KURİKİ HÖYÜK, a SMALL SETTLEMENT at the CONFLUENCE of the BATMAN and TIGRIS RIVERS Evidence from the Late Iron Age to the Parthian Period
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Anatolica XLIV, 2018, 1-42. doi: 10.2143/ANA.44.0.3285049 KURİKİ HÖYÜK, A SMALL SETTLEMENT AT THE CONFLUENCE OF THE BATMAN AND TIGRIS RIVERS Evidence from the Late Iron Age to the Parthian period Anacleto D’Agostino and Elif Genç* Abstract This paper concerns the results of two seasons of work at Kuriki Höyük on the left bank of Batman Çayı, in SE Turkey. Architecture and materials provide information on a little known period in the region, comprising the second half of first millennium BC to the first centuries of Common Era. Focusing on pottery sherds, a few objects and architectural remains, contextual analysis enable us to define aspects of the local material culture, main phases of occupation at the site and the regional links. On the whole, more attention has been paid to interpreting all the evidence collected, although fragmentary, framing it within a general chronological grid, and summarising the main historical events that could have had consequences on the sequence of occupation. The site and its sequence The site of Kuriki Höyük (37°47’28.6”N 41°00’45.8”E) is located on a terrace on the eastern bank of the Batman Çayı in close proximity to its confluence with the Tigris river, approximately 1 km from the village of Oymataş (Fig. 1). This terrace flanks the Batman Çayı and becomes wider at the confluence with the Tigris. It rises few meters above the river flood- plain, is delimited by hills to the north and by a steep rock slope rising to the south-east. At the foot of these high cliffs the meander of the Tigris borders the site on its south-eastern side, while the Batman Çayı flanks its south-western side. Immediately north-east of the Batman Çayı, low hills rise progressively from the flat landscape delineating an undulating landscape, with higher hills towards the north. This is the last relatively large fertile area along the course of the Tigris, the terminal part of the long, west-east Tigris river valley. In fact, downstream from the confluence with the Batman Çayı, the meandering course of the Tigris starts to flow through high cliffs, between the northern fringes of the Tur Abdin highlands and the Raman- dağ. Here the areas usable for agriculture are quite rare or totally absent. The site is ovoid in shape, measuring 250 × 100 m, with the main axis oriented E-W. It consists of a main low mound clearly visible among the agricultural fields and a low flat area that rises progressively towards the west, where the slight convexity of a second very low mound is located. The profile of the site, seen from a nearby steep cliff south of the Tigris river * Elif Genç (Çukurova University) wrote “The site and its sequence”; A. D’Agostino (University of Pisa) wrote the remainder, the catalogue of pottery and composed figures and plates. A special thank you goes to Stefano Anastasio, Rocco Palermo, Raffaella Pappalardo and Valentina Gallerani for useful suggestions and comments. Any errors, of course, are the responsibility of the authors only. 2 Anacleto D’Agostino and Elif Genç Fig. 1. Map of the Upper Tigris valley showing the location of Kuriki Höyük and other sites (courtesy of Jason Ur, modified) and view of Kuriki from South. overlooking the entire valley, recalls the shape of a saddle, sloping gently towards the rivers. The main low mound has been named Kuriki 1 and the topographic anomaly at the western edge, the second very low mound, is Kuriki 2. The excavations have revealed that the flat area between both low mounds and the slope degrading toward the Batman Çayı were also occu- pied by the settlement, with relics of dwellings and graves (Genç 2016: 166 and res. 10; Genç and Yıldız Köse 2017: 285-286). Kuriki Höyük was identified at the time of the first extensive survey along the Batman Çayı. In the map of ancient settlements surveyed in 1988, it was labelled as site number 70 (Algaze 1989: fig. 2b) and as number 76 in the latest map (Algaze et al. 1991: fig. 2b). The first season of excavations took place in the summer of 2009. It was carried out by a Turkish-Italian team under the direction of Elif Genç (Çukurova University), on behalf of the Museum of Mardin, within the framework of Ilısu Dam HES program for rescue excavations. The results of the first two seasons, made it possible to reconstruct the history of the occupation of the site, exposing a sequence of five main archaeological levels subdivided into eleven sub-phases (Genç, Valentini and D’Agostino 2012: 464-465). The earlier traces uncov- Anatolica XLIV, 3 ered at mound of Kuriki 1 were reached in a deep sounding. This level consisted of a floor with a silo containing 45 kg of carbonized seeds, mainly lentils, which was discovered underneath a long sequence of strata dated to the Late Chalcolithic / beginning of Early Bronze Age. These strata belong to the earliest uncovered settlement at the site, Level IV. The layers on top of the remains of Level IV, are dated to historical times, starting with Level III, dated approximate- ly to the second half of the 1st millennium BC. The layers and buildings directly below the modern mound surface are disturbed by ploughing and erosion, but provide many elements for reconstructing the final occupation of the site (levels II and I). A radiocarbon sample tak- en from the floor of room 5 (locus 7) of the main building, provided the date of 200-45 BC (%95)1. The material collected on the surface of the mound, becomes in itself also interesting as it reflects what remains of the eroded strata or architecture. This article aims at publishing the findings of the first two campaigns, integrating most of what has been already made available in the preliminary reports (Genç and Yildiz Köse 2017; Genç 2016; Genç, Valentini and D’Agostino 2011 and 2012; Valentini 2012). Moreover, it will attempt to provide a better chronology of the later settlement, despite the fragmented archaeological evidence. Meanwhile, this work remains a summarized overview of stratigraphy and architecture, awaiting the final publication, which in preparation. The general chronological framework for the last occupation of the site can be established on the basis of the surface material and the remains of the upper levels of the sequence found in situ, altogeth- er providing a clear insight into the processes of use and reuse of the area from the Iron Age until the first centuries of the 1st millennium of the Common Era. Architecture The top of the low mound of Kuriki 1 (Area A) is occupied by the basement of a quadrangular multi-roomed building, oriented North-east/South-west, and by an elongated structure, closely related to this in both structure and function, probably a storeroom (Figs. 2 and 3). Only the foundations and traces of the mud-brick upper wall on top of them have survived. Some pits (level 0) cutting the architectural remains have been identified in relation to the remains exposed both in Kuriki 1 and 2 as well as traces of dismantling activities by vil- lagers. The first chronological framework for the tentative date of the building found directly under the surface soil, relies upon the analysis of the architecture and a series of remarks and deductions from the mixed assemblage of pottery sherds found in the filling of the rooms and sparse finds form the surface of the site. The main building (19.30 × 18.00 m) is composed of six rooms and a long central corridor that separates it in two regular wings. The rooms are rectangular and of different sizes, leading off either side the narrow corridor. Portions of a well-made mud-plaster floor have been preserved in rooms 5, 2, in the corridor and in a corner of room 1, as well as traces of plaster on the walls. A very poorly preserved fireplace is located against the south-eastern wall of room 5 (Fig. 3, at the centre). It consists of a rectangular bench in mud-bricks covered with whitish plaster and with a semi-circular kerb that lay on a very low rectangular platform rising 1 The sample, n. 404872 (Beta Analytic Laboratory), consisted of burned wood (4.3 gr). 4 Anacleto D’Agostino and Elif Genç Fig. 2. Plan of the buildings of level II on top of Mound 1, Area A (modified from Valentini 2012: fig. 8). Fig. 3. The quadrangular building, level II. Remains of the mud-brick walls are preserved in the central portion of the building. From West. slightly above the floor. Traces of fire are visible on the platform and in relation with the bench. Evidence of a last reuse of the building is represented by signs and remains of fireplaces in the corridor and in room 2, and in relation with the northern wall. Anatolica XLIV, 5 The construction pattern is not uniform but represented by a mixed system, with different masonry techniques. The foundation walls of the main building are made mainly of small stones and medium sized stones, pebbles and, only over a limited portion, on the south- ern and western sides, include one course of limestone ashlar blocks fitted closely together. The thickness of the walls is 1.50 m whereas the height is variable, in response to the irregularity of the mound, and at the centre of the building reaches 1.30 m, with about five courses of stones. The stone foundation walls supported mud-brick (40 × 40 × 10 cm) walls, preserved in the central portion of the building.