Norşuntepe is a tell, or archaeological settlement mound, in

Elazığ Province Elazığ Province ( tr, ; Zazaki: Suke Xarpêt; ku, Parêzgeha Xarpêtê) is a province of Turkey with its seat in the city of Elazığ. The province had a population of 568,753 in 2014. The population of the province was 569,616 in 2000 and ...

(

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

). The site was occupied between the

Chalcolithic The Copper Age, also called the Chalcolithic (; from grc-gre, χαλκός ''khalkós'', "copper" and ''líthos'', "stone") or (A)eneolithic (from Latin '' aeneus'' "of copper"), is an archaeological period characterized by regular ...

and

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...

and is now partially submerged by Lake Keban. It was excavated between 1968 and 1974.

History of research

It was excavated between 1968 and 1974 under the direction of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

archaeologist

Harald Hauptmann Harald Hauptmann (19 April 1936 – 2 August 2018) was a German archaeologist known for his excavation work in east and southeast Turkey at sites such as Norşuntepe. He also studied of pre-Islamic Pakistan. He was a professor at the Universit ...

as part of the salvage project to document

archaeological sites An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and ...

that would be flooded by the construction of the

Keban Dam The Keban Dam ( tr, Keban Barajı) is a hydroelectric dam on the Euphrates, located in the Elazığ Province of Turkey. The dam is the first and uppermost of several large-scale dams to be built on the Euphrates by Turkey. Although the Keban Dam ...

. Excavation of the site focused on three areas: the western slope, the so-called "acropolis" area, and the south terrace.

The site and its environment

Before it was flooded, Norşuntepe was located on the Altınova Plain along a tributary of the

Murat River The Murat River, also called Eastern Euphrates ( tr, Murat Nehri, , hy, Արածանի, translit=Aratsani), is a major source of the Euphrates River. The Ancient Greeks and Romans used to call the river ''Arsanias'' ( gr, Ἀρσανίας). It ...

.It is now partially submerged by the reservoir created by the Keban Dam; its top is still above the water level. The site consists of a central hill or "acropolis" measuring and high, making it the largest tell in the area. The central hill is surrounded by lower terraces encompassing an area of .

Occupation history

Norşuntepe was occupied from the

to the

. The excavators have recognized 40 different occupation levels ranging in date from the fifth millennium BC to ca. 600 BC. Its occupation levels overlap to a large degree with those excavated at nearby Arslantepe. The Chalcolithic occupation at Norşuntepe can be divided in 3 phases. The oldest Phase I dates to the Middle Chalcolithic and included Ubaid-type pottery. Phase II represents the Late Chalcolithic and during its final levels, more complex architecture appeared in the excavated area.

Copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...

production was practiced during this period. The final Chalcolithic phases were characterized by small-scale single-room houses. Radiocarbon dating from the different Chalcolithic levels provided dates between 4300-3800 BC. After a hiatus, Norşuntepe was again occupied during the

Early Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

. During this period, the site was surrounded by a mudbrick city wall built on a stone foundation. There is evidence for

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...

production and some sort of palace or large, central building appears at the site in the final phases. In terms of material culture and architecture, there are clear parallels with

Transcaucasia The South Caucasus, also known as Transcaucasia or the Transcaucasus, is a geographical region on the border of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, straddling the southern Caucasus Mountains. The South Caucasus roughly corresponds to modern Arme ...

. The latest Early Bronze Age phase in Norşuntepe ends in fire. The Middle bronze age settlement is smaller than its precursor and no evidence for a palace has been found. The Late Bronze Age remains at Norşuntepe was heavily disturbed by later Iron Age activity, but some larger buildings have been excavated.{{Cite journal, last=Hauptmann, first=Harald, date=2000, title=Zur Chronologie des 3. Jahrtausends v. Chr. am oberen Euphrat Aufgrund der Stratigraphie des Norsuntepe, url=https://www.persee.fr/doc/anatv_1013-9559_2000_act_11_1_940, journal=Publications de l'Institut Français d'Études Anatoliennes, volume=11, issue=1, pages=419–438 The Early Iron Age at Norşuntepe (1150-800 BC) is characterized by a shift away from Hittite material culture, possibly as a result of the influx of immigrants such as the

Mushki The Mushki (sometimes transliterated as Muški) were an Iron Age people of Anatolia who appear in sources from Assyria but not from the Hittites. Several authors have connected them with the Moschoi (Μόσχοι) of Greek sources and the Geor ...

. The settlement seems to have been restricted to the south terrace and may have had a rural character. During its final occupation phases (800-600 BC), Norşuntepe was part of

Urartu Urartu (; Assyrian: ',Eberhard Schrader, ''The Cuneiform inscriptions and the Old Testament'' (1885), p. 65. Babylonian: ''Urashtu'', he, אֲרָרָט ''Ararat'') is a geographical region and Iron Age kingdom also known as the Kingdom of V ...

. A building with a large, columned hall was located on the mail hill, whereas a second large building, possibly a caravanserai, was excavated on the south terrace. A cemetery located on the hill top included a burial chamber where three horses together with gear and weapons were buried. The hilltop was again used as a

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

during the

Medieval Period In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

References

Archaeological sites in Eastern Anatolia Geography of Elazığ Province Chalcolithic sites of Asia Bronze Age sites in Asia Iron Age sites in Asia Urartian cities Tells (archaeology)