©The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project

Eskiyapar

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Eskiyapar
Type:
 Mound
Altitude:
 870 m
Region:
 Black Sea
Province:
 Çorum
District:
 Alaca
Village:
 Eskiyapar
Investigation Method:
 Excavation
Period:
 EBA III

     

Location: It is located in the village of Eskiyapar; 6 km west of Alaca District; south of the Çorum Province. The modern village was moved away in 1983-84 and the surface of the mound was cleared.
Geography and Environment: It is one of the biggest mounds in the vicinity. It measures 13 m in height and 350 m in diameter. It is surrounded by a watery land in the Hüseyinabad Plain. During the studies restarted in 2010, it was measured as 11-14 m in high, 280 m in diameter on the south-east direction, 320 m in diameter on the north-west direction and the elevation of its highest is 960 m [Sipahi 2012:515]. Eskiyapar Höyük was surrounded by the major centers of Hittites such as Alaca Höyük, Bogazköy, Ortaköy. Therefore the settlement functioned as a crossroad between three settlements and constituted a geographical integrity Sipahi 2012:1].
History:
Research and Excavation: Research and Excavation: One of the first researches who mentioned Eskiyapar in the first half of 19th century was W.J. Hamilton. H.H. Von der Osten named Eskiyapar as Altiyapan. Also J.G.C. Anderson mentioned Eskiyapar in his study in 1903. He told two millstones were taken formerly from the village and localized Eskiyapar as ancient Karissa. J. Garstang cited this landscape in his paper [Sipahi 2012:515]. It was first excavated by E. Akurgal in 1945 as a sounding followed by R. Temizer; director of the Anatolian Civilizations Museum from 1968 to 1982. It was re-excavated under I. Ediz in the name of the Museum of Çorum in 1991-1992 [Ediz 1994:109]. In 1991-1992 on behalf of Çorum Museum, I.Ediz directed an excavation on the north part of the mound [Ediz 1994:109]. The EBA levels were not reached during the last excavation. The new term researches were started in 2010 under the directorship of T.Sipahi.
Stratigraphy: The sounding study which was held by E.Akurgal emphasized that Eskiyapar involved the cultures represented in Pazarlı and Alacahöyük [Sipahi 2012:515]. Above the EBA settlement; 4 layers were identified dating from the Byzantine; Roman; Galat; Phrygian Periods; the Middle and Late Bronze Ages. The main settlement of the mound is during the Empire of Hittite and Old Hittite Period. The layers 5 and 6 were dated to EBA. W. Orthmann reports at least three layers belonging to EBA. Presence of earlier layers is suggested. The excavations which were restarted in 2010, researchers reached lower layers under Çorum Museum's excavation degree and 6 architectural levels had been identified. The last Hittite architectural level was revealed close to the surface. The architectural layers above identified culture levels of Hittite, are frequently Late and Middle Hittite. Middle Hittite layer was destroyed by Bronze Age. The highest layer, remains of a Roman grave and very few traces of Hellenistic pavements and floors were recovered [Sipahi 2012: 517]. According to 2010 results in A trench, it has emerged that Hittite residential layers were intensified at north section, in IA the mound were smaller, Phrygian settlement were observed largely at south, west and east sections and above them there were Hellenistic and subsequent cultures. After all these stages, Eskiyapar had reached its current condition [Sipahi 2012:518].
Small Finds: Architecture: The settlement of EBA is a city [Özgüç-Temizer 1993:614]. The middle and last phases of EBA were excavated more systematically. Ceramics: The pot included in a hoard has a washed and burnished red surface color. It has a button-like body. The pottery industry is compared with the EBA levels of Alacahöyük by W. Orthmann. Vast majority of the ware is washed in colors varying from red to brownish red. Also found are only red washed or black washed vessels. Forms of funnel-rimmed; blunt-rimmed big jugs and various types of vessels are recovered. An identical of the black washed small jug was recovered from Alacahöyük. Sherd of a fruit-stand is reported to indicate the presence of a Chalcolithic Age settlement. During the studies which were restarted in 2010, EBA wares were reached in A trench at layer 6. These are identical forms with the late FBA III potteries that were found in Boyali Höyük which is at the top level of Çorum Resuloglu Hatti graveyard [Sipahi 2012:518]. In 2011 excavations which were carried out at the north part of the mound, under the plain levels FBA material had been intensified and some in situ artifacts had been reached [Sipahi 2012:1-2]. Hoard: A building of the latest phase of EBA III yielded two hoards identified as treasure by the excavator under the floor of the same room in two different places. Treasure A called as big treasure houses lots of objects while treasure B has a few items only. Those treasures were probably hidden under the floor of the building by digging a pit by the owners of the house before the building underwent a massive fire. Treasure A was revealed in the center of the room while treasure B was uncovered ca. 25-30 cm deep below the floor level near a wall. The small finds of treasures A and B were placed into single handled pithoi. The one housing the treasure B is broken and finds were scattered around while the pithos of treasure A is intact [Özgüç-Temizer 1993:fig.43]. Two silver goblets; long handled pan in silver; silver bowl and ceremonial axe in electron of treasure A were placed into and onto the pithos and then covered by earth. Golden earrings; golden bracelet and necklace; beads in gold; silver and agate; golden fibula; etc. were put into this single handled pithos. A golden pin and a silver goblet were found under the pithos. Treasure B yielded precious objects all being jeweller samples. It includes a golden pin; two silver needles with rock-crystal head; a golden earring; two silver earrings; a silver bracelet and a fragment of a silver bracelet; beads largely of gold and silver and rarely of crystal and agate.
Remains:
Interpretation and Dating: Those precious objects of the Eskiyapar hoards were introduced in detail by T. Özgüç and R. Temizer in comparison with the other EBA finds of Anatolia [Özgüç-Temizer 1993:614-628]. Among them; the basket; moon and animal head shaped earrings are the outstanding samples produced by the goldsmith of that era. The quadruplet spiral beads identified as cult objects or symbol of the managing class played a significant role in the dating of these treasures. Likes of them were found at Arslantepe VIA and Hill III cemetery of Ikiztepe in bronze forms. Same type of beads were recovered at hoards A; D and J of Troy and Poliochni. The characteristics of electron axe; miniature Syrian bottle (7.3 m high); silver bowl with omphalos and silver goblet contributed to the comparisons made for dating. The pottery samples of Syrian bottles were recovered from the graves as grave goods. The miniature bottle of Eskiyapar was probably used for religious purposes. Vast majority of Eskiyapar finds is related with Troy. The likes of long handled electron pan; the handle is missing; (with a diameter of 7.9 cm) were only found at Troy and in its vicinity. It is; for now; a unique sample of its type in the Central Anatolia region. The likes of silver goblets were seen at treasure A of Troy rather than Central Anatolia. A seashell-like scoop in silver [Özgüç-Temizer 1993:fig.49] is specific to Eskiyapar only. The likes of electron shaft-holed axe come from northern Cappodocia and southern settlements of the Black Sea. The longest among its likes; it is certainly a ceremonial axe. Özgüç and Temizer propose to date Eskiyapar treasures and the layer they were recovered to the last two centuries of the third millennium BC (2200-2000 BC). The relation of the treasures with west and southeast indicates that a dense sea and land trade had started even during the third millennium BC in Anatolia. Probably a principal resided at Eskiyapar. Such a rich hoard can only belong to a ruler controlling the trade in the vicinity. The failure to defend the city against an attack; or probably the owner's death; resulted in forgetting these treasures under a collapsed building for thousands of years.


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