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©The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project
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Sos 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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1760 m |
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Region:
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Eastern Anatolia |
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Province:
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Erzurum |
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District:
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Pasinler |
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Village:
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Yigittasi |
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Investigation Method:
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Excavation |
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Period:
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Late Iron Age Early Iron Age |
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| Location: It lies 13 km west of the Pasinler District; 24 km northeast of the Erzurum Province. It is located where the Sos Village is situated; immediate (500 m) north of the road connecting the district to the province. The village is easily accessible through a stabilized road. The recent name of the village is Yigittasi. |
| Geography and Environment: The mound is obscured by the village of Yigittasi (Sosköy) in the Pasinler Plain irrigated by the Aras River. One of the branches of this river; Çökender; passes by the mound on the north [Sagona et al. 1995:fig.3]. The oval shaped mound in the center of the settlement measures ca. 1.2 ha. It reaches out to 150x270 m in dimensions together with the terraces. It is ca. 20 m high together with the natural elevation it stands on. The exact size of the settlement can only be obtained by soundings. It is obscured by the modern village; except the northern part of the central mound. The northern slope extends to the stream with a soft inclination while the other slopes have been damaged due to the removal of the soil and erosion. To the west; there is a section which is 8 m high. |
| History: |
| Research and Excavation: The mound was excavated primarily by the University of Atatürk. This was followed by another excavation performed by Antonio Sagona in 1994, which continues at present. It takes place in the registered archaeological sites list prepared by Ministry of Culture and Tourism. |
| Stratigraphy: The excavations and 14C dates [Sagona 2000:table at fig.3] yielded the following stratification: Building Level I: Medieval Age (1110-1300AD) Building Level II: Iron Age-Post-Achaemenian (1000-200BC) Building Level III: Late Bronze Age (1500-1.000BC) Building Level IV: Mid Bronze Age(2200-1500BC) Building Level V b-d: Early Bronze Age phases I-III (3000-2000BC) Building Level V a: temporarily dated to the Late Chalcolithic Age (3500-3000BC) The head excavator modifies stratification and dating according to the campaign outcomes. |
| Small Finds: Sos Höyük was, so to say, "reborn" in a more familiar form of cultural environment together with the beginning of the Iron Age. There exists a large gap in the occupied periods, which was interrupted by an Medieval occupation approximately 1300 years later (1100 and 1300 AD). The excavations yielded basalt grinding stones, chipped obsidian tools, wooden tools, hammering stones, earrings, and and buckles. The Iron Age is represented by the Early Iron Age context unearthed at trenches L16, and M15 at Sos Höyük. The trench J14 also yielded Early Iron Age sherds in 1996 while the excavations at trench L16 uncovered floor of a room extending eastwards, overlaid by a fire layer. The 14C analysis on the specimens taken from that layer also indicates the Iron Age (1220-800BC). The 14C determination for trench M15 d provided dates 1500-1135BC. Abundant number of sherds were recovered from the hearths and their environs here, which shows that SosHöyük was an industrial center during the Iron Age. It is likely that the hearths were used for the production of pottery or clay tiles. The soil specimens also indicate presence of alkaline. Such data suggests use of dung fuel as a supplement for firewood. Other finds include fibulae, bracelets, rings and bone pins. Pottery: The assemblage of the Early Iron Age pottery is represented by sharply shouldered deep bowls, kraters and jugs with large rims and triple vertical spouted vessels. They are mainly dark surfaced, sometimes reddish-brown slipped, and well burnished ware. The sharply crested, greyish-brown slipped and well burnished specimens also represent the Early Iron Age pottery. Also found are sherds of a body of the polychrome vessel. The body of this vessel was decorated with vertical wavy lines with two parallel band motifs on both sides. |
| Remains: |
| Interpretation and Dating: The excavations at Sos Höyük yielded small finds as well as many architectural remains. The stratification indicates that it had been inhabited during many periods. The finds suggest that it had been also settled during the Iron Age. |
