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©The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project
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Çukurkent |
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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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Flat Settlement |
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Altitude:
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1130 m |
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Region:
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Mediterranean |
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Province:
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Konya |
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District:
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Hüyük |
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Village:
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Çukurkent |
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Investigation Method:
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Survey |
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Period:
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Ceramic |
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| Location: The site of Çukurkent lies close to the Beysehir-Sarkikaraagaç highway; 28-29 km northwest of the town of Beysehir; west of the city of Konya. It locates on a field in Bozyer Mevkii; 1 km away from Çukurkent Village; between the villages of Kireli and Yeniköy. |
| Geography and Environment: The information provided on the location of the site is limited. It is very close to the northwestern shore of Beysehir Lake. On Mellaart's map; the site is located on a flat area by the slopes of the Görünmez Mountains extending towards Beysehir Lake. Mellaart does not mention on what side of Çukurkent; the village the site is named after; this open-air site is located on. The finds were collected from a well-plowed field. |
| History: |
| Research and Excavation: The site; known for its numerous stone figurines; was discovered in 1910 by H. Ormerod [1912-13:48]. It is one of the more important sites dating to the Neolithic in Göller Bölgesi; (The Lakes Region) and has since been visited by many researchers such as Bittel and Mellaart. It takes place in the registered archaeological sites list prepared by Ministry of Culture and Tourism. |
| Stratigraphy: |
| Small Finds: Pottery: Several examples of dark burnished ware were collected. The ware ranges between buff and light brown. Closed vessels and bowls were also found. Clay Finds: Some figurine fragments were found. Chipped Stone: The survey yielded many obsidian chipped stone tools and debitage products. The foliate points found have been made using percussion technique bifacially [Mellaart 1958:fig.44]. Similar triangular points were found at the site of Ilipinar [Mellaart 1958:fig.42]. Survey also yielded sickle blades and very thin retouched blades. Ground Stone: The site has yielded more sitting and standing goddess figurines than other contemporaneous centers. It is famous for these figurines. |
| Remains: |
| Interpretation and Dating: The finds have been interpreted differently by various researchers. While Mellaart believes that the chipped stone industry resembles Hacilar IX-VI; Late Neolithic assemblages; Todd notes the similarity between these chipped stone finds and those from the third and fourth phases at Çatalhöyük [Mellaart 1961b:159][Todd 1980:132]. The many figurines suggest that the site is a religious center. The site was dated to phase 6/1 in ASPRO [Hours et al. 1994:105]. |
