The Chalcolithic Period on the Western Border of the Keban Dam Area: Findings from the Kalaycık, Kalecikler and Hoşrik Excavations (Elazığ-Ağın)

OpenAlex · İngilizce

Within the framework of the Keban Dam Salvage project, the first systematic surveys in the Upper Euphrates Basin were carried out in 1967, with excavation campaigns commencing in 1968. Rescue excavations in the area came to an end in 1975 with the impoundment of the reservoir. As a result of the excavations conducted by international teams before this best-documented destruction, the region became one of the relatively well-documented archaeological zones in the Near East. Located in the western part of this extensive region, Ağın was an important area before the construction of the Keban Dam, where the Karasu and Murat rivers converged to form the Euphrates, opening northwards towards Kemaliye (Eğin) and the Erzincan Plain, and westwards via the Arapkir route to the Malatya Plain. The fertile Altınova region to the east of the Keban Dam area has seen more intensive research than other areas, owing to its large scale mounds with central place characteristics. However, more limited studies have been conducted around Ağın, the western extension of the Keban Dam area. The excavation projects at Kalaycık, Kalecikler, Hoşrik Area, Kilise Yazısı and the Hereser, conducted by a team under the direction of Prof. Dr Ümit Serdaroğlu aimed to elucidate the Classical-period settlement pattern of the region. At the sites of Kalaycık, Kalecikler and Hoşrik, excavations have identified evidence of occupation during the Chalcolithic period. Across these settlements, levels dating to the Iron Age and earlier periods are recognised primarily through their pottery assemblages, independent of architectural contexts. It can be suggested that Kalaycık Höyük was inhabited from the Early Chalcolithic Period onwards; however, all three settlements also exhibit evidence for the Late Chalcolithic Period.