Papers by Fikri KULAKOGLU
Subartu XXXIX - Proceedings of the 2nd Kültepe International Meeting, 26-30 July 2015, 2017
EBA tin mines and production sites near Erciyes, Kayseri
Archaeobotanical samples from the Middle Bronze
Kültepe, the ancient city of Kanesh, is defined as one of the most important urban centers in the... more Kültepe, the ancient city of Kanesh, is defined as one of the most important urban centers in the ancient Near
East. The lower town, surrounding the mound measures up to two and a half kilometers in diameter, and must
have provided enough space for fifty to sixty thousand people to live and do business during the Asssyrian Trading
Colony period. After the final phase of this Bronze Age occupation, Kültepe remained unsettled for about
eight hundred years, which includes the time of the Hittite Kingdom and Empire. It is obvious from the written
documentation found at Kültepe that individuals bearing Hittite and Luwian names lived in the city during
the Colony period. Moreover, based on the examples discovered at Kültepe that the Hittite artistic style has
its roots in the Colony period. However the excavations carried out at the site did not reveal any architectural
remains attesting to their presence after the formation of the Hittite state. Consequently a question arises, why
and how the life at this rich trading post did end? Why did not the Hittites settled in this site?
The weakened relations Mesopotamia and Syria after the collapse of the trading system were undoubtedly
a major reason for Kanesh loosing its importance as an urban center. However, on the other hand that the natural
disasters or changes directly affecting the region of Kültepe, such as the apparent ponding of the Sarımsaklı
Basin might have been an even more important factor.
The centuries of the early and Middle Bronze ages (ca. 3100-1500 Bce) saw the emergence and devel... more The centuries of the early and Middle Bronze ages (ca. 3100-1500 Bce) saw the emergence and development of centralized state power with or without large urban centers in Western asia outside the core regions of egypt and Mesopotamia. a number of large-scale excavation projects have led to central anatolia now being considered a key part of this geographical and social domain, where the process of secondary state formation and urbanization (sensu price 1978) took place. That process of urbanization and political centralization reached its zenith in central anatolia during the Middle Bronze age (ca. 2000(ca. -1500. during this period, anatolia saw the operation of well-documented trade networks connecting its independent polities with those in upper Mesopotamia. This trade system resulted in the cross-fertilization and amalgamation of local and regional cultures, influencing the course of history in the region so profoundly that the years from 2000 to 1700 Bce are also known as old assyrian colony period. This resulted in the amalgamation of local and regional culture and influenced profoundly the course of history in the region. evidence recovered from the archaeological site of Kültepe-the ancient city of Kanesh near the modern-day provincial capital of Kayseri-provides the best documentation for this sophisticated international trade network, its influence reaching well beyond the boundaries of both the ancient settlement and the disciplines of archaeology and ancient history. it is important to emphasize from the outset that central anatolia has an archaeologically documented track record of exchange and interaction dating back to the terminal pleistocene (ca. 20,000-13,500 years Bce; e.g., Balkan-atlı, Binder, and cauvin, 2002;. The region's key geographical location and access to diverse and strategic resources-including the plants and animals that could support increasing and expanding populations, as well as the better-known metal sources-has led to central anatolia in general and the Kayseri region in particular, to function more or less continually as a node and transit area of long-distance trade from that period until the present day. as the papers in this volume show, Kültepe provides the perfect case study to investigate this unique contribution to the development of the world's early complex societies.
Kültepe (Kayseri) became an important trade and cultural center between Anatolia, Northern Syria ... more Kültepe (Kayseri) became an important trade and cultural center between Anatolia, Northern Syria and Mesopotamia starting with the end of the third millennium B.C. Kültepe structures, consisting of mudbrick walls on stone foundations and wood pillars to carry the roof, formed the basis of the typical Hittite architecture. The area excavated in Kültepe so far is only a part of this grand settlement; however, it is quite a large area compared to many other sites covered by protective constructions. So, it is very important to develop active conservation methods for Kültepe's unsheltered adobe ruins that are under thread of erosion. In this study, a laboratory characterization was made for future experimental preservation studies, in which the physical, mineralogical and chemical properties of the in situ soil remains from a collapsed structure in Kültepe were measured. Initially, color classification, grain specific gravity and specific surface area were identified. Grain size distribution, consistency limits, volumetric and linear shrinkage ratios of the material were determined by mechanical analyses, and the soil was classified based on its granulometry and plasticity characteristics. Clay minerals were identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM-EDS) analyses, and sand grains were studied under binocular microscope and polarization microscope for mineralogical analyses. As for the chemicals analyses, soil pH was measured, soluble salt content was examined by simple spot tests and conductivity measurements, and organic matter, calcium carbonate contents were approximately determined according to weight loss on ignition.
Archaeobotanical samples from the Middle Bronze
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Papers by Fikri KULAKOGLU
East. The lower town, surrounding the mound measures up to two and a half kilometers in diameter, and must
have provided enough space for fifty to sixty thousand people to live and do business during the Asssyrian Trading
Colony period. After the final phase of this Bronze Age occupation, Kültepe remained unsettled for about
eight hundred years, which includes the time of the Hittite Kingdom and Empire. It is obvious from the written
documentation found at Kültepe that individuals bearing Hittite and Luwian names lived in the city during
the Colony period. Moreover, based on the examples discovered at Kültepe that the Hittite artistic style has
its roots in the Colony period. However the excavations carried out at the site did not reveal any architectural
remains attesting to their presence after the formation of the Hittite state. Consequently a question arises, why
and how the life at this rich trading post did end? Why did not the Hittites settled in this site?
The weakened relations Mesopotamia and Syria after the collapse of the trading system were undoubtedly
a major reason for Kanesh loosing its importance as an urban center. However, on the other hand that the natural
disasters or changes directly affecting the region of Kültepe, such as the apparent ponding of the Sarımsaklı
Basin might have been an even more important factor.
East. The lower town, surrounding the mound measures up to two and a half kilometers in diameter, and must
have provided enough space for fifty to sixty thousand people to live and do business during the Asssyrian Trading
Colony period. After the final phase of this Bronze Age occupation, Kültepe remained unsettled for about
eight hundred years, which includes the time of the Hittite Kingdom and Empire. It is obvious from the written
documentation found at Kültepe that individuals bearing Hittite and Luwian names lived in the city during
the Colony period. Moreover, based on the examples discovered at Kültepe that the Hittite artistic style has
its roots in the Colony period. However the excavations carried out at the site did not reveal any architectural
remains attesting to their presence after the formation of the Hittite state. Consequently a question arises, why
and how the life at this rich trading post did end? Why did not the Hittites settled in this site?
The weakened relations Mesopotamia and Syria after the collapse of the trading system were undoubtedly
a major reason for Kanesh loosing its importance as an urban center. However, on the other hand that the natural
disasters or changes directly affecting the region of Kültepe, such as the apparent ponding of the Sarımsaklı
Basin might have been an even more important factor.
centre. This archaeobotanical discovery at Kultepe provides the earliest direct evidence for trade in hazelnuts in the region, probably imported on a small scale as luxury items facilitated by the Assyrian trade network. It also provides independent support for historical claims that hazelnut was traded at Kanesh based on the analysis of cuneiform tablets.