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©The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project
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Çarkini |
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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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Cave |
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Altitude:
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300 m |
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Region:
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Mediterranean |
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Province:
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Antalya |
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District:
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Merkez |
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Village:
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Yagca |
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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 cave-site lies southwest of the city of Antalya; 1 km northwest of the Somakli neighborhood of the village of Yagca; 1 km west of the neighborhood of Kocaköy and 2 km south-southwest of the Karain Cave. The location area of the cave is called Öküzkakligi Mevkii. |
| Geography and Environment: The Çarkini Cave lies in the limestone outcrop of Mount Katran; which lies northwest of the city of Antalya. The mouth of the cave faces south. It has been reported that the cave is difficult to reach because it lies 190 m above the terrace and because the entrance is partially blocked by limestone slabs. The height of the cave is questionable but it is reported the cave is 22 m long and 17 m wide. There is a small terrace by the cave entrance. The Kisrakdöllügü River flows beneath. The inhabitants of this cave may have used this stream as a water source. |
| History: |
| Research and Excavation: In 1957; Kiliç Kökten opened a small test trench in the cave. Even though detailed excavation reports have not appeared; the stratigraphy has been published. The uppermost layer in this cave is Chalcolithic and overlies the Neolithic. Below this are Upper Palaeolithic levels. It is not indicated whether virgin soil was reached. Another team; directed by Isin Yalçinkaya; Ilhan Kayan; Angela Minzoni-Deroche; resumed excavations at the site in 1984. The excavation of the cave and the sifting of Kökten's spoil allowed for a more careful collection of the remaining artifacts such as chipped stone debitage products and pottery; unnoticed by Kökten. Yalçinkaya explains that most of the cultural deposit had already been excavated by Kökten [Yalçinkaya 1995a:63]. From the remaining artifacts; Yalçinkaya believes the Palaeolithic levels at the site fall between the Middle Palaeolithic and the Epipalaeolithic. Future stratigraphic excavations will reveal the sequencing of these strata. It takes place in the registered archaeological sites list prepared by Ministry of Culture and Tourism. |
| Stratigraphy: The stratigraphic sequence as determined by Kökten is; from top to bottom: Chalcolithic Period; Neolithic Period and Upper Palaeolithic Period. The soil characteristics of the strata have not been reported. |
| Small Finds: Pottery: The layer assigned to the Neolithic yielded dark burnished ware as well as ware with cream-colored painted linear designs [Kökten 1959:12]. Mellaart suggests that there may have been Kizilkaya/Bademagaci-type ceramics at this site [Mellaart 1969:169]. Yalçinkaya; Kayan and Minzoni-Deroche do not report on the material they collected from Kökten's spoil. Chipped Stone: We lack information on the Neolithic chipped stone industry the cave yielded; although; in an interview Mellaart recalls that microliths were found [Hours et al. 1994:93]. Obsidian finds have also been recovered [Renfrew et al. 1966:62]. |
| Remains: |
| Interpretation and Dating: The material from the Çarkini Cave in Antalya; which can be assigned to the Neolithic with skepticism; needs to be restudied; perhaps another excavation should be conducted. Mellaart believes that the microliths here resembles those from the chipped stone industries of Öküzini and Karain [Mellaart 1975:93]. In ASPRO; the site is dated to the Late Chalcolithic Phase 8/9. Future excavations at Çarkini should help answer these questions. |
