This article explores the end of Early Bronze Age IVB (ca. 2300-2100 BC) and the beginning of the Middle Bronze Age I (ca. 2100-1800 BC) levels encountered during the research-rescue excavations conducted at Toprakhisar Höyük, a peripheral site located in the hilly landscape of the Altınözü district of Hatay. The archaeological remains exposed provided the possibility to explore research questions regarding the Early Bronze Age collapse and Middle Bronze Age re-urbanization from the stand point of the highland periphery in relation to the city centers of Tell Tayinat and Tell Atchana in the Amuq Valley of Hatay. The mixed corpus of the ephemeral Early Bronze IVB assemblage that includes elements from the Early Transcaucasian to North Syrian cultural horizon was followed by the appearance of a new local material culture in the early phases of the Middle Bronze Age. This allows us to contribute to current debates, including the expansion of the Amorites and Hurrians, and brings forward a hypothesis developed around climate change-induced long distance mobility patterns and cultural hybridization. The functional role of the site as an olive oil and wine producer has been suggested to be a strong economic aspect of the site in terms of its levels that witnessed environmental and anthropogenic stress followed by the subsequent urban expansion period.
Hatay Archaeological Museum, Hatay Mustafa Kemal University
We would like to thank K. Aslıhan Yener, Stephen D. Batiuk and anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments and to Onur Hasan Kırman, Su Ün and Göksu Akgül for illustrations. We are grateful to Tara Ingman for proofreading the final text.
Bu makalede, Hatay ili Altınözü ilçesinde yer alan ve kırsal bir yerleşim olan Toprakhisar Höyük’te yapılan araştırma-kurtarma kazıları sırasında açığa çıkarılan Erken Tunç Çağı IVB’nin sonu (yaklaşık M.Ö. 2300-2100) ve Orta Tunç Çağı I’in (yaklaşık M.Ö. 2100-1800) başına tarihlenen tabakaları değerlendirilmiştir. Açığa çıkarılan arkeolojik kalıntılar, Amik Ovası’ndaki Tayinat ve Aççana Höyük merkezleriyle ilişkili olarak yüksek kırsal üzerinden Erken Tunç Çağı’nın sonunda yaşanan çöküş ve Orta Tunç Çağı’nda yeniden kentleşme dönemiyle ilgili araştırma sorularını irdeleme fırsatı sunmuştur. Erken Tunç Çağı IVB dönemine ait Erken Transkafkasya ve Kuzey Suriye etkili karışık bir materyal kültürünü takip eden Orta Tunç Çağı’nın erken evrelerinde yeni bir yerel üslubun ortaya çıkması, Amurru ve Hurri yayılımı gibi literatürde yer alan tartışmalara da katkıda bulunmamızı sağlamakta ve iklim değişikliklerinin tetiklediği uzak mesafeli insan hareketliliği ve kültürel melezleşme hipotezini öne çıkarmaktadır. Çevresel ve antropojenik baskılar altında, yerleşimin zeytinyağı ve şarap üreticisi olarak kazandığı güçlü ekonomik rolünün, Orta Tunç Çağı yeniden kentleşme döneminde önemli bir etken olduğu sonucuna varılmaktadır.
We would like to thank K. Aslıhan Yener, Stephen D. Batiuk and anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments and to Onur Hasan Kırman and Su Ün for illustrations. We are grateful to Tara Ingman for proofreading the final text.
Primary Language | English |
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Subjects | Ceramics in Archeology, Early Bronze Age Archeology, Archaeology (Other) |
Journal Section | Research Articles |
Authors | |
Publication Date | December 30, 2024 |
Submission Date | May 3, 2024 |
Acceptance Date | August 5, 2024 |
Published in Issue | Year 2024 Issue: 35 |
Publisher
Vedat Dalokay Caddesi No: 112 Çankaya 06670 ANKARA
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