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Papers by A. Onur BAMYACI

OLBA XXX, 2022

This study presents a detailed excamination of a metal figurine found during the 2019 excavations... more This study presents a detailed excamination of a metal figurine found during the 2019 excavations at Murat Höyük, located on the bank of the Murat River in the Solhan district of the Province Bingöl in Eastern Anatolia. Because the mound was to be inundated by the Aşağı Kaleköy hydroelectric dam, extensive salvage excavations were conducted at the site in 2019 under the directorship of the Elazığ Museum. Four main settlement phases (Medieval, Middle Iron, Early Iron, Early Bronze) were documented at the site with the earliest habitation dating to the Early Bronze Age III (2500-2200 BC).

While figurines shaped out of clay, stone, and marble are more common in the archaeological record of Early Bronze Age (EBA) Anatolia, and metal figurines are relatively rare, a metal figurine ('statuette’) was discovered in the EBA settlement level of Murat Höyük. In terms of typological and stylistic details, the metal figurine of Murat Höyük appears unique in the 3rd millennium records of Mesopotamia, the Aegean, and the Balkans. The figurine depicts a standing nude with stylized hands and feet. Eye-sockets are marked as shallow pits; while the mouth is not indicated. Arms are stretched out on both sides; head is slightly inclined to the left; breasts are fashioned as appliqué protrusions; and pubic triangle is indicated with incised lines. The fact that stone mold and crucible fragments were found in the same level of the site suggests that the object was most probably produced locally by casting. Casting defects (flash lines) are observable on the surface. In this study, based on a comparative iconographic examinations we propose that a goddess is depicted here. With its unique characteristics, the Murat Höyük goddess figurine is a significant contribution to the repertoire of metal figurines’ in Anatolia Syria and Mesopotamia with broader implications about EBA metallurgy art and belief systems.

2020/ Maydos Kilisetepe Tunç Çağı Topuz Başı Taslakları Tipoloji ve Mekânsal Kullanım Üzerine Değerlendirmeler / Bronze Age Macehead Preforms from Maydos Kilisetepe Considerations on Typology and Spatial Analysis,

TÜBA-AR: Türkiye Bilimler Akademisi Arkeoloji Dergisi, 2020

In recent years, ethnographic research, which includes modern pastoral sites or recently abandone... more In recent years, ethnographic research, which includes modern pastoral sites or recently abandoned, has become a curious field of archaeological research. The aim of this study was to investigate the modern material culture ethnographically as a source of archeological hypotheses about the past behaviors. Rural mixed economic activities at the coastal Troad region of Çanakkale are mainly dominated by stock-breeding. In the light of the ethnographic data such as the animal-related structures that still continue to be used today, in the same area and similar environmental factors, it is thought that the people of the region continue their similar economic exploitation of the rural land use habits like as prehistoric communities. Considering that the ethnographic data on rural land-use, rural economic factors and traditional agrarian practices of present-day behavior will contribute to our understanding of past mode of the rural economy of prehistoric societies.

The Early Chalcolithic 2 (Gülpınar II) and Middle Chalcolithic period (Gülpınar III) settlements ... more The Early Chalcolithic 2 (Gülpınar II) and Middle Chalcolithic period (Gülpınar III) settlements identified at Smintheion (Sanctuary of Apollo Smintheus) in the southwestern corner of the modern Biga Peninsula (ancient Troad) in north-western Anatolia have provided important evidence about textile production of Anatolian Early and Middle Chalcolithic societies. Several types of spindle whorls, loom weights, spools and pot bases with negative impressions of woven textiles, mats, and baskets are accepted as indirect evidence of textile production in prehistoric Anatolia. Nevertheless, the direct evidence of textile production is scarce and only represented by carbonized textile remains which were rarely found in archeological contexts. The excavations conducted at Chalcolithic settlements of Gülpınar have resulted in identification of clay objects identified as spindle whorls, pot bases with negative impressions of woven textiles, mats, and baskets mostly related to the textile production. According to these findings it is understood that textile production including mat making was an important craft activity at the settlement. Thirty-nine clay objects including referred to as spindle whorls were catalogued from the 2004-2014 excavations. Spindle whorls at Gülpınar shows that they were represented in six different types. The most common forms are biconical, hemispherical and truncated conical types. The spindle whorls in various weights and shapes demonstrate the possibility of different types of width of threads, were produced for weaving. In addition, the spindle whorls are also evaluated with ethnographic examples based on traditional weaving techniques in Gülpınar and its vicinity. It is hoped that these tools will contribute to our understanding of long-term conventions in textile production of prehistoric people and in the functional use of these objects.

This essay aims to examine a small assemblage of anthropomorphic clay objects recovered from the ... more This essay aims to examine a small assemblage of anthropomorphic clay objects recovered from the prehistoric settlement in the Smintheion (Sanctuary of Apollo Smintheus) at the town of Gülpınar in northwestern Anatolia. Smintheion is known as the Sanctuary of Apollo Smintheus (Smintheion) dating to Hellenistic and Roman periods. The Middle Chalcolithic settlement where the anthropomorphic clay objects introduced here were found is temporally placed into circa 5000 BC on the basis of radiocarbon dating. The small assemblage clay anthropomorphic objects introduced here is constituted of seven protomae placed on top of the rims of cultic vessel and one anthropomorphic handle. These anthropomorphic objects are curious find no identical parallels among the examples of the Balkan cultures of this period

Books by A. Onur BAMYACI

Book Sections by A. Onur BAMYACI

Murat Nehri Kıyısında Bir Urartu Yerleşimi: MURAT TEPE, 2021

Murat Tepe, located along the banks of the Murat River which lies on the catchment area of Aşağı ... more Murat Tepe, located along the banks of the Murat River which lies on the catchment area of Aşağı Kaleköy Dam in Solhan district of modern Bingöl province in Eastern Anatolia. The salvage excavations were conducted in 2018 which was the first systemical excavation of Bingöl. There were only two cultural layers identified during the excavations. The earliest habitation Level I dates to Byzantine Period (9 –10th cent.) and the second level attested to Middle Iron Age / Urartian Kingdom (8 –7th cent. BC) identified on the bedrock. Unfortunately, the first level not gives a distinct plan and displays only irregular and ruined wall remains. Despite, Level II preserves the foundations of a rectangular structure with projecting buttresses on the corners; shows the characteristic of way-station building sites in the region. The identification of both cultural levels from Murat Tepe excavations contributes much to our understanding of Eastern Anatolian archaeology.

Anadolu Arkeolojisinde Taş Aletler: Teori, Metot, Pratik İstanbul: Ege Yayınları, 2018

Özdemir, A., & Bamyacı, A. O. (2018). Kuzey Doğu Ege Buluntusu Taş Aletleri̇n İşlevlendi̇ri̇lmesi... more Özdemir, A., & Bamyacı, A. O. (2018). Kuzey Doğu Ege Buluntusu Taş Aletleri̇n İşlevlendi̇ri̇lmesi̇ ve Etnografi̇k Analoji. In A. Baysal (Ed.), Anadolu Arkeolojisinde Taş Aletler: Teori, Metot, Pratik (pp. 304-323). İstanbul: Ege Yayınları.

This paper introduces three different types of ground stone tools that were identified at several major Neolithic and Chalcolithic sites in the North East Aegean during the last two decades. They were previously considered as relatively uncommon ground stone tools in the archaeological record of this region. The first type is a pan-shaped vessel with a large flat bottom, which could have been conveniently held with one hand. The pan-shaped vessel also has a four-footed variety. An analogy drawn with ar¬chaeological and ethnographic examples from North American Indian cultures may help to illustrate that these mundane stone vessels were used in tasks such as grinding edible or inedible substances. The second type is the grooved stone axe, which is a functionally efficient percussor with a beveled cutting edge opposite a rounded peen. The most charac¬teristic feature of this type of axe is the groove that encir¬cles the body close to its distal end, intended for hafting the tool onto a wooden handle in order to increase its effectiveness. According to analogy with North American Indian cultures, such grooved axes were not only used in ore extraction but also in various other tasks such as the removal of large flakes on large, thick nod¬ules of flint, chopping down trees, splitting wood, clearing shrubbery for farming, and breaking up bones of large game animals. The third type is longitudinally-grooved stone implements that could be identified as fishnet sinkers on the basis of parallels with North American Indian cultures. Benefiting from the ethnographic and archaeological record of American Indians cultures in this context may broaden our understanding of the function and use of ground stone tools casually identified at Neolithic and Chalcolithic sites in the North East Aegean.

Conference Proceedings by A. Onur BAMYACI

Öğütme Taşları:Tipolojik Gelişim, Sorunlar, Çalışma Metodolojisi ve Analitik Bir Yaklaşım Modeli

"Anadolu Arkeolojisinde Taş Aletler Teori, Metot, Pratik Çalıştayı 09.03.2017 -10.03.2017, Trak... more "Anadolu Arkeolojisinde Taş Aletler Teori, Metot, Pratik Çalıştayı 09.03.2017 -10.03.2017, Trakya Üniversitesi Balkan Kongre Merkezi, Edirne

Thesis by A. Onur BAMYACI

OLBA XXX, 2022

This study presents a detailed excamination of a metal figurine found during the 2019 excavations... more This study presents a detailed excamination of a metal figurine found during the 2019 excavations at Murat Höyük, located on the bank of the Murat River in the Solhan district of the Province Bingöl in Eastern Anatolia. Because the mound was to be inundated by the Aşağı Kaleköy hydroelectric dam, extensive salvage excavations were conducted at the site in 2019 under the directorship of the Elazığ Museum. Four main settlement phases (Medieval, Middle Iron, Early Iron, Early Bronze) were documented at the site with the earliest habitation dating to the Early Bronze Age III (2500-2200 BC).

While figurines shaped out of clay, stone, and marble are more common in the archaeological record of Early Bronze Age (EBA) Anatolia, and metal figurines are relatively rare, a metal figurine ('statuette’) was discovered in the EBA settlement level of Murat Höyük. In terms of typological and stylistic details, the metal figurine of Murat Höyük appears unique in the 3rd millennium records of Mesopotamia, the Aegean, and the Balkans. The figurine depicts a standing nude with stylized hands and feet. Eye-sockets are marked as shallow pits; while the mouth is not indicated. Arms are stretched out on both sides; head is slightly inclined to the left; breasts are fashioned as appliqué protrusions; and pubic triangle is indicated with incised lines. The fact that stone mold and crucible fragments were found in the same level of the site suggests that the object was most probably produced locally by casting. Casting defects (flash lines) are observable on the surface. In this study, based on a comparative iconographic examinations we propose that a goddess is depicted here. With its unique characteristics, the Murat Höyük goddess figurine is a significant contribution to the repertoire of metal figurines’ in Anatolia Syria and Mesopotamia with broader implications about EBA metallurgy art and belief systems.

2020/ Maydos Kilisetepe Tunç Çağı Topuz Başı Taslakları Tipoloji ve Mekânsal Kullanım Üzerine Değerlendirmeler / Bronze Age Macehead Preforms from Maydos Kilisetepe Considerations on Typology and Spatial Analysis,

TÜBA-AR: Türkiye Bilimler Akademisi Arkeoloji Dergisi, 2020

In recent years, ethnographic research, which includes modern pastoral sites or recently abandone... more In recent years, ethnographic research, which includes modern pastoral sites or recently abandoned, has become a curious field of archaeological research. The aim of this study was to investigate the modern material culture ethnographically as a source of archeological hypotheses about the past behaviors. Rural mixed economic activities at the coastal Troad region of Çanakkale are mainly dominated by stock-breeding. In the light of the ethnographic data such as the animal-related structures that still continue to be used today, in the same area and similar environmental factors, it is thought that the people of the region continue their similar economic exploitation of the rural land use habits like as prehistoric communities. Considering that the ethnographic data on rural land-use, rural economic factors and traditional agrarian practices of present-day behavior will contribute to our understanding of past mode of the rural economy of prehistoric societies.

The Early Chalcolithic 2 (Gülpınar II) and Middle Chalcolithic period (Gülpınar III) settlements ... more The Early Chalcolithic 2 (Gülpınar II) and Middle Chalcolithic period (Gülpınar III) settlements identified at Smintheion (Sanctuary of Apollo Smintheus) in the southwestern corner of the modern Biga Peninsula (ancient Troad) in north-western Anatolia have provided important evidence about textile production of Anatolian Early and Middle Chalcolithic societies. Several types of spindle whorls, loom weights, spools and pot bases with negative impressions of woven textiles, mats, and baskets are accepted as indirect evidence of textile production in prehistoric Anatolia. Nevertheless, the direct evidence of textile production is scarce and only represented by carbonized textile remains which were rarely found in archeological contexts. The excavations conducted at Chalcolithic settlements of Gülpınar have resulted in identification of clay objects identified as spindle whorls, pot bases with negative impressions of woven textiles, mats, and baskets mostly related to the textile production. According to these findings it is understood that textile production including mat making was an important craft activity at the settlement. Thirty-nine clay objects including referred to as spindle whorls were catalogued from the 2004-2014 excavations. Spindle whorls at Gülpınar shows that they were represented in six different types. The most common forms are biconical, hemispherical and truncated conical types. The spindle whorls in various weights and shapes demonstrate the possibility of different types of width of threads, were produced for weaving. In addition, the spindle whorls are also evaluated with ethnographic examples based on traditional weaving techniques in Gülpınar and its vicinity. It is hoped that these tools will contribute to our understanding of long-term conventions in textile production of prehistoric people and in the functional use of these objects.

This essay aims to examine a small assemblage of anthropomorphic clay objects recovered from the ... more This essay aims to examine a small assemblage of anthropomorphic clay objects recovered from the prehistoric settlement in the Smintheion (Sanctuary of Apollo Smintheus) at the town of Gülpınar in northwestern Anatolia. Smintheion is known as the Sanctuary of Apollo Smintheus (Smintheion) dating to Hellenistic and Roman periods. The Middle Chalcolithic settlement where the anthropomorphic clay objects introduced here were found is temporally placed into circa 5000 BC on the basis of radiocarbon dating. The small assemblage clay anthropomorphic objects introduced here is constituted of seven protomae placed on top of the rims of cultic vessel and one anthropomorphic handle. These anthropomorphic objects are curious find no identical parallels among the examples of the Balkan cultures of this period

Murat Nehri Kıyısında Bir Urartu Yerleşimi: MURAT TEPE, 2021

Murat Tepe, located along the banks of the Murat River which lies on the catchment area of Aşağı ... more Murat Tepe, located along the banks of the Murat River which lies on the catchment area of Aşağı Kaleköy Dam in Solhan district of modern Bingöl province in Eastern Anatolia. The salvage excavations were conducted in 2018 which was the first systemical excavation of Bingöl. There were only two cultural layers identified during the excavations. The earliest habitation Level I dates to Byzantine Period (9 –10th cent.) and the second level attested to Middle Iron Age / Urartian Kingdom (8 –7th cent. BC) identified on the bedrock. Unfortunately, the first level not gives a distinct plan and displays only irregular and ruined wall remains. Despite, Level II preserves the foundations of a rectangular structure with projecting buttresses on the corners; shows the characteristic of way-station building sites in the region. The identification of both cultural levels from Murat Tepe excavations contributes much to our understanding of Eastern Anatolian archaeology.

Anadolu Arkeolojisinde Taş Aletler: Teori, Metot, Pratik İstanbul: Ege Yayınları, 2018

Özdemir, A., & Bamyacı, A. O. (2018). Kuzey Doğu Ege Buluntusu Taş Aletleri̇n İşlevlendi̇ri̇lmesi... more Özdemir, A., & Bamyacı, A. O. (2018). Kuzey Doğu Ege Buluntusu Taş Aletleri̇n İşlevlendi̇ri̇lmesi̇ ve Etnografi̇k Analoji. In A. Baysal (Ed.), Anadolu Arkeolojisinde Taş Aletler: Teori, Metot, Pratik (pp. 304-323). İstanbul: Ege Yayınları.

This paper introduces three different types of ground stone tools that were identified at several major Neolithic and Chalcolithic sites in the North East Aegean during the last two decades. They were previously considered as relatively uncommon ground stone tools in the archaeological record of this region. The first type is a pan-shaped vessel with a large flat bottom, which could have been conveniently held with one hand. The pan-shaped vessel also has a four-footed variety. An analogy drawn with ar¬chaeological and ethnographic examples from North American Indian cultures may help to illustrate that these mundane stone vessels were used in tasks such as grinding edible or inedible substances. The second type is the grooved stone axe, which is a functionally efficient percussor with a beveled cutting edge opposite a rounded peen. The most charac¬teristic feature of this type of axe is the groove that encir¬cles the body close to its distal end, intended for hafting the tool onto a wooden handle in order to increase its effectiveness. According to analogy with North American Indian cultures, such grooved axes were not only used in ore extraction but also in various other tasks such as the removal of large flakes on large, thick nod¬ules of flint, chopping down trees, splitting wood, clearing shrubbery for farming, and breaking up bones of large game animals. The third type is longitudinally-grooved stone implements that could be identified as fishnet sinkers on the basis of parallels with North American Indian cultures. Benefiting from the ethnographic and archaeological record of American Indians cultures in this context may broaden our understanding of the function and use of ground stone tools casually identified at Neolithic and Chalcolithic sites in the North East Aegean.

Öğütme Taşları:Tipolojik Gelişim, Sorunlar, Çalışma Metodolojisi ve Analitik Bir Yaklaşım Modeli

"Anadolu Arkeolojisinde Taş Aletler Teori, Metot, Pratik Çalıştayı 09.03.2017 -10.03.2017, Trak... more "Anadolu Arkeolojisinde Taş Aletler Teori, Metot, Pratik Çalıştayı 09.03.2017 -10.03.2017, Trakya Üniversitesi Balkan Kongre Merkezi, Edirne