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©The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project
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Köskerbaba |
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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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m |
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Region:
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Eastern Anatolia |
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Province:
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Malatya |
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District:
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Battalgazi |
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Village:
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Firat |
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Investigation Method:
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Excavation |
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Period:
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| Location: It was located 250 m southwest of the former bridge of the Malatya-Elazig railway; within the territory of the Firat Village; east of the Battlagazi District (Old Malatya); about 31 km northeast of the Malatya Province before it was flooded by the Karakaya Dam. |
| Geography and Environment: 100 m far from the Euphrates; it was standing on an old terrace of the Euphrates on a ridge consisting of low hills adjacent to the river bed [Bilgi 1987a:189-190]. Name of the mound; rumor has it that; comes from a holly person Köskerbaba or Göçkerbaba who was a very tall shoemaker. Tomb of this holly person calling attention by its exaggerated length was located at the downhill. It was verified that during the construction of the old bridge; some structures were built on the mound and a leveling was carried out as well so that the upper layer of the mound was severely damaged. |
| History: |
| Research and Excavation: The mound was excavated for 8 years between 1978 and 1985 by Ö. Bilgi. |
| Stratigraphy: Following strata were identified at Köskerbaba: Ottoman Period Roman Period Early Iron Age Middle Iron Age Early Iron Age |
| Small Finds: Architecture: Both the inscriptions in the East Anatolia and an inscription engraved on a natural rock at Izoli of the Elazig Region on the immediate bank of the Euphrates indicate that the Urartians came down to this region. The Urartians should have used the settlement of Koskerbaba, which was like a military post, as a bridgehead on the western bank of the Euphrates for facilitating their relationships with the Late Hittite communities. One of the architectural remains uncovered during the excavations showed presence of a repair phase, which indicates that the region was taken back by the Late Hittites for a period of time. However, it appears that the Urartians re-dominated the region after a while. After withdrawal of the Urartians from the region, it seems that the Late Hittities didn't need a new settlement at Köskerbaba. Presence of an intense fire level at the cultural layer of the Early Bronze Age indicate that the mound passed into other hands following a great fire. There are remains of stone foundations of a complex, which consists of a room, and a very large hall this communicating with this room. The excavations at Köskerbaba revealed architectural remains dating to the 1st Millennium BC. At present, they have been heavily destroyed. Finds dating to the Middle Iron Age (Urartian Period) are available. The common material used are stones used for foundations. Pottery: Trefoil jugs bearing the local characteristics of the region, pilgrim flasks, deep bowls with burnished-handle like legs, and spouted, unspouted, double-handled large jugs with or without necks are abundant in number. These are, although rarely, decorated with paint. The Urartian structures also yielded examples of imported ceramics, which include sherds with rims painted on the inside, and crossed triangles. The sherd with paint decorated wheels and concentric circle motifs should have been imported from the East Anatolia while the two handled jugs with ring bases decorated with horizontal lines in a group of red color, of which the rim and handle are missing at present, should have been imported from the West Anatolia or Cyprus. Also found are ceramics reflecting characteristics of "Bianili ceramics" known as product of the Urartian royal art. The building level III of Köskerbaba revealed 13 pilgrim flasks. This level is dated to the 1st Millennium BC. A total of 22 pcs in situ pithoi arranged in four rows, and large bowls were recovered from the large store house which was exposed during the excavations. In the smaller store house, among the finds are one pithos flanking the entrance with threshold stone. Rubbing Stone: The limited number of cutters belonging to the first and third building levels are beige in color and they are made of flintstone. Metal: Among the finds from the Urartian Period are an iron dagger, and many fishing set weights. Jewellery: The mound is poor in jewellery, only one agate bead of a necklace and a necklace made of finger bones of a sheep were found. |
| Remains: |
| Interpretation and Dating: The examples providing information about the burial traditions of the Köskerbaba inhabitants were identified only in the building levels I and III of the Early Bronze Age III. Among them are interesting ones with an intramural burial where an infant was placed into a decorated jar in polychrome in the level I, and with an extramural burial where a young person was placed into a pithos in the level II. Ceramic finds indicate that the site had been occupied during the Early and Middle Iron (Urartian Period) Age. |
