Area 760
Main Information
| Area ID | 760 |
| Site |
Tepecik-Çiftlik |
| Area type | settlement |
| Area NR | |
| Period | Anatolia: Late Neolithic |
| Dating method | material culture radiocarbon dating |
| Radiocarbon dated | yes |
| Earliest date: Lab Number | KN-5915, N°94 Level 4 |
| Earliest date: 14C age (BP) | |
| Earliest date: Calibration | yes |
| Earliest date: 14C age calibrated (BC) | |
| Earliest date: Date of calibration | None |
| Earliest date: Standard deviation | 58 |
| Earliest date: Delta 13C | None |
| Earliest date: Dated by | |
| Latest date: Lab Number | KN-5914, N°93 Level 4 |
| Latest date: 14C age (BP) | |
| Latest date: Calibration | yes |
| Latest date: 14C age calibrated (BC) | |
| Latest date: Date of calibration | None |
| Latest date: Standard deviation | 80 |
| Latest date: Delta 13C | None |
| Latest date: Dated by | |
| Period Reference |
Özdoğan, Mehmet, The Neolithic in Turkey. New Excavations & New Research. Central Turkey, None, None Bıçakçı, E. - Godon, M. - Çakan, Y. G., , Tepecik-Çiftlik, Istanbul 2012, None, None |
| Comment | The Upper Neolithic Horizon/Late Neolithic corresponds to Level 4 of Tepecik-Çiftlik and dates around 6300 cal. BC. This date is of importance, because red-slipped ware appears that require a new way of controlled firing technique in pottery manufacturing --> marker for massive expansion of Neolithic cultures to Western Anatolia and to Aegean (after 6400 cal. BC). |
| Settlement type | tell |
| Settlement structure | |
| Settlement building type | |
| Settlement building shape |
rectangular |
| Settlement building technique |
foundation trench plaster wall stone |
| Settlement archaeological features |
bench oven wall painting |
| Cave/rockshelters type | None |
| Cave/rockshelters: Evidence of graves/human remains | |
| Cave/rockshelters: Evidence of occupation | |
| Quarry exploitation type | None |
| Quarry raw material | |
| Cemetery/graves topography | |
| Cemetery/graves mortuary features | |
| Grave: number of graves | |
| Grave type |
pit grave vessel |
| Grave: type of human remains |
inhumation secondary deposition |
| Grave: estimated number of individuals | 48 |
| Grave: age groups |
adult infans I (0-6) juvenile (13-18) subadult |
| Grave: sexes | |
| Grave: number of female sex | None |
| Grave: number of male sex | None |
| Grave: number of not specified sex | None |
| Grave: disturbance of graves | |
| Description | The Late Neolithic settlement covered an area of more than 700 m². There was no direct continuity from the Late Neolithic settlement layout to the Early Chalcolithic. An open area, about 600 m² (trenches 16-17J-K, in the center of the excavated area) was found over the slight remains of a structure east of square 18J. Building remains have been exposed at the northern part of the main excavated area (in the grid squares 17-18J). The structures AL ans AM might be contemporaneous, or represent two or more different building phases. Close to the badly destroyed structure in 18J, there was a pair of two domed ovens, contemporary with the two building phases. They were made of very hard, dense clay with mineral temper, and oval at the base. They had thick walls and measured 3 x 1,5 / 1,5 x 0,75 m at the lower parts of their chambers. Because of the dense clay, it was possible to build then directly on the ground without any further substructure. This differentiates them from later types of ovens (in the Early Chalcolithic), which were built-up on flagstone foundations. A second group of building remains, consisting of a multi-room structure, is located north of squares 17-18L and 17-18K. It shows a difference in the architectural tradition and burial practices: the complex is very large (covers over 100 m²), square, with thick stone walls (structure AK) extending to an area of 75 m². Eastern of it, there are two smaller rooms/structures that were added later (rooms AY and BA). These were built with thinner stone walls in two rows of smaller stones, and about 50 cm thick. The main structure was built with large, flat stones (ca 40 cm in dimension) that were well bound to each other, laid in two rows, and the wall was about 1 m thick. The stones in the lower courses of the wall were larger and made of fine stonework. A single course of large boulder of 50 to 100 cm in length lay side by side as the lower course, protruding from both surfaces and creating bench-like projections on both sides. The lower course was constructed as foundation set in a foundation trench. A thick accumulation of ash, carbonized organic materials (seeds, timber parts) and calcined stones were found in the southern half of the structure AK in the collapse of the upper parts of the structure, caused by a heavy fire. Some artifacts were found on the ground level of this deposit (e.g. two sets of bull-horns). A piece of painted plaster (red, cobalt blue) was also found. A cache of bi-facial points was hidden in the south-east corner of building AK. It encompassed 21 bifacial points that were horizontally disposed on the ground. Half of the points were 12 cm long, the rest was longer than 18 cm and one almost 25 cm, which leads to the assumption that there were highly skilled workers involved in making these. The points were not shaped from a plain nucleus, but on very large, long blades (around 6 cm). Burials of two newborn babies were found inside of structure AK in two straight sided vessels, buried under the floor, and a simple primary burial of a baby was found under the floor of structure BA. In structure AY, there were primary and secondary burials mixed (20 individuals: babies, young adults); western of the large building complex (in the southeastern part of square 16K), 16 burials in hocker position were recovered, all adults, most heads oriented southward, a few northward, with few burial offerings (pot, some beads) scattered around the dead. In square 16J, there were nine burials (4 adults, 2 youngsters, 3 babies --> one of them inside a pot); |
| Comment |
Location of the Site
Bibliography
Finds in this Area