Michele R . Massa | Bilkent University (original) (raw)
Anatolian Bronze & Iron Ages by Michele R . Massa
War an Violence Near Eastern Archaeology Meetings 1, 2024
This paper includes an examination of the fortified sites located on the hills around the Konya P... more This paper includes an examination of the fortified sites located on the hills around the Konya Plain, one of the regions with the longest tradition of systematic research in Turkey.
On the Identity of Hartapu. Textual, historical and archaeological analysis of an Anatolian Iron Age ruler, 2022
The recent discovery of the Hieroglyphic Luwian inscription of TÜRKMEN-KARAHÖYÜK 1 in the Konya P... more The recent discovery of the Hieroglyphic Luwian inscription of TÜRKMEN-KARAHÖYÜK 1 in the Konya Plain (Turkey) has sparked a debate regarding its author, Great King Hartapu, the dates of his rule, and his role in the political geography of south-central Anatolia. Several authors now propose that two kings of the same name may have reigned at different times in the same region. This paper proposes a textual analysis of all the Hartapu inscriptions, together with an assessment of the archaeological and historical contexts in which they were found. In light of this, we argue that only one individual called Hartapu was responsible for the whole corpus and that he reigned during the Middle Iron Age, likely in the 8 th century BCE.
TÜBA-AR Türkiye Bilimler Akademisi Arkeoloji Dergisi, 2022
Bu çalışma ile İç Anadolu'nun güneyinde Konya Havzası olarak tanımlanan coğrafi bölge içinde kala... more Bu çalışma ile İç Anadolu'nun güneyinde Konya Havzası olarak tanımlanan coğrafi bölge içinde kalan yerleşimlerden ele geçen ve Erken Tunç Çağı'na tarihlendirilen, aynı teknikte üretilmiş özel bir çanak çömlek grubu olan "Metalik Çanak Çömlek" bütünlükçü bir yaklaşım ile ele alınmaktadır. Bu çanak çömlek grubu üzerine daha önce araştırmalar ve yayınlar yapılmış olmakla birlikte, bu çalışma detaylı bir kronolojik tipoloji, işlev tipolojisi ve yayılım alanı gibi hususların ilk defa ele alınması bakımından önem taşımaktadır. Makalede, yayınlanmış ve yayınlanmamış toplam 340 çanak çömlek örneği değerlendirilmiştir. Bu örnekler tipolojik, teknolojik ve kronolojik yönden kapsamlı olarak incelenmiştir. Yapılan incelemeler sonucunda bu çanak çömlek grubu için bir tipoloji oluşturulmuş, yayılım alanı ve kronolojik problemleri aydınlatılmaya çalışılmıştır. Ayrıca söz konusu bu çanak çömlek grubu için "Konya Havzası Metalik Çanak Çömleği (KHMÇÇ)" olarak yeni bir isim önerisi sunulmuştur.
Anatolian Studies, 2020
In this article, the authors present a first edition of the recently found inscription TÜRKMEN-KA... more In this article, the authors present a first edition of the recently found inscription TÜRKMEN-KARAHÖYÜK 1, propose an eighth-century dating and explore some of the consequences of this date for the group of inscriptions mentioning Hartapu, son of Mursili.
in D’Alfonso L. and K. Rubinson (eds.) Borders and Boundaries: Changing Landscapes in the Bronze and Iron Ages of Anatolia and the South Caucasus, Peeters: Leuven, 93-123, 2021
This chapter employs the western Anatolian Early Bronze Age (c. 3200–1950 BCE) as a case study to... more This chapter employs the western Anatolian Early Bronze Age (c. 3200–1950 BCE) as a case study to analyse the existence, development and persistence of social and cultural boundaries at different spatial scales, from the intra-settlement to the supra-regional contexts. The results
suggest an active process of identity building that involves individuals, communities and emerging territorial entities, a process paralleled by the formalisation of social and cultural differences.
Prominent arenas for signalling diversity and boundedness include funerary ceremonies, defensive architecture, and fortifications systems around major valleys.
Anatolian Studies, 2020
FULL TEXT. This paper synthesises the data and results of the Konya Regional Archaeological Surve... more FULL TEXT. This paper synthesises the data and results of the Konya Regional Archaeological Survey Project (2016–2020) in order to address the earliest evidence for cities and states on the Konya and Karaman plains, central Turkey. A nested and integrative approach is developed that draws on a wide range of spatially extensive datasets to outline meaningful trends in settlement, water management and regional defensive systems during the Bronze and Iron Ages. The significance of
the regional centre of Türkmen-Karahöyük for a reconstruction of early state polities between the 13th and eighth centuries BCE is addressed. In light of this regional analysis, it is tentatively suggested that, during the Late Bronze Age, Türkmen-Karahöyük was the location of the city of Tarḫuntašša, briefly the Hittite capital during the reign of Muwatalli II. More assuredly, based on the analysis of the newly discovered Middle Iron Age TÜRKMEN-KARAHÖYÜK 1 inscription, it is proposed that Türkmen-Karahöyük was the seat of a kingdom during the eighth
century BCE that likely encompassed the Konya and Karaman plains.
Anatolian Studies, 2019
This paper presents a detailed investigation of an Early Bronze Age clay sealing from Boz Höyük, ... more This paper presents a detailed investigation of an Early Bronze Age clay sealing from Boz Höyük, a settlement mound
located along the Büyük Menderes valley (inland western Anatolia). The artefact, clearly local in manufacture, was
employed as a stopper to seal a bottle/flask and impressed with two different stamp seals. These elements are compared
to all other published contemporary sealings in western and central Anatolia, in order to understand the degree of
complexity of sealing practices in the region. In turn, evidence of Early Bronze Age Anatolian sealing practices is
discussed in relation to the available evidence regarding the degree of social complexity in local communities. It is
suggested that, during the Early Bronze Age, sealings were employed for product branding rather than control over
storage and redistribution of commodities, and only at the beginning of the second millennium BC did the region witness
the introduction of complex administrative practices.
Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, 2018
This paper investigates and offers explanations for the distribution of specific products (ivory ... more This paper investigates and offers explanations for the distribution of specific products (ivory and lapis lazuli artefacts, " Syrian " bottles) and technologies (metrology) that have often been invoked as tracers of long-distance trade contacts and/or political units in Anatolia, northern Levant and northern Mesopotamia during the Early and Middle Bronze Ages. Unlike former studies investigating third and second millennia exchange networks as separate entities, we examine comparatively and systematically a large corpus of published archaeological data by adopting a quantitative and spatial approach. Through this analysis, we propose that a significant degree of similarity in the shape, infrastructure and motivations behind the development and maintenance of these long-distance exchanges existed between the third and early second millennia BC.
Although scarcely investigated archaeologically, the 22oo–195o BC period is increasingly understo... more Although scarcely investigated archaeologically, the 22oo–195o BC period is increasingly understood as a pivotal moment in the history of Anatolian communities, a phase of turmoil and radical changes that culminated in the appearance of more complex socio-political structures at the beginning
of the Middle Bronze Age. In this phase, west and central Anatolia, hitherto part of the same interregional network of exchanges (the »Anatolian Trade Network«), seem to take different trajectories, one looking west towards the Aegean world and the other gradually becoming integrated into the wider Near Eastern arena. While the main centres in the west experience an overall contraction in settled area and the disappearance of monumental public buildings, on the central plateau there is a gradual transition from the small Early Bronze Age polities to the Middle Bronze Age territorial citystates ruled by royal couples and serviced by a complex administrative
apparatus. Across the whole area, these changes are marked by destruction episodes at most excavated sites and a drastic reduction in the number of occupied settlements. These events are seemingly contemporary with a horizon
of drought spells which have been recorded by several recent geoarchaeological and palaeoenvironmental studies across Anatolia, suggesting a possible correlation and confirming a trend already well-known in other areas of the Mediterranean and Near East. The aim of this paper is to offer an integrated analysis of archaeological and palaeoenvironmental datasets, trying to understand in more detail the impact of climatic changes on the Anatolian communities and their diverse social response
at the local and regional level.
Anatolian Studies 64, 73-93
This paper focuses on the analysis of the cemetery of Demircihöyük-Sarıket, for which exists one ... more This paper focuses on the analysis of the cemetery of Demircihöyük-Sarıket, for which exists one of the largest Early Bronze Age funerary datasets published to date in Anatolia. The size and quality of the sample allow the dataset to be approached quantitatively, to determine both normative and anomalous funerary practices, and to detect distinct patterns of burial treatment for different segments of the population represented in the cemetery. Despite the small size of the community (ca 100–130 people), the results suggest a rather complex picture, in which the choice of specific burial containers, the relative wealth of grave assemblages and the selection of particular sets of items were dependent on differences in the age, gender, occupation and achieved status of the deceased. Comparison with other contemporary funerary assemblages helps to place Demircihöyük-Sarıket and these community-scale observations within their wider cultural context in central Anatolia.
"This paper offers a reassessment of the horizon of destructions and decline in number of settled... more "This paper offers a reassessment of the horizon of destructions and decline in number of settled communities at the end of the third millennium BC in west and central Anatolia. This phenomenon, despite being well-known in the archaeological literature, has been so far not analysed in detail. Preliminary results based on excavation and survey data are here presented within the context of the increasing social complexity experienced by the late Early Bronze Age communities in the area and the rapid climatic change occurred around 2200-1900 cal B.C."
Bu makale, M.Ö. üçüncü binyılın sonunda Batı ve İç Anadolu’da yerleşik topluluklarının sayısındak... more Bu makale, M.Ö. üçüncü binyılın sonunda Batı ve İç Anadolu’da yerleşik topluluklarının sayısındaki düşüş ve yangın felaketleri ufkunda yapılan bir yeniden değerlendirmeyi sunmaktadır. Bu durum arkeolojik yayınlardan iyi bilinmesine rağmen, günümüze kadar detaylı olarak analiz edilmemiştir. Kazı ve yüzey araştırması verilerine dayanan ön sonuçlar, burada Ön Asya’nın daha geniş çerçevedeki sosyal dinamikleri bağlamında sunulmaktadır.
Vasıf Şahoğlu & Peggy Sotirakopoulou (ed.), KARŞIDAN KARŞIYA: M.Ö. 3. Bin'de Kiklad Adaları ve Batı Anadolu, 164-171, İstanbul, 2011.
This short paper gives some preliminary results on research I have done about retracing the main ... more This short paper gives some preliminary results on research I have done about retracing the main exchange routes active in the third millennium BC, comparing the location of large mounds with high continuity in settlement occupation and the well-known Roman road network.
Survey projects by Michele R . Massa
Antiquity, 2024
Collation of satellite imagery and new fieldwork in Sanlıurfa (south-east Türkiye) has revealed l... more Collation of satellite imagery and new fieldwork in Sanlıurfa (south-east Türkiye) has revealed large numbers of stone-walled desert kites, some of which may date to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic (c. 9500-7000 BC). The authors briefly explore the potential role of these structures in the processes of early sedentism and monumentality.
Anatolica, 2021
The article presents the results of the Konya Regional Archaeological Survey Project (KRASP) 2019... more The article presents the results of the Konya Regional Archaeological Survey Project (KRASP) 2019 and 2020 fieldwork, including the analysis of all major Bronze and Iron Age sites within the survey area as well as the largest fortified hilltop sites. These data are analysed to discuss the processes of urbanisation and state formation in the Konya Plain between the Early Bronze and the Iron Ages.
Anatolian Studies, 2020
The Türkmen-Karahöyük Intensive Survey Project (TISP) has identified the archaeological site of T... more The Türkmen-Karahöyük Intensive Survey Project (TISP) has identified the archaeological site of Türkmen-Karahöyük on the Konya plain as a previously unknown Iron Age capital city in the western region of Tabal. Surface collections and newly discovered inscriptional evidence indicate that this city is the early first-millennium royal seat of ‘Great King Hartapu’, long known from the enigmatic monuments of nearby Kızıldağ and Karadağ. In addition to demonstrating this Iron Age city’s existence, supported principally by (1) the site’s size at the time and (2) the discovery of a royal inscription authored by Hartapu himself, TISP has documented the site’s existence from the Late Chalcolithic period
until the late first millennium BCE, with a maximum size reached between the Late Bronze and Iron Age periods, suggesting that the city was at its greatest extent and the regional political centre from at least the late second to the mid-first millennium BCE.
War an Violence Near Eastern Archaeology Meetings 1, 2024
This paper includes an examination of the fortified sites located on the hills around the Konya P... more This paper includes an examination of the fortified sites located on the hills around the Konya Plain, one of the regions with the longest tradition of systematic research in Turkey.
On the Identity of Hartapu. Textual, historical and archaeological analysis of an Anatolian Iron Age ruler, 2022
The recent discovery of the Hieroglyphic Luwian inscription of TÜRKMEN-KARAHÖYÜK 1 in the Konya P... more The recent discovery of the Hieroglyphic Luwian inscription of TÜRKMEN-KARAHÖYÜK 1 in the Konya Plain (Turkey) has sparked a debate regarding its author, Great King Hartapu, the dates of his rule, and his role in the political geography of south-central Anatolia. Several authors now propose that two kings of the same name may have reigned at different times in the same region. This paper proposes a textual analysis of all the Hartapu inscriptions, together with an assessment of the archaeological and historical contexts in which they were found. In light of this, we argue that only one individual called Hartapu was responsible for the whole corpus and that he reigned during the Middle Iron Age, likely in the 8 th century BCE.
TÜBA-AR Türkiye Bilimler Akademisi Arkeoloji Dergisi, 2022
Bu çalışma ile İç Anadolu'nun güneyinde Konya Havzası olarak tanımlanan coğrafi bölge içinde kala... more Bu çalışma ile İç Anadolu'nun güneyinde Konya Havzası olarak tanımlanan coğrafi bölge içinde kalan yerleşimlerden ele geçen ve Erken Tunç Çağı'na tarihlendirilen, aynı teknikte üretilmiş özel bir çanak çömlek grubu olan "Metalik Çanak Çömlek" bütünlükçü bir yaklaşım ile ele alınmaktadır. Bu çanak çömlek grubu üzerine daha önce araştırmalar ve yayınlar yapılmış olmakla birlikte, bu çalışma detaylı bir kronolojik tipoloji, işlev tipolojisi ve yayılım alanı gibi hususların ilk defa ele alınması bakımından önem taşımaktadır. Makalede, yayınlanmış ve yayınlanmamış toplam 340 çanak çömlek örneği değerlendirilmiştir. Bu örnekler tipolojik, teknolojik ve kronolojik yönden kapsamlı olarak incelenmiştir. Yapılan incelemeler sonucunda bu çanak çömlek grubu için bir tipoloji oluşturulmuş, yayılım alanı ve kronolojik problemleri aydınlatılmaya çalışılmıştır. Ayrıca söz konusu bu çanak çömlek grubu için "Konya Havzası Metalik Çanak Çömleği (KHMÇÇ)" olarak yeni bir isim önerisi sunulmuştur.
Anatolian Studies, 2020
In this article, the authors present a first edition of the recently found inscription TÜRKMEN-KA... more In this article, the authors present a first edition of the recently found inscription TÜRKMEN-KARAHÖYÜK 1, propose an eighth-century dating and explore some of the consequences of this date for the group of inscriptions mentioning Hartapu, son of Mursili.
in D’Alfonso L. and K. Rubinson (eds.) Borders and Boundaries: Changing Landscapes in the Bronze and Iron Ages of Anatolia and the South Caucasus, Peeters: Leuven, 93-123, 2021
This chapter employs the western Anatolian Early Bronze Age (c. 3200–1950 BCE) as a case study to... more This chapter employs the western Anatolian Early Bronze Age (c. 3200–1950 BCE) as a case study to analyse the existence, development and persistence of social and cultural boundaries at different spatial scales, from the intra-settlement to the supra-regional contexts. The results
suggest an active process of identity building that involves individuals, communities and emerging territorial entities, a process paralleled by the formalisation of social and cultural differences.
Prominent arenas for signalling diversity and boundedness include funerary ceremonies, defensive architecture, and fortifications systems around major valleys.
Anatolian Studies, 2020
FULL TEXT. This paper synthesises the data and results of the Konya Regional Archaeological Surve... more FULL TEXT. This paper synthesises the data and results of the Konya Regional Archaeological Survey Project (2016–2020) in order to address the earliest evidence for cities and states on the Konya and Karaman plains, central Turkey. A nested and integrative approach is developed that draws on a wide range of spatially extensive datasets to outline meaningful trends in settlement, water management and regional defensive systems during the Bronze and Iron Ages. The significance of
the regional centre of Türkmen-Karahöyük for a reconstruction of early state polities between the 13th and eighth centuries BCE is addressed. In light of this regional analysis, it is tentatively suggested that, during the Late Bronze Age, Türkmen-Karahöyük was the location of the city of Tarḫuntašša, briefly the Hittite capital during the reign of Muwatalli II. More assuredly, based on the analysis of the newly discovered Middle Iron Age TÜRKMEN-KARAHÖYÜK 1 inscription, it is proposed that Türkmen-Karahöyük was the seat of a kingdom during the eighth
century BCE that likely encompassed the Konya and Karaman plains.
Anatolian Studies, 2019
This paper presents a detailed investigation of an Early Bronze Age clay sealing from Boz Höyük, ... more This paper presents a detailed investigation of an Early Bronze Age clay sealing from Boz Höyük, a settlement mound
located along the Büyük Menderes valley (inland western Anatolia). The artefact, clearly local in manufacture, was
employed as a stopper to seal a bottle/flask and impressed with two different stamp seals. These elements are compared
to all other published contemporary sealings in western and central Anatolia, in order to understand the degree of
complexity of sealing practices in the region. In turn, evidence of Early Bronze Age Anatolian sealing practices is
discussed in relation to the available evidence regarding the degree of social complexity in local communities. It is
suggested that, during the Early Bronze Age, sealings were employed for product branding rather than control over
storage and redistribution of commodities, and only at the beginning of the second millennium BC did the region witness
the introduction of complex administrative practices.
Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, 2018
This paper investigates and offers explanations for the distribution of specific products (ivory ... more This paper investigates and offers explanations for the distribution of specific products (ivory and lapis lazuli artefacts, " Syrian " bottles) and technologies (metrology) that have often been invoked as tracers of long-distance trade contacts and/or political units in Anatolia, northern Levant and northern Mesopotamia during the Early and Middle Bronze Ages. Unlike former studies investigating third and second millennia exchange networks as separate entities, we examine comparatively and systematically a large corpus of published archaeological data by adopting a quantitative and spatial approach. Through this analysis, we propose that a significant degree of similarity in the shape, infrastructure and motivations behind the development and maintenance of these long-distance exchanges existed between the third and early second millennia BC.
Although scarcely investigated archaeologically, the 22oo–195o BC period is increasingly understo... more Although scarcely investigated archaeologically, the 22oo–195o BC period is increasingly understood as a pivotal moment in the history of Anatolian communities, a phase of turmoil and radical changes that culminated in the appearance of more complex socio-political structures at the beginning
of the Middle Bronze Age. In this phase, west and central Anatolia, hitherto part of the same interregional network of exchanges (the »Anatolian Trade Network«), seem to take different trajectories, one looking west towards the Aegean world and the other gradually becoming integrated into the wider Near Eastern arena. While the main centres in the west experience an overall contraction in settled area and the disappearance of monumental public buildings, on the central plateau there is a gradual transition from the small Early Bronze Age polities to the Middle Bronze Age territorial citystates ruled by royal couples and serviced by a complex administrative
apparatus. Across the whole area, these changes are marked by destruction episodes at most excavated sites and a drastic reduction in the number of occupied settlements. These events are seemingly contemporary with a horizon
of drought spells which have been recorded by several recent geoarchaeological and palaeoenvironmental studies across Anatolia, suggesting a possible correlation and confirming a trend already well-known in other areas of the Mediterranean and Near East. The aim of this paper is to offer an integrated analysis of archaeological and palaeoenvironmental datasets, trying to understand in more detail the impact of climatic changes on the Anatolian communities and their diverse social response
at the local and regional level.
Anatolian Studies 64, 73-93
This paper focuses on the analysis of the cemetery of Demircihöyük-Sarıket, for which exists one ... more This paper focuses on the analysis of the cemetery of Demircihöyük-Sarıket, for which exists one of the largest Early Bronze Age funerary datasets published to date in Anatolia. The size and quality of the sample allow the dataset to be approached quantitatively, to determine both normative and anomalous funerary practices, and to detect distinct patterns of burial treatment for different segments of the population represented in the cemetery. Despite the small size of the community (ca 100–130 people), the results suggest a rather complex picture, in which the choice of specific burial containers, the relative wealth of grave assemblages and the selection of particular sets of items were dependent on differences in the age, gender, occupation and achieved status of the deceased. Comparison with other contemporary funerary assemblages helps to place Demircihöyük-Sarıket and these community-scale observations within their wider cultural context in central Anatolia.
"This paper offers a reassessment of the horizon of destructions and decline in number of settled... more "This paper offers a reassessment of the horizon of destructions and decline in number of settled communities at the end of the third millennium BC in west and central Anatolia. This phenomenon, despite being well-known in the archaeological literature, has been so far not analysed in detail. Preliminary results based on excavation and survey data are here presented within the context of the increasing social complexity experienced by the late Early Bronze Age communities in the area and the rapid climatic change occurred around 2200-1900 cal B.C."
Bu makale, M.Ö. üçüncü binyılın sonunda Batı ve İç Anadolu’da yerleşik topluluklarının sayısındak... more Bu makale, M.Ö. üçüncü binyılın sonunda Batı ve İç Anadolu’da yerleşik topluluklarının sayısındaki düşüş ve yangın felaketleri ufkunda yapılan bir yeniden değerlendirmeyi sunmaktadır. Bu durum arkeolojik yayınlardan iyi bilinmesine rağmen, günümüze kadar detaylı olarak analiz edilmemiştir. Kazı ve yüzey araştırması verilerine dayanan ön sonuçlar, burada Ön Asya’nın daha geniş çerçevedeki sosyal dinamikleri bağlamında sunulmaktadır.
Vasıf Şahoğlu & Peggy Sotirakopoulou (ed.), KARŞIDAN KARŞIYA: M.Ö. 3. Bin'de Kiklad Adaları ve Batı Anadolu, 164-171, İstanbul, 2011.
This short paper gives some preliminary results on research I have done about retracing the main ... more This short paper gives some preliminary results on research I have done about retracing the main exchange routes active in the third millennium BC, comparing the location of large mounds with high continuity in settlement occupation and the well-known Roman road network.
Antiquity, 2024
Collation of satellite imagery and new fieldwork in Sanlıurfa (south-east Türkiye) has revealed l... more Collation of satellite imagery and new fieldwork in Sanlıurfa (south-east Türkiye) has revealed large numbers of stone-walled desert kites, some of which may date to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic (c. 9500-7000 BC). The authors briefly explore the potential role of these structures in the processes of early sedentism and monumentality.
Anatolica, 2021
The article presents the results of the Konya Regional Archaeological Survey Project (KRASP) 2019... more The article presents the results of the Konya Regional Archaeological Survey Project (KRASP) 2019 and 2020 fieldwork, including the analysis of all major Bronze and Iron Age sites within the survey area as well as the largest fortified hilltop sites. These data are analysed to discuss the processes of urbanisation and state formation in the Konya Plain between the Early Bronze and the Iron Ages.
Anatolian Studies, 2020
The Türkmen-Karahöyük Intensive Survey Project (TISP) has identified the archaeological site of T... more The Türkmen-Karahöyük Intensive Survey Project (TISP) has identified the archaeological site of Türkmen-Karahöyük on the Konya plain as a previously unknown Iron Age capital city in the western region of Tabal. Surface collections and newly discovered inscriptional evidence indicate that this city is the early first-millennium royal seat of ‘Great King Hartapu’, long known from the enigmatic monuments of nearby Kızıldağ and Karadağ. In addition to demonstrating this Iron Age city’s existence, supported principally by (1) the site’s size at the time and (2) the discovery of a royal inscription authored by Hartapu himself, TISP has documented the site’s existence from the Late Chalcolithic period
until the late first millennium BCE, with a maximum size reached between the Late Bronze and Iron Age periods, suggesting that the city was at its greatest extent and the regional political centre from at least the late second to the mid-first millennium BCE.
Araştırma Sonuçları Toplantısı , 2020
Anatolica, 2019
The Konya Regional Archaeological Survey Project (KRASP) is an interdisciplinary, multi-scale res... more The Konya Regional Archaeological Survey Project (KRASP) is an interdisciplinary, multi-scale research programme in south-central Turkey. KRASP aims at integrating new fieldwork with the substantial research corpus already available for the region, in order to provide a synthetic understanding of archaeological and palaeoenvironmental dynamics in the plain and surrounding highlands. This includes a diachronic assessment of human-environment interactions in different ecological niches, of sedentism, urbanism and political consolidation, and of related phenomena such as modifications to landscapes, farming production, and pastoral mobility. KRASP's fieldwork focuses on three discrete ecological zones: the cultivated alluvium, the steppe margin, and the highland margin. This paper presents the methodologies, aims and preliminary results of KRASP's 2017 and 2018 fieldwork seasons in the eastern section of the Konya Plain. Among the most significant results, our team uncovered evidence in the steppe for numerous temporary sites contemporary with Boncuklu Höyük and Çatalhöyük pre-XII, which provide a broader context to understand the process of Neolithisation of the region. It also dated the appearance of the first large centres (ca. 20 ha) in the region at the Chalcolithic-Early Bronze Age transition, and revealed the existence of a territorial defence system around the plain already in the early 2 nd millennium BCE. Lastly, KRASP has identified a horizon of expanding sedentary sites (höyük) into the steppe during the late 2 nd and early 1 st millennia BCE, probably associated with a substantial irrigation project and possibly prompted by the rise of a large urban centre in the Çarşamba delta.
Araştırma Sonuçları Toplantısı, 2019
Heritage Turkey, 2017
A brief report on the first season's findings of the survey project in the Çumra and Karatay dist... more A brief report on the first season's findings of the survey project in the Çumra and Karatay districts (Konya, Turkey)
The brief paper introduces a new project, co-hosted by Oxford University and Bilecik University a... more The brief paper introduces a new project, co-hosted by Oxford University and Bilecik University and co-sponsored by British Institute at Ankara and Wainwright Fund, regarding the re-analysis of legacy survey materials from the Konya Plain. The pottery had been collected in the 1950s and 1960s by several BIAA members, including notably David French and James Mellaart, and is for the first time now re-assessed in detail both through functional chronotypology and through geochemical analysis, in order to provide a more refined understanding of settlement patterns and exchange networks in a diachronic perspective.
Anatolian Studies, 2017
FULL TEXT This paper adds a new interpretive layer to the already extremely well-investigated si... more FULL TEXT
This paper adds a new interpretive layer to the already extremely well-investigated site of Demircihüyük, a small Early
Bronze Age settlement at the northwestern fringes of the central Anatolian plateau. It presents a reassessment of the
evidence for prehistoric mining in the region, as well as a new programme of chemical composition analysis integrated
with an object functional and technological typology of the site’s metal assemblages. The results reveal complex manufacturing
techniques (such as bivalve mould casting, plating and lost wax) and the co-occurrence of several alloying
types, including the earliest tin bronzes in the region. Object typology further indicates that the Demircihüyük community
was at the intersection of two distinct metallurgical networks: one centred on the western Anatolian highlands, the other
spanning the northern part of the central plateau. Additionally, several strands of evidence suggest that the beginning of
interregional exchanges, linking central Anatolia to northern Levantine and Mesopotamian societies, may have started
at an earlier date than the commonly assumed ca 3000–2800 BC.
The brief paper introduces a new, BIAA sponsored project on prehistoric metallurgy in north-weste... more The brief paper introduces a new, BIAA sponsored project on prehistoric metallurgy in north-western Anatolia, aimed at understanding patterns of metal procurement, manufacture and exchange between the Late Chalcolithic and the Late Bronze Age (ca 3700-1200 BCE).
This article presents the results of the chemical composition analysis (with portable XRF) on the... more This article presents the results of the chemical composition analysis
(with portable XRF) on the Early and Middle Bronze Ages metal artefacts
from Çiledir Höyük, Seyitömer Höyük and Ağızören. The region around
the sites is rich in metal deposits (particularly silver and copper), and
both settlements revealed the presence of stone moulds and clay tuyères
that thus witness the in situ production of metal artefacts. Most of the
artefacts are made of unalloyed copper or arsenical copper, and small
quantities of tin bronzes probably occur only during the latest third millennium
BC, but even in the Middle Bronze Age are never very common.
Two pins and one sickle blade are prominent examples of tin bronze
production. In two cases, the analysis revealed the presence of Middle
Bronze Age composite pins, whose head was cast separately from the
shaft and was made in a different alloy. Lastly, alloys of arsenic, lead and
copper and arsenic, tin, lead and copper, already detected in the site of
Demircihüyük, have also been found in Seyitömer Höyük.
This paper presents the chrono-typological and chemical composition analysis of a group of unpubl... more This paper presents the chrono-typological and chemical composition analysis of a group of unpublished metal objects exhibited in the Afyon Archaeological Museum. These objects, mostly weapons and tools,
reached the Museum through acquisition from dealers and villagers during the 1960s. In terms of dating, most of the battleaxes belong to the 2nd millennium BC, while most of the daggers belong to the 3rd
millennium BC. From a metal composition analysis point of view, most artefacts are in arsenical copper, followed by tin bronze and unalloyed copper.
Archaeometry, 2023
This paper presents a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) organic residue analysis (ORA)... more This paper presents a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) organic residue analysis (ORA) of samples extracted from five Early Bronze Age ceramic bottles excavated at the archaeological site of Küllüoba in Anatolia (modern Turkey), and the first attempt at directly analysing the content of this category of products. Our results show that various types of liquid have been contained in different bottles and identify the presence of dicarboxylic and oleic acids with a large amount of palmitic acid in most samples, suggesting that they may have mostly contained a plant-based oil. The presence of diterpenoids further shows the addition of ingredients such as conifer resin and other plant-derived products. Overall, the analytical results presented here indicate the exchange of scented oils in Anatolia already during the late third millennium BCE. The different organic residue profiles contained in different samples also suggest a range of different recipes for these products.
Archaeometry, 2022
Fourier-transform infrared, X-ray diffraction and chemometrics were used to characterize the mine... more Fourier-transform infrared, X-ray diffraction and chemometrics were used to characterize the mineralogical composition and firing conditions of 59 Early Bronze Age ceramic sherds from the Konya Plain (Turkey). These include the Konya Basin Metallic Ware (KBMW) and a control group of contemporary local products. The analysis indicates significant differences in mineral inclusions and firing temperatures, with KBMW generally being fired above 800 C and characterized by standardized fabric recipes. Assessed together with other published evidence, these results indicate a high degree of specialization in the production of KBMW ceramic assemblages in central Anatolia during the third millennium BCE.
36. Arkeometri Sonuçları Toplantısı, 2023
Journal of Open Archaeology Data, 2018
To our knowledge, the dataset described in this paper represents the largest existing repository ... more To our knowledge, the dataset described in this paper represents the largest existing repository of archaeological material culture data for Anatolia, northern Mesopotamia, and northern Levant during the Early and Middle Bronze Age (ca. 3,200 – 1,600 BC). Here we present four types of objects (lapis lazuli and ivory artefacts, Syrian bottles, and balance pan weights) that can be analysed as tracers of long-distance contacts for assessing what exchange patterns and socio-economic dynamics (e.g. gifts, trade, marriage alliances, tribute, market profit, reciprocity, etc.) are responsible for the allocation and distribution of these materials in the Near East.
The following is chapter 1 (text and plates) from my PhD dissertation on the analysis of social i... more The following is chapter 1 (text and plates) from my PhD dissertation on the analysis of social interaction in west and central Anatolia during the Early Bronze Age (EBA, c.3200-1950 BC). The dissertation aims at identifying potential rationales for and mechanisms of exchange from the intra-settlement to the interregional scale, within the context of growing socio-economic and political complexity experienced by the local communities across the EBA. Through distributional and contextual analysis of a large range of case studies, this dissertation explores how different products, raw materials, technological knowledge and cultural behaviours circulated within Anatolia, and does so both by mapping likely flows of goods and ideas and by analysing the context of artefact use and deposition. It also investigates how increasing degrees of organization affected patterns of exchange, both at the production (specialisation, scale and intensity of production) and the circulation stages (presence of specialised exchange intermediaries, innovations in transport technology, investment in road infrastructure, control over routes). This research further attempts to reconstruct the structure of physical and social networks in EBA Anatolia, looking at how topographic and cultural constraints funnelled movement (and hence interaction) along specific landscape corridors. Lastly, it explores the role played by rising local elites and the importance of Anatolia’s vast metal resources in the process of expansion of long-distance exchange networks, which ultimately allowed the integration of Anatolia within the Near Eastern and Aegean worlds towards the end of the EBA.
My Masters thesis, focused on the analysis of the well-known EBA necropolis of Demircihöyük Sarık... more My Masters thesis, focused on the analysis of the well-known EBA necropolis of Demircihöyük Sarıket in the Eskişehir valley, which thanks to the largest corpus of published graves in the whole region, represents an ideal arena to use statistical analysis for revisiting the panorama of Anatolian burial customs in the third millennium BC. The different techniques here employed follow two general foci: on one side the reconstruction of the funerary rituals, on the other side the use of funerary evidence as proxy to infer some general hypotheses on the social complexity of the Demircihöyük community.
The aim of this workshop is to bring together philologists, archaeologists and researchers on lan... more The aim of this workshop is to bring together philologists, archaeologists and researchers on landscape studies working on pre-Classical Anatolia to develop a diachronic perspective on the use of the main Anatolian routes and roads from the Early Bronze Age to the end of the Iron Age (c.2500-550 BC). The themes of the papers include theoretical approaches to human geography and network structures, and various methods for identifying routes—from textual analysis to the study of artefact distribution, from targeted surveys and excavations to comparison with later roads and GIS landscape analysis.
"Interaction between individuals and human communities and societies has always entailed movement... more "Interaction between individuals and human communities and societies has always entailed movement, an action that does not occur randomly in the landscape, but is instead focused on specific paths that allow faster and easier connections. Roads and routes are therefore essential in carrying vital materials and information from one location to another. Turkey offers amongst the richest remains of routes, roads and tracks worldwide. The aim of this conference is to discuss these, networks and their impact on society from different angles from the prehistory onwards.
Themes for contributions will include theoretical approaches to human geography and network structures as well as diachronic comparison of systems of roads and routes and GIS landscape analysis. Various methods for identifying roads and routes including textual analysis, the study of artefact distribution or targeted epigraphical and archaeological surveys, as well as excavations are equally welcomed. Papers focusing on the impact of roads, routes and network on society will allow the study of communication from a social angle. The conference is not intended as a forum for the publication of finds of individual stretches of ancient roads; the intention is to incorporate such finds into their wider geographical and social context. "
This talk presents new discoveries regarding the Late Bronze and Iron Ages political geography of... more This talk presents new discoveries regarding the Late Bronze and Iron Ages political geography of central Anatolia. In 2019, the Konya Regional Archaeological Survey Project and the Türkmen-Karahöyük Intensive Survey Project brought to light exciting new evidence about a previously unknown regional centre in the Konya Plain. Türkmen-Karahöyük, one of the largest settlements in pre-Classical Anatolia, is almost certainly the royal seat of King Hartapu, whose Hieroglyphic Luwian inscription found at the site describes his exploits across the country. We further propose that the site might have been an important centre of the elusive kingdom of Tarhuntašša. Here we present the preliminary results of the 2019 intensive survey, the philological analysis of the inscription, as well as an assessment of the socio-political dynamics in the region contemporary with the apogee of Türkmen-Karahöyük.
The preliminary results from a pilot study on the early stages of metallurgy in western Anatolia,... more The preliminary results from a pilot study on the early stages of metallurgy in western Anatolia, as part of a 4-year project that includes pXRF, ICP-MS and Lead Isotope Analysis on slag, ore and finished products. In the presentation we discuss the analysis of 340 pXRF samples from 13 LCh-MBA sites in inland western Anatolia, with particular regard to changing alloying practices and tin exchange.
The presentation offers a panoramic view of the funerary rites in western Anatolia and south-east... more The presentation offers a panoramic view of the funerary rites in western Anatolia and south-eastern Aegean between the late 5th and late 3rd millennia BCE, a phase that marks the rapid intensification of exchanges at the supra-regional scale. It further compares the identified burial customs with contemporary contexts in the wider Aegean basin, attempting to highlight possible patterns in the circulation of funerary behaviours across the area. Its explicit aim is to challenge the concept of prehistoric Aegean as a cultural region delimited by the boundaries of the modern Greek state. I instead argue that the Anatolian seaboard was an integral part of the prehistoric Aegean and indeed one of its cultural cores.
Antiquity, 2023
The Big Exchange project investigates large-scale exchange systems in Eurasia and Africa (8000-1 ... more The Big Exchange project investigates large-scale exchange systems in Eurasia and Africa (8000-1 BC). We concentrate on raw materials of known origin ('sourced finds'). Network analysis of tools and artificial intelligence methods are used to analyse the combined data sets. We invite broad collaboration on bimodal exchange networks.
