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©The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project
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Demircihöyük |
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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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870 m |
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Region:
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Central Anatolia |
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Province:
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Eskisehir |
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District:
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Çukurhisar |
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Village:
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Zemzemiye |
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Investigation Method:
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Excavation |
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Period:
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Ceramic |
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| Location: This site lies 25 km west of the city of Eskisehir; northwest of the town of Çukurhisar and along the highway between this town and the village of Poyra; before the turn-off to Zemzemiye. |
| Geography and Environment: The mound which lies in the western part of the Eskisehir Plain; located along the Anatolian shore of the Sea of Marmara; remains partially beneath the alluvial fill of the mound. It is 80 m in diameters and 5 m above the level of the plain today. Test trenches and deep soundings revealed that the actual dimensions of the mound are much larger. It has partially been cut by the Çukurhisar-Poyra highway. |
| History: |
| Research and Excavation: After discovering the mound of Demircihöyük; K. Bittel opened a few test trenches at the site. Another excavation led by M. Korfmann was conducted between 1975-1978. |
| Stratigraphy: Both Bittel's and Korfmann's excavations determined that there were a total of 16 Early Bronze Age occupational phases at the site. Excavations beyond this level continued with difficulty due to the appearance of the plain's water-table. It was determined that the cultural material could continue another 4.5 m beneath Layer D; the earliest Early Bronze Age layer. Although another 1.3 m were uncovered by removal of cores; virgin soil could not be reached. The fact virgin soil was still not reached even at this level indicates that alluvial deposits must have immensely elevated the level of the Eskisehir Plain over millennia. Several Neolithic occupational phases must be beneath this alluvium. The mudbricks used in the construction of Early Bronze Age structures contained a total of 66;737 Neolithic and Chalcolithic sherds. The test trenches yielded a mixture of Early Bronze Age; Chalcolithic and Neolithic ceramics. |
| Small Finds: Pottery: The pre-EBA ceramics were analyzed by Seeher who categorized the Neolithic ceramics into three groups according to ware [Seeher 1987b]. Ware A: Schist tempered ware: A total of 44 sherds were classified as belonging to this group. This ware is characteristically hand-made; with coarse mica-schist inclusions and red slip. Large flat-bottomed jars with rims which have been rolled in are common. Box-shaped flat-bottomed forms have also been found [Seeher 1987b:18-19; 72]. Ware B: Ware with fine mica temper: This ware resembles Ware A in terms of temper and surface shininess. The shiny surface is a result of the mica inclusions in the paste. The ware is characteristically light in color and varies between gray; grayish beige and greenish gray. Dark colors are rare. Forms consist of jars with in-turned rims and concave rimmed flat-bottomed jars [Seeher 1987b:19;73]. Ware C: This is the characteristic Fikirtepe Ware which has spread over northwestern Anatolia. The temper includes limestone and calcite inclusions. Dark brown is the most commonly used color. The forms include "S" shaped deep bowls; simple bowls; jars; and inverted and raised jars. Pierced lugs and basket-handles are also present [Seeher 1987b:19-20:73; fig. 5-7]. |
| Remains: |
| Interpretation and Dating: Seeher suggests that the Neolithic and Chalcolithic mounds must have been very near the Early Bronze Age settlement to account for the high percentage (12%) of pre-EBA sherds found in tertiary context. Deep soundings have located the position of this earlier mound. Thus; Early Bronze Age inhabitants used the soil from this mound in their mudbrick production. Seeher; who analyzed the material; concludes that the appearance of Fikirtepe Ware suggests that this material belongs to a semi-maritime; northwest Anatolian cultural horizon [Seeher 1987b:80]. |
