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©The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project
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Akçay 1 |
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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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1100 m |
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Region:
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Mediterranean |
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Province:
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Antalya |
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District:
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Elmali |
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Village:
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Akçay |
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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: This site lies 25 km northwest of the city of Antalya; 23-25 km southwest of the town of Elmali and 1 km southeast of the village of Akçay. |
| Geography and Environment: The diameter of the Akçay I mound; which lies on the Elmali Plain; is 125 m. It is reported that the mound is flat but its height has not been given. The surface has been leveled by continuous plowing. A stream flows east and north of the mound. The name Akçay I was given by the researchers. |
| History: |
| Research and Excavation: The site was discovered in 1949 by M.S. F. Hood. M. Mellink who conducted a survey on the mound in 1961-62. No information on the survey method or on the density of the finds has been provided. It takes place in the registered archaeological sites list prepared by Ministry of Culture and Tourism. |
| Stratigraphy: Analysis of the pottery found at the site allows us to conclude that the site was occupied in at least three phases: Byzantine; Early Bronze-Late Chalcolithic and Neolithic. |
| Small Finds: Pottery: The ceramic; assigned to the Neolithic by the researchers; was found mostly by the side of the road along the western flanks of the mound. The thin paste has grit and sand temper and schist inclusions. Most of the ceramics have been burnished prior to firing. The black cores between the inner and outer surfaces of the sherds indicate poor firing. Study of the pottery revealed that there are many slip colors ranging between dark red to pinkish red or light brown. The most common vessel shapes include vessels with evenly flaring rims and jars. It is reported that there is homogeneity among the forms. Loop handles and tubular lugs have been found among the ceramic assemblage. Some non-slipped or white slip coated vessels have pink and light brown decorations. These painted decorations tend to be very simple. Chipped Stone: The chipped stone finds include two obsidian blades and a few fragmentary flint tools. It has not been possible to date these tools. |
| Remains: |
| Interpretation and Dating: This site; which is assigned to the Late Neolithic; is perhaps the most important of the few Neolithic sites on the Elmali Plain. The fact that artifacts dating to this period were collected from the western side of the mound suggests that this would be a more suitable place for a future excavation of the Neolithic strata. Because the Elmali Plain was a lake in the Pleistocene and early Holocene; future Neolithic surveys should be concentrated on the higher elevated ridges of the plain. In fact; these ridges have also yielded Palaeolithic tools and even Palaeolithic workshops (see Harmankaya-Tanindi 1996: Kocapinar). |
