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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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| The mound is located in old bazaar at the center of Gaziantep. The excavations concerning pre-Medieval layers at the mound in 2003 were conducted with the restoration and excavation works carried out inside the historic castle by Gaziantep Museum. Before the excavations; a surface survey was carried out at the mound. EBA reserved- slip ware found as well as Early Chalcolithic / Halaf painted wares at the southern face of the mound. Excavations started in three trenches (A; B; C). Excavations in Trench A; which lies on the southwest corner of the castle; has yielded Medieval settlement remains at the upper levels. Beneath these remains a grave was uncovered and the pottery found in the grave; such as Hama goblets; bowls; spiral burnished bottles and vases which were made in a fast-wheel was the typical production of EBA IV in the region. Under this layer a room was found with the in situ pottery. The inventory of the room was consisted of a flask; cups with thin and fine walls; three storage vessels and several hand made burnished cooking pots with triangular handles on the rim. Because of the dangerous situation of the EBA stone walls of the Trench B the excavations were stopped after the first cleaning works at the southern side of the wall. The first building level of Trench C was dated to Classical Period. At the southern end of the trench a simple grave was found. Two flasks and a small cup were similar to the burial gifts found in the Trench A. This grave proved that the prehistoric layers of the mound till to the end of EBA preserved well [Kulakoglu et al. 2005:296]. The researches performed in trench A revealed the foundations of two walls that cross each other; and form four different rooms; in addition to a pithos grave in the southwest of the building wall which is in northwest-southeast direction. A 6 year old child's skeleton; and two rings made of bone; and an amulet that were left as present were found; when the grave was unearthed. The walls pertaining to a newer building were found; and fragments of a furnace; as well as black; coarse kitchen ware were revealed as the foundation elements of this building were lifted [Kulakoglu 2007:472]. It takes place in the registered archaeological sites list prepared by Ministry of Culture and Tourism. |
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