MÖ III. Binyılda Acemhöyük

Abstract

Acemhöyük, which is located on the southern tip of Tuz Gölü in Aksaray plain, is one of the largest and key trading centers during the Assyrian Trade Colonies Period. Excavations held at the southern slope of the mound revealed an intensely settled area with several Early Bronze Age layers under the Modern, Hellenistic and Assyrian Trade Colonies Period deposits. Aim of this paper is to provide an outline of the excavations held on the southern slope of the mound since 1975. The Early Bronze Age architectural remains and the archeological objects recovered from related contexts are briefly defined and presented here. Analysis and comparison of the Early Bronze Age finds indicated that Acemhöyük began to have deep con- nections with neighboring regions around middle of the 3rd millennium BC. This tendency is reflected by various kinds of finds including pottery, bronze objects, and balance weights. Pottery finds, recovered from the levels XI-VIII, indicate that the site had close relations with western Anatolia. Socio-economical and cultural dynamics that mark the end of Early Bronze Age in Anatolia were also recognized at Acemhöyük through the archaeological materials recovered from the levels VII- IV. To sum up, it could be stated that the archaeological investigations held at southern slope of Acemhöyük revealed a stratified site, closely connected with the certain cultural, economic, and political dynamics that shaped Anatolian societies during the Early Bronze Age.