©The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project


Çildirin Hüyleri

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Çıldırın Hüyleri
Type:
Mound
Altitude:
830 m
Region:
Eastern Anatolia
Province:
Elazig
District:
Agin
Village:
Yenipayam
Investigation Method:
Excavation
Period:
EBA II EBA III

     


Location: It is a double mound located in the lowland right above the Arapkir Stream; about 6 km west of the Agin District; northwest of the Elazig Province. Based on the restricted information provided by K. Kökten; it should have been situated west of the Yeniyapanlar Village.
Geography and Environment: Below the double mound called Çildirin Hüyleri/Çildirinbasi Hüyleri or Double Hills/Twin Hills; there is a cave called Çildirinini in the Arapkir Stream. K. Kökten reported the presence of a cultural deposit during his 1970 survey. The mound located near the stream and on the edge of the cleft; lying far south was flooded by the Keban Dam. Their location on the edge of a abyss demonstrates that they were easily defended; however the excavation didn't yield any fortification wall supporting this thesis.
History:
Research and Excavation: Kökten conducted a small scale excavation on mound "1" during his 1971 survey of the region threatened to be flooded by the Keban Dam Lake. Although the site dates to the Early Bronze Age; the artifacts yielded a surprising number of Palaeolithic tools. It is likely that these prehistoric tools were reused as raw materials for an unknown purpose in the Bronze Age and were brought to this site from elsewhere.
Stratigraphy: Although K. Kökten does not provide any information about the stratification; presence of two layers is presumed.
Small Finds: Architecture: Two rooms were uncovered at 1 m depth. They are probably built by stone on a stone foundation; and reported to be attached with loam mortar [Kökten 1974:2]. K. Kökten didn't publish the plan of the buildings. Beneath these structures; another room was uncovered at 2 m depth having the same characteristics. The floors are of earth. A collapsed hearth was found in the upper building level. Pottery: Both building levels yielded exteriorly-interiorly black; exteriorly-interiorly brown; burnished (Karaz) ware or plain vessels and sherds of the Elazig-Malatya painted ware specific to this region. Two broken pithoi were recovered in situ inside the room of the upper building level. Clay: Terra cotta bases for movable hearths; small marbles in clay were recovered. Ground Stone: Limited number of finds like iron club; flat axe and wetstone was recovered. Bone/Antler: A bone awl seen in almost all settlements in the vicinity was found.
Remains:
Interpretation and Dating: K. Kökten suggests that a borer and a hand-axe dating from the Palaeolithic Age recovered from the building levels were brought to the village by the EBA inhabitants who picked up them; for some reason; while wandering around. Çildirinbasi Hüyleri do not contribute much to the archaeology of Turkey as they were excavated for a short period of time only. Although it is difficult; they can be suggested to date to EBA II-III on the basis of the samples of the Karaz ware as well as the painted ware (painting decorated ware of Elazig-Malatya).


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