Gözlükule is a

tumulus A tumulus (: tumuli) is a mound of Soil, earth and Rock (geology), stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, mounds, howes, or in Siberia and Central Asia as ''kurgans'', and may be found through ...

within the borders of Tarsus city,

Mersin Province Mersin Province (), formerly İçel Province (), is a Provinces of Turkey, province and Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey, metropolitan municipality in southern Turkey, on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast between Antalya Province, A ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. It is now a park with an altitude of with respect to surrounding area.

History

Initially settled in the

Neolithic Period The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wid ...

, Gözlükule became an important settlement and a port during the

2nd millennium BC File:2nd millennium BC montage.jpg, 400x400px, From top left clockwise: Hammurabi, Babylonian king, best known for his Code of Hammurabi, code of laws; The gold Mask of Tutankhamun, funerary mask of Tutankhamun has become a symbol of ancient Egypt ...

. It was located at the intersection of the main road systems, one following the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

sea side, the other following valleys through

Toros Mountains The Taurus Mountains ( Turkish: ''Toros Dağları'' or ''Toroslar,'' Greek'':'' Ταύρος) are a mountain complex in southern Turkey, separating the Mediterranean coastal region from the central Anatolian Plateau. The system extends along a ...

Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

n plateau (so called

Cilician Gates The Cilician Gates or Gülek Pass is a pass through the Taurus Mountains connecting the low plains of Cilicia to the Anatolian Plateau, by way of the narrow gorge of the Gökoluk River. Its highest elevation is about 1000m. The Cilician Gates ...

). Eventually the city of Tarsus was established just north of Gözlükule. But Gözlükule was still active as the port of

Cilicia Cilicia () is a geographical region in southern Anatolia, extending inland from the northeastern coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. Cilicia has a population ranging over six million, concentrated mostly at the Cilician plain (). The region inclu ...

. In 41 BC

Cleopatra VII Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator (; The name Cleopatra is pronounced , or sometimes in both British and American English, see and respectively. Her name was pronounced in the Greek dialect of Egypt (see Koine Greek phonology). She was ...

and

Mark Antony Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman people, Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the Crisis of the Roman Republic, transformation of the Roman Republic ...

entered Tarsus using the port of Gözlükule. In later years, the coastline moved to south because of the sediment carried by the

Berdan River The Berdan (also Baradān or Baradā), the ancient Cydnus (), is a river in Mersin Province, south Turkey. The historical city of Tarsus is on the river and it is therefore sometimes called the Tarsus River. Originally the watercourse passed dir ...

and Gözlükule lost its importance as a port.

Archaeology

Before the official excavations began, the tumulus had been partially damaged. During the

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

occupation of Tarsus following

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, a French battalion had been deployed on Gözlükule. It is believed that this operation resulted in some depredation. The initial excavations between 1934 and 1939 were carried out by a team from

Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr College ( ; Welsh language, Welsh: ) is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as a ...

and the

Institute for Advanced Study The Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) is an independent center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry located in Princeton, New Jersey. It has served as the academic home of internationally preeminent scholars, including Albert Ein ...

led by Hetty Goldman. She was the first officially sanctioned woman archeologist. After being interrupted by

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, some additional work went on from 1947 to 1949. The stratification recovered at the site is important in Bronze Age Anatolian chronology. In 2001,

Boğaziçi University Boğaziçi University (Turkish language, Turkish: ''Boğaziçi Üniversitesi''), also known as Bosphorus University, is a Public university, public research university in Istanbul, Turkey, historically tied to a former American educational insti ...

began to work at the site, with excavations beginning in 2007. Boğaziçi University announced that it will open a

research center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentric ...

in Tarsus on 18 February 2017.

The finds

Neolithic age The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wid ...

: pieces of plaster,

obsidian Obsidian ( ) is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed when lava extrusive rock, extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimal crystal growth. It is an igneous rock. Produced from felsic lava, obsidian is rich in the lighter element ...

tools, arrowheads, spears, ceramic *

Chalcolithic age The Chalcolithic ( ) (also called the Copper Age and Eneolithic) was an list of archaeological periods, archaeological period characterized by the increasing use of smelted copper. It followed the Neolithic and preceded the Bronze Age. It occur ...

: jars, pots, water jags *

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

: bronze weapons, stamps, ruins of adobe buildings, city wall, part of the treaty signed between

Telepinu Telipinu was the last king of the Hittites Old Kingdom, reigning in middle chronology. At the beginning of his reign, the Hittite Empire had contracted to its core territories, having long since lost all of its conquests, made in the former era ...

, the king of the

Hittites The Hittites () were an Anatolian peoples, Anatolian Proto-Indo-Europeans, Indo-European people who formed one of the first major civilizations of the Bronze Age in West Asia. Possibly originating from beyond the Black Sea, they settled in mo ...

, and

Isputahsu Isputahsu (also transliterated as Išputaḫšu) was a king of Kizzuwatna, probably during the late 16th century BC (middle chronology). He signed a treaty of alliance with the Hittite king Telepinu. Family His father was Pariyawatri, who ma ...

of Kizuwatna (Hittite vassal state), the stamp of Isputahsu, the stamp of Puduhepa, the Hittite queen, a crystal sculptureH. Goldman, A Crystal Statuette from Tarsus, Archaeologica orientalia in memoriam Ernst Herzfeld, pp. 129–133, J J Augustin, 1952,

''Notes''

''References''

*Hetty Goldman, "Preliminary Expedition to Cilicia, 1934, and Excavations at Gözlü Kule, Tarsus, 1935", American Journal of Archaeology, vol. 39, no. 4, pp. 526–549, 1935 *Hetty Goldman, Excavations at Gözlü Kule, Tarsus, 1936", American Journal of Archaeology, vol. 41, no. 2, pp. 262–286, 1937 *Hetty Goldman, "Excavations at Gözlü Kule, Tarsus, 1937", American Journal of Archaeology, vol. 42, no. 1, pp. 30–54, 1938 *Hetty Goldman, Excavations at Gözlü Kule, Tarsus, 1938", American Journal of Archaeology, vol. 44, no. 1, pp. 60–86, 1940

''External links''