Late Bronze Age Textile Tools from Maydos Kilisetepe in Gallipoli (Turkey) and Their Aegean Connections

Trakya Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi, Cilt: 6, Sayı: 12, Temmuz 2016, s. 47‐66 LATE BRONZE AGE TEXTILE TOOLS FROM MAYDOS KİLİSETEPE IN GALLIPOLI (TURKEY) AND THEIR AEGEAN CONNECTIONS Derya YILMAZ* ABSTRACT: As one of the largest mounds of the Gallipoli Peninsula, Maydos Kilisetepe is situated on the European side of the Çanakkale Strait in the town of Eceabat in the Northern part of the Aegean Sea (Turkey) (Figure 1). Some important data regarding the Dark Ages and Late Bronze Age has been gathered in the excavations started in 2010. The paper presents preliminary analysis of the investigation of textile tools excavated in the context of the Late Bronze Age (LBA) in Maydos Kilisetepe. In the northern part of the Aegean, spindle whorls and loom weights have been the most remarkable findings associated with textile activities during the Bronze Age. The aim of this paper is to focus on spindle whorls and loom weights discovered at the site and to expand upon their Aegean Connections. The above‐mentioned textile tools have some similarities that indicate contact with the Aegean, Western Anatolia and the Balkans. The presence of the loom weights indicates that the warp‐weighted loom was used in textile production. The whorls from the Late Bronze Age settlement, which were used to get the desired yarn thickness and quality, have several shapes, types and weights. It is possible that the weaving production at the site was carried out for domestic purposes as a daily activity on a small scale during the Late Bronze Age. Keywords: Late Bronze Age, Spindle Whorl, Loom Weight, Maydos Kilisetepe, Troad, Textile Production. GELİBOLU (TÜRKİYE) MAYDOS KİLİSETEPE HÖYÜĞÜ GEÇ TUNÇ ÇAĞI TEKSTİL ALETLERİ VE EGE DÜNYASI İLE BAĞLANTILARI ÖZ: Gelibolu Yarımadası’nın en büyük höyüklerinden birisi olan Maydos Kilisetepe, Çanakkale İli’nin Avrupa yakasında, Kuzey Ege’de, Eceabat İlçesi’nde bulunmaktadır. 2010 Yılı’nda başlayan kazı çalışmaları Geç Tunç Çağı ve Karanlık Çağ hakkında bazı önemli veriler sunmuştur. Bu çalışma, Maydos Kilisetepe Geç Tunç Çağı yerleşiminde ele geçen tekstil aletlerinin ilk analizlerini içermektedir. Kuzey Ege’de Tunç Çağı boyunca ağırşaklar ve tezgâh * Assist. Prof. Dr., Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Department of Archaeology, 17100 Çanakkale-Turkey. [email protected] LATE BRONZE AGE TEXTILE TOOLS FROM MAYDOS KILISETEPE IN GALLIPOLI (TURKEY) AND THEIR AEGEAN CONNECTIONS ağırlıkları, dokumacılıkla bağlantılı en önemli buluntular arasındadır. Bu çalışmanın amacı, höyükte bulunan ağırşaklar ve tezgâh ağırlıklarını değerlendirerek Ege Dünyası ile bağlantılarının ortaya konmasıdır. Batı Anadolu, Balkanlar ve Ege Dünyası ile bazı benzerliklere sahip söz konusu tekstil aletleri bu bölgelerlerle bağlantıları da göstermektedir. Dokuma ağırlıklarının varlığı, çözgü ağırlıklı dokuma tezgâhlarının tekstil üretiminde kullanıldığını götermektedir. Geç Tunç Çağı yerleşimi ağırşakları, istenilen kalitede ve kalınlıkta ip eğirebilmek için çeşitli formlara ve ağırlıklara sahiptir. Geç Tunç Çağı boyunca yerleşimde küçük ölçekli yapılan dokuma üretimi, evle bağlantılı günlük işlerden birisi olmalıdır. Anahtar Kelimeler: Geç Tunç Çağı, Ağırşak, Tezgâh Ağırlığı, Maydos‐Kilisetepe, Troad, Tekstil Üretimi. Introduction Maydos Kilisetepe is a mound in the middle of the town of Eceabat and named after the church that was placed over it previously (Figure 2). A team directed by Göksel Sazcı from Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University started the excavations in 2010. The mound is on the west side of The Dardanelles Strait.1 The mound in Kilisetepe was actually discovered many years earlier, however the first scientific research carried out was in 1982 by M. Özdoğan who conducted survey research.2 The west part of the mound was dug into to get soil samples by modern settlers in Eceabat and undisturbed stratigraphy was discovered starting from Kumtepe IB to the end Troy VI.3 Maydos Kilisetepe is one of the largest mounds on the Gallipoli Peninsula, and due to its natural coastal settlement position, it was a harbour city that served Aegean merchants during the Bronze Age. It is located opposite to Troy; on the asian shore of the Dardanelles Strait and this arrangement suggests that it may be a collaborating settlement that helped Troy control the strait during the Bronze Age.4 Findings discovered on the surface during the 2010 excavation season, date back all the way from prehistoric times up through the Ottoman period.5 The excavation has 1 Göksel Sazcı, “Tarihöncesi Dönemlerden Antik Çağ Sonuna Kadar Eceabat/ Maydos”, Eceabat Değerleri Sempozyumu, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart Üniversitesi Yayını, 1. Baskı, Çanakkale, 2008, 3. 2 Mehmet Özdoğan, “Doğu Marmara ve Trakya Araştırmaları, 1982”, I. Araştırma Sonuçları Toplantısı, Kültür Bakanlığı Yayını, Ankara, 1984, 64-65. 3 Mehmet Özdoğan, “Prehistoric Sites in Gelibolu Peninsula”, Anadolu Araştırmaları, C. X, 1986, 5. 4 Göksel Sazcı, “Maydos Kilisetepe Höyüğü”, Arkeoloji ve Sanat Dergisi, S. 140 Mayıs- Ağustos, 2012b, 14. 5 Göksel Sazcı, “Maydos Kilisetepe Höyüğü 2010 Yılı Kazıları”, 33. Kazı Sonuçları Toplantısı, C. 1, Kültür Bakanlığı Yayını, Ankara, 2012a, 391. Trakya Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi 48 Cilt: 6, Sayı: 12, Temmuz 2016, s. 47‐66 DERYA YILMAZ unearthed Byzantine, Hellenistic, Classical, Archaic, Geometric periods and the contemporary levels with Troy VIIb, VIIa and early VI. Archaeological Context of LBA Textile Tools Three adjacent megaron buildings in have been identified near the city walls which date back to the Late Bronze Age and contemporary Troy VIIa (Figure 3). Some parts of the central structures have been uncovered; they stood on stone foundations and had mudbrick walls. Part of the walls were decorated with reliefs of geometric motifs such as concentric circles, spirals or hands on hips and were painted mainly cream and red colours.6 Most of the textile tools examined in this study were found inside or in the front yard of the megaron, and only few were found near the Bronze Age fortification wall (Figure 3). A large unbaked clay loom weight and some pottery fragments were recovered inside the kiln at the entrance of the megaron (Figure 7.1). No fabric remnants were found in the excavations of Late Bronze Age settlement. The spinning rods were usually made from wood, tusk or baked clay, rarely from metals, and unfortunately none were discovered during the excavations. On the other hand, it is known that an ivory spinning rod had been discovered at the Troy settlement VIIa.7 The spindle whorls and loom weights are the only evidence of the existence of weaving in the settlement. However, the excavations of the Late Bronze Age level will continue and it is expected that new textile tools of weaving may be uncovered in the future excavation seasons. In this study, the eleven spindle whorls and five loom weights that were found at Maydos Kilisetepe date back to the Late Bronze Age level and appeared to be textile tools (Figures 5, 7). In addition, three objects with holes in their centers seemed to be spindle whorls due to their dimensions (Figure 5,12-14). Spindle Whorls Spindle whorls were used together with the spindle to perform the spinning activity. All of the eleven spindle whorls examined in this study were made of baked clay and some had slipped surface treatment (Figures 4, 5). Only two of the spindle whorls were decorated; the first one is composed of triple strings in groups of four, incised over its body (Figure 4.8). Spindle whorls with similar decorations had also been found in Troy during the 6 G. Sazcı, 2012b, Idem, 19, Figs.7-10. 7 Kathrin Balfanz, “Eine Spätbronzezeitliche Elfenbeinspindel aus Troia VIIA”, Studia Troica vol.5, 1995b. Trakya Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi Dergisi Cilt: 6, Sayı: 12, Temmuz 2016, s. 47‐66 49 LATE BRONZE AGE TEXTILE TOOLS FROM MAYDOS KILISETEPE IN GALLIPOLI (TURKEY) AND THEIR AEGEAN CONNECTIONS Bronze Age.8 The other one was decorated with rows of dots which appear to be a nine-pointed star when viewed from above (Figure 4, 6). Two of the spindle whorls have a symmetric double-conical form, two of the forms are asymmetric double-conical and one of them is conical. Two of them are spherical and the last two are conical but flat on the upper surface. Body diameters of the spindle whorls range from 2 to 3.5cm and hole diameters are between 3 to 7mm. The weights of the spindle whorls range from 20.5 to 28g.The spindle whorls were coloured light red, brown, camel and grey and were clay tempered with grits, mica and sand. Similar type spindle whorls were recovered from the Western Anatolia settlements of Troy and Beycesultan Levels III-II, and also in the Aegean settlements of Keos Ayia Irini LMIB, Lefkandi LH IIIC, Asine MH-LH period.9 In addition, three objects with a hole in the center are considered to be spindle whorls due to their dimensions (Figure 4,12-14). All of them have a hole in the middle but two of them were made from baked clay and one was made from white stone. The white stone spindle whorl is disc-shaped and tapered towards the ends (Figure 5.12); similar one was also found at Troy VIIa.10 A Similar type baked clay spindle whorls in the form of round shaped discs with holes in their centers were also unearthed at Aphrodisias Phase II, Lefkandi LHIIIC.11 Their body diameters range from 4.5 to 5.5cm, hole diameters range from 6 to 8mm and their thicknesses range from 1.2 to 2cm. Their weights range from 45.2 to 65.4g. The different sizes and shapes of the spindle whorls indicate that the production of yarn varied in both quality and thickness. Consequently, it is also evidence of the production of various types of fabric from within the 8 Kathrin Balfanz, “Bronzezeitliche Spinnwirtel aus Troia”, Studia Troica, vol. 5, 1995a. 9 Carl W. Blegen et al., Troy Settlements VIIa, VIIb and VIII.

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