Erim-Özdogan 2013:72].
History:
Research and Excavation: In 1963, H. Çambel and R.J. Braidwood and in 1990, G. Algaze surveyed the region. However, the settlement was discovered during the cultural inventory studies carried out by Jale Velibeyoglu and Asli Erim-Özdogan in 2002. Asli Erim-Özdogan and the Mardin Museum initiated the salvage excavation in 2007 [Erim-Özdogan 2013:73].
Stratigraphy: The Neolithic and Middle Ages levels exist in the settlement. The upper level (Trenches 14-15 G) yielded a Middle Ages settlement or a farmstead consisting a couple of houses. There are 4 rubbish pits belonging to this level. The Neolithic level consists of two main phases and one intermediate phase. Between two main phases, there are postholes, hearths and ashy areas. Upper Main Phase: Pottery Neolithic Intermediate Phase: Pottery Neolithic Lower Main Phase: Pre-Pottery Neolithic A flood layer covers the lower main and intermediate phases [Erim-Özdogan 2013:73].
Small Finds: The mound covers an area of 250x150 m in dimension. Architecture: The architecture of the Upper Main Phase is represented by 3 series of large basalt ground stones found in Trenches 21L-M. These series, generally consisting a single course of stones, extend in the east-west direction. The series at the center measures 14.10 m long and is slightly wavy and has 2-3 rows in patches. The other ones measure 5 and 4.30 m long. Due to the fact that the ground stones are not in situ, it is not clear that whether these belong to this phase or the earlier phases. There are also large oval hearths and ovens. Some of them have multiple phases. Their solid floors are sometimes flat and sometimes slightly inclined but all of them are always superimposed. The architectural remains belonging to the Intermediate Phase were detected in Trench 20L. It is suggested that these remains belong to a roofing system that is supported with 7 posts placed at 1.00-0.85 m intervals. There are ashy areas and calcified wattle and daub remains. The hearths and ovens, which are similar to those found in the upper phases, are wattled as well. The Neolithic architecture concentrated in the Lower Main Phase. 18 structures in total were exposed. It seems like the settlement was divided into different "neighborhoods". Individual buildings circle a courtyard. The buildings are in rectangular plan. The corners of the walls are rounded. The walls of two-roomed or multiroomed buildings were built in the wattle and daub technique. The two-storied buildings are larger, while the single-storied ones are smaller. The single-roomed buildings measure 3.50-4.50x6.00 m in dimension. The two-roomed buildings are 2.20-3.12x3.60-4.30 m in dimensions. The two-storied buildings measure 3.10-4.30x4.80-5.80 m. The present height of the two-storied buildings is over 1.20 m. The first floor of the two-storied buildings like Building M consists of a central long room and two small rooms on both sides. This plan is similar to Mezraa Teleilat IIC buildings and cell-planned buildings of Çayönü. The second floor, on the other hand, consists of 3 or 4 square planned rooms. It is believed that this floor was the main living area as in the cell-planned buildings of Çayönü. The single-storied buildings like K, D and W have 1 or 2 rooms. There are also single-roomed structures, like Building C, that were built with a single row of reed. It is assumed that thick walls were built with wattle, reed, and earth. There is not enough data about the roofing system. However, it is believed that the traces of scattered horizontal reed seen on the profile of the two-storied buildings may belong to the roof. It is also stated that the roof of some of the thin-walled buildings might be open. The hearths and ovens were placed in the spaces between the buildings. They are generally oval-shaped and face to the north. The floors, which are placed on the pebbled surface on a clayey fill, are solid and smooth. These floors measure 1.30-1.55x1.22-1.50 m. The edges were built in the wattle and daub technique. Some of them have one phase, while the others have 3 or 4 phases. Two incidents of a flood, which blocked the remains belonging to the Lower Main Phase, have also damaged the buildings. The first flood came from the southwest and caused the walls of some of the buildings to slip, some walls were destroyed and disintegrated, and were turned over and collapsed. The piles of stones found in the trenches of 20-21-22L-M show that the water has slowed down here. The fill of the flood is over 50 cm thick and it gets thinner towards the east [Erim-Özdogan 2013:74-6]. Pottery: There are significant differences between the Upper Main Phase and the Intermediate Phase. The Upper Main Phase ceramics are vegetable or vegetable-mineral tempered, plain surfaced or red-slipped. They are black-gray wares. The color of the plain surfaced pottery ranges from buff to pink. They are unburnished. The vegetable temper is visible on the surface. There are medium-sized pots with a globular body, slightly carinated deep jars with a large mouth and a narrow base, oval-shaped bowls (similar to husking trays) with a thick base, and cornered vessels. These show similarity to the pottery of Mezraa Teleilat Level IIC1 and 2, and Salat Camii Yani Phase 2 and 3. The Intermediate Phase ceramics are slightly mineral tempered or plain. They have brown paste and are in various brown shades, sometimes gray, mottled surfaced, burnished, generally well fired, and handmade. The most distinctive temper is basalt. There are generally shallow or deep bowls with flat bases. These show similarity to the pottery of Salat Camii Yani Phase 1 and Mezraa Teleilat IIIA (transition period, PPNB to PPN) [Erim-Özdogan 2013:76-7]. Clay items included human and stylized figurines with parallels from Tepe Sarab, and tokens. Chipped Stone: The main raw material is obsidian. It is thought to be from Bingöl due to their colors (black and olive-colored). Prismatic blade cores, core rejuvenation pieces, knapping wastes indicate that obsidian knapping was taken place in the settlement. The unretouched thin small blades that are used for leatherwork and to cut smoother plants are common. However, there are also flakes. The tools are few. There are a few Çayönü tools. The arrowheads are few in number. The flint tools are generally produced from local materials. The grey and brown tools are imported. The tools produced with direct percussion flaking are common and straight blades are few in number [Erim-Özdogan 2013:77]. Ground Stone: Basalt is the main raw material. It is assumed that it is obtained from the Kiradag volcanite. The majority of large querns were found in secondary context within the stone rows of the Upper Main Phase. Some of them have holes due to intensive use. These holes are very deep and oval shaped. The number of mortars, pestles and grinding stone is few. Therefore, it is assumed that the querns functioned as mortars. There are also flint hammers. There are granite, marble and flint burnishers, and basalt abraders and graters. The tools such as axes, adzes, and graters in various sizes became abundant in the lower levels. The "perforated flat stones" known from Çayönü, Maghzaliyah and Salat Cami Yani are also abundant in Sumaki. The fact that these stones are approximately in same size (5-6 cm) indicates that they were used for a specific purpose. The knapped -rounded- scrapers, grooved stones and stone bowls that are common during the beginning of the Pottery Neolithic are few in number [Erim-Özdogan 2013:77-8]. Bone/Antler: The majority of the bone tools were foun in the Intermediate Phase. The number of these tools is quite a few in the Upper Main Phase. The existence of the waste material shows that the bone tools were produced in the settlement. Among the bone tools showing good craftsmanship, there are mainly awls, perforators, and punchers. It is assumed that these tools were used for leatherwork. There are also various sized chisel with different tips, and a few horn and bone handles. The pins are very rare [Erim-Özdogan 2013:78]. A scapula bore a series of notches, suggesting it may have been used as a tally stick [Current Archaeology in Turkey; 16.11.2009, 15:05]. Other: The majority of the Neolithic assemblage consists of clay objects. These are mainly bullae, anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figurines, clay balls, applique and wheels, and unidentified objects. Some of the figurines were used as bulla. Almost all of the clay objects have bitumen in their paste. The figurines depicting sheep, cattle and boar are common. The style of the anthropomorphic figurines ranges from naturalistic to abstract. Similar figurines were found in Çayönü, Tepe Sarab, and Tell Sotto. Almost all of the objects with bitumen are from the Intermediate Phase. These objects are rarely seen in the Upper Main Phase. A small number of stone, tooth and bone beads were found. Good quality beads made from various stones are circular, lozenge and cylinder shaped. It is assumed that two carnelian beads showing great craftsmanship are imported. The existence of obsidian and flint drill points indicates that the bead production occurred in the settlement [Erim-Özdogan 2013:78-9].
Remains:
Interpretation and Dating:


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