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©The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project
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Gaziantep Merkez Höyük |
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For site maps and drawings please click on the picture...  |
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Type:
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Mound |
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Altitude:
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910 m |
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Region:
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Southeastern Anatolia |
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Province:
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Gaziantep |
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District:
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Merkez |
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Village:
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Merkez |
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Investigation Method:
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Excavation |
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Period:
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Early |
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| The mound is located in old bazaar at the center of Gaziantep. Ceramics were found in deep debris and at the hillside sections. Halaf and Nineve II Period potsherds were among the surface finds [Dönmez-Brice 1949:47]. In addition; decorated vessels and dark faced burnished vessels were collected from the surface. A. Dönmez; W. Brice in 1947; Taylor J. du Plat in 1949; J.F.R. Bossert in 1950 surveyed the site. The mound is dated to the 7th phase in ASPRO. The excavations at the mound of Gaziantep Castle in 2003 were conducted together with the restoration and excavation works carried out inside the historic castle by a team under the Directorship of Gaziantep Museum. Before the excavations; a surface survey was carried out at the mound. Among the potsherds collected from the southern face of the mound handmade Early Chalcolithic / Halaf painted wares exist. During the excavations at trench C in a refuse level lots of potsherds showing great variety from Chalcolithic Age to Iron Age were found in contrary to the altars of Classical Age at the bottom. The potsherds collected during first season of the excavations and the surface survey attested an Early Chalcolithic Age settlement at the mound [Kulakoglu et al. 2005:296]. The researches performed in trench A; following the categorization and the documentation of the EBA structure layers in 2005; another layer was revealed containing plastered adobe; and carbonized beam fragments. Due to the distraction of the architectural remains in that layer of fire; there are neither in situ ruins; nor small finds. The ongoing researches densely revealed sherds well known from the Late Uruk Period. It was found that the first residence on the bedrock is dating to Late Uruk Period [Kulakoglu 2007:472]. It takes place in the registered archaeological sites list prepared by Ministry of Culture and Tourism. |
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