Güvercinkayası (Aksaray)

The Chalcolithic site of Güvercinkayası overlooks the Mamasun Dam east of Aksaray, at the confluence of the Melendiz River and Karasu. Excavations under the direction of Sevil Gülçur of Istanbul University, in conjunction with Karlsruhe University, began in 1995.

The central mound is surrounded by terraces on which are radially arranged subrectangular rooms with drystone walls and mud plaster floors. Central hearths and corner ovens are standard. The outer wall of the radial arrangement is heavier and access to the centre is by two narrow passageways. Another row of houses in the central area had doors originally opening onto a gravel-paved road but they were later blocked. Monochrome burnished pottery can be compared to that of Kösk Höyük Early Chalcolithic, while a lighter coarse ware with scraped surface can be compared to the "coba bowl" tradition.

2008

This year excavation took place in several areas of the site. On the southwest side the deposits had been damaged by water from the dam, but it was possible to expand the exposed area of the inner citadel. The houses were built on terraces and set into the fortifications. There had been much rebuilding here, and much burning. Each one-room house contained a hearth.

On the north slope the mud brick fortification wall with glacis was investigated but it was also damaged by water from the dam. The round tower excavated in 2006 had later been used as a dump and produced many finds, including many pieces of worked antler. At the west end of the site a curved structure was perhaps a second tower or bastion dating to the first phase at the site. The rubble wall is preserved to over 1 m high.

In area 8F reoccupation on top of the burnt buildings was recognized for the first time. This year also produced the first burial from the site, a child in a pot.

2007

In 2007 excavations were undertaken in areas H14, H16 and 8F. In H14 and H16 there seems to have been workshop activity, with a number of ovens, storage areas and a bench revealed. The buildings, of the standard type for this site, showed at least four phases of use, and in this area they are arranged with their backs to rising bedrock and one side against the outer wall of the settlement. Documentation of the bedrock found cuttings, perhaps postholes. The small finds include a leg bone and claws from a lion, proving that lions inhabited Anatolia at this time.

2006

Excavations at the site continued in 2006. Five phases (A - E) have now been identified, with E showing a change in culture.

The houses of the oldest level contain rectangular clay storage boxes, next to which were found deer, boar, snake and dog bones. In Room 14 three grinding pedestals were found next to a wall. They were one on top of the other, and so were rebuilt each time the floor was raised, just like the ovens found previously. They indicate long-term use of the house.

A storage area (silo) was found in the western part of the citadel. It was full of organic material, pot sherds and animal bones, including deer horns and heads. An obsidian eye like those used for pottery animals at Köşk Höyük was also found. More such obsidian items were found in the southern part of the citadel. Radiocarbon dates for the site (5200-4750 BC) indicate all levels are contemporary with Köşk Höyük Level 1 and Mersin XVI.

The houses of the last phase contain different pottery, which seems to relate to eastern Anatolian (perhaps Ubaid?) styles. Eastern Anatolian connections are also obvious in some finds from Phase D, including a stamp made from a black stone that is not local. It has a design that resembles the tree of life.

Other projects undertaken this year included an experimental archaeology project to build a house like those excavated, with the roof constructed to fit the timber impressions found. An ethnoarchaeological project was conducted, and in the Aksaray Museum the displays were updated. Panels were also made for the open air museum at the site.

2005

Study has shown that the settlement became increasingly congested over time, as roads and alleys were blocked. In a later phase the houses became larger, when a separate area for storage, with a silo and grinding platform, was added at the rear. During rebuilding the ovens are not destroyed but raised to a higher level and in one building unfired pottery fragments were found. Two structures with a special purpose were a tower that contained a variety of animal horns, including deer antlers, in ash layers, and a double-walled silo of rubble that appears to have been protected by a defensive wall. Small finds included a figurine with a hole to insert a separate head, perhaps of a different material. Study of the animal bones indicates much consumption of meat.

A sloping area paved with rubble connected the upper citadel and the lower levels of the site, which was surrounded by a mud brick enclosure wall with stone foundations. This was exposed over 25 m and may show Ubaid influence in its construction technique (Ubaid stamps have been found at the site). Radiocarbon analysis dates the site to 5200-4750 BC.

2004

The final excavation season in 2004 investigated an area to the south-west of the previous areas. A Middle Chalcolithic mud brick enclosure wall was revealed, with just south of it a stone wall with tower. A room with stone walls laid in herringbone pattern contained silos. Burnt posts were found in situ in postholes in bedrock and have been sampled for dendrochronology. Pyramidal potstands were used to support vessels. The walls in this area were all burnt at the top (the floors were not reached).

Website

The excavation website is at
http://guvercinkayasi.com/