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©The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project
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Nigde - Tepebaglari |
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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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1285 m |
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Region:
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Central Anatolia |
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Province:
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Nigde |
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District:
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Merkez |
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Village:
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Aydinyurt |
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Investigation Method:
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Excavation |
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Period:
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Ceramic |
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| Location: This site lies east of the mosque of Tepebag; at Tepebag Meydan street; 1 km southeast of the village of Aydinyurt (also called Fertek); which is 4 km west of the city of Nigde. It lies 1;600 m northwest of the Bor-Nigde highway. |
| Geography and Environment: The mound is 75x60 m at the base; 28 m high and lies in the orchards and vineyards west of the village of Nigde. Not to confuse the site with the other "Tepebaglari" sites; in all archaeological publications it is referred to as Nigde-Tepebaglari. The stream which springs from the southeastern part of the Melendiz Mountains flows by the village of Fertek and west of the mound. |
| History: |
| Research and Excavation: Excavations on this mound were begun in 1972 under the leadership of N. Özgüç and the Directorate of Culture; Monuments and Museums following the research conducted on the site in 1962 by D.H. French and in 1966 by I.A. Todd. It takes place in the registered archaeological sites list prepared by Ministry of Culture and Tourism. |
| Stratigraphy: The surface survey; conducted by N. Özgüç before excavations began; determined that Late Neolithic; Chalcolithic; Early; Middle and Late Bronze Age and Iron Age periods were present at the site. The excavations also yielded a total of three Hellenistic and Medieval levels. |
| Small Finds: Pottery: The Late Neolithic ceramics are not described in detail. In his 1962 survey; the only Neolithic ceramic find Todd mentions is a single lipped bowl fragment [Todd 1980:43]. Such ware is also found at Mersin Yumuktepe. Chipped Stone: Very few chipped stone tools; which resemble the Neolithic inventory in other nearby Neolithic sites; were found. Obsidian is the only material used in chipped stone tool production. No biface retouched points were found. |
| Remains: |
| Interpretation and Dating: The Neolithic layers yielded limited finds because they remain deep beneath many other later periods. The site can skeptically be placed into the Neolithic. |
