(originally published in (1997): XVIII Kazi Sonuclar Toplantisi. Pp. 93-120. Ankara: Republic of Turkey, Ministry of Culture, General Directorate of Monuments and Museums.)
1995 EXCAVATIONS AT HACINEBI TEPE
Gil J. Stein
INTRODUCTION:
The fourth field season of the Northwestern University salvage excavations at Hacinebi Tepe, Birecik district, Sanlõurfa province took place from July 6-August 30, 1995, directed by Gil Stein (Northwestern University). We wish to express our appreciation to Prof. Dr. Engin Özgen, General Director of the Ministry of Culture’s Directorate of Monuments and Museums for permission to conduct this research. The 1995 fieldwork was supported by National Science Foundation grant SBR-9511329, and by generous contributions from Dr. Joseph and Laura Kiser, William and Sally Anderson, and Paul Webster. We thank Mr. Adnan Misir, Director of the Sanlõurfa Museum for his administrative assistance, and Hamza Güllüce, who served as representative of the Directorate of Monuments and Museums. We also gratefully acknowledge Kemal Isik, the Muhtar of Ugurcuk village, for his hospitality and assistance in conducting excavations at Hacinebi.
The project staff consisted of: Mr. Kenneth Boden (University of Arizona), Ms. Tania Collas (conservator), Ms. Güner Coskunsu (Istanbul University), Dr. Christopher Edens (Harvard University), Mr. Fokke Gerritsen (University of Amsterdam), Ms. Sarah Hinds (Cambridge Archaeological Unit), Ms. Jessica Johnson (University of Texas-Austin), Ms. Kathryn Keith (University of Michigan), Ms. Çigdem Köksal (Istanbul University), Dr. Alan Lupton (Cambridge University), Dr. Augusta McMahon (Cambridge University), Dr. Naomi Miller (University of Pennsylvania), Ms. Belinda Monahan (Northwestern University), Ms. Rana Özbal (Bates College), Ms. Julie Pearce (University of Pennsylvania), Dr. Holly Pittman (University of Pennsylvania), Ms. Lynn Rainville (University of Michigan), Mr. Joel Sweek (University of Chicago), and Ms. Anwen Tormey (Northwestern University). A team of 42 workers from the village of Ugurcuk (Hacinebi) assisted the project staff in the excavation and artifact processing.
SITE DESCRIPTION AND 1995 PROJECT GOALS:
The Hacinebi excavations have been investigating the effects of Uruk Mesopotamian commercial expansion on local Anatolian cultures in the fourth millennium BC. Hacinebi Tepe is a 3.3 ha. low mounded site on the bluffs overlooking the east bank of the Euphrates river, 5 km north of Birecik in Sanlõurfa province, southeast Turkey. Four seasons of excavation from 1992-1995 have shown that Hacinebi Tepe has two main occupations [Stein and Misir 1994 a, 1994b, 1995, 1996). 1-2.5 m. thick Achaemenid/Hellenistic deposits (ca. 5th-2nd centuries BC) are present immediately below the plow zone. Beneath these is a Late Chalcolithic occupation up to 5 m. deep, dating approximately 3900-3200 BC. The Late Chalcolithic occupation consists of two phases: an earlier Phase A - ca. 3900-3700 BC which has only Local Anatolian Late Chalcolithic ceramics (the “Pre-Contact” phase), and a later phase B ca. 3700-3200 BC (the “Contact Phase”), which has both Mesopotamian Uruk style ceramics and Local Anatolian Late Chalcolithic ceramics (Pollock and Coursey 1995). This stratigraphic situation provides a rare opportunity to study the organization of interaction between Mesopotamians and Anatolians at Hacinebi during the fourth millennium BC Uruk expansion.
The 1995 field season had two main goals: 1) Expansion of horizontal exposures of phase B deposits in the north, south, and west parts of the mound in order to clarify patterns of Mesopotamian-Anatolian interaction; and 2) Study and conservation of artifacts excavated in the 1992, 1993, and 1994 seasons. 42 days of excavations took place from July 8-August 24, 1995 in six trenches (ops. 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17) distributed over Area A in the northeast corner of the site, Area B in the south, Area C in the west, and an exploratory trench located on the sloping spur at the west end of the site overlooking the Euphrates (figure 1). Area A now comprises six trenches (ops. 1, 4, 6, 10, 14, 15) and three smaller test cuts (ops. 3, 8, 9) for a total exposure of more than 600 m2. Area B now comprises four trenches (ops. 2, 7, 11, 12) with a total exposure of more than 350 m2. Area C consists of two excavation areas (ops. 5 and 16) exposing 200 m2 in the western part of the site, along with operation 17 - an 8x10 m. test trench on the far west slope of the mound. The 1995 excavations exposed Roman, Achaemenid/Hellenistic and Late Chalcolithic occupation levels at the site.
THE ROMAN OCCUPATION:
Traces of a Roman period occupation are located in area C on the west spur of the mound. 1993 and 1994 excavations in Operation 5 had defined a large Roman period trash pit. In 1995, Operation 16 was opened as a 10x10 m. trench immediately to the north of op. 5. The uppermost occupation in this trench was a Roman period farmstead whose remains were present immediately beneath the plow zone. Although most of the structure had been destroyed by deep plowing, the surviving fragmentary stone wall foundations suggest that the building consisted of several rooms built around an open courtyard. Lying on the surface of the courtyard was a large, crudely carved limestone basin. A deep trash pit was located in the open area downslope, immediately to the south of the house. The southern portion of this pit had been uncovered in the earlier excavations of op. 5. Trash deposits in the house and the pit both included typical Roman period corrugated brittle red wares. This small farmstead building and trash dump are the only known Roman occupation at Hacinebi.
THE ACHAEMENID/HELLENISTIC OCCUPATION:
Area A
The Achaemenid/Hellenistic occupation of Hacinebi dates to the 5th-2nd centuries BC (McMahon 1996). Remains from this period were recovered from areas A, B, and Operation 17 on the western spur of the site. The 1995 excavations in Area A opened two new trenches - operations 14 and 15. Achaemenid/Hellenistic remains in Op. 14 included the northwest corner of the massive mud brick building which had been exposed in operations 4 and 10 during the 1993 and 1994 field seasons (Stein and Misir 1995, Stein et al 1996). In the northeast corner of Op. 14, excavations exposed a levelling deposit of small angular limestone fragments which seem to have served as the foundations for the Achaemenid/Hellenistic fortification wall at the site. The highly eroded fragments of this wall had a northwest-southeast orientation. This appears to be the continuation of the defensive wall that was first found in the 1993 excavations of Op. 6.
Achaemenid/Hellenistic remains were also recovered in Operation 15, a 10m. x 10 m. trench located immediately to the south of operation 10 in area A. As was the case in virtually all other Achaemenid/Hellenistic exposures at Hacinebi, the uppermost deposits consisted of a series of deep, straight sided pits lined with mud plaster; these seem to have been used originally for grain storage, before being re-used for either burials or trash disposal. The pits cut into and badly damaged the underlying Achaemenid/Hellenistic building levels of poorly preserved stone and mud brick walls, apparently from a domestic area of houses with courtyards and ovens. Trash deposits from both pits and open air contexts yielded large amounts of debris related to household activities, most notably unbaked clay loom weights, basalt grinding stone fragments, and small baked clay figurines. Most of the figurines were of two types. The first is the typical “Persian horseman”, a freestanding figurine in which the head of the rider is carefully fashioned with well defined facial features, a beard, and a Phrygian cap (see e.g. Stein and Misir 1995:figure 16B), while the horse is formed in a very schematic fashion, with little or no attention to anatomical detail. The figurine is often dipped in or splashed with red paint. The second most common figurines in op. 15 are relief plaques, formed in an open-faced mold, depicting female deities. The most unusual Achaemenid/Hellenistic figurine was that of a female with a headdress or halo in a starburst shape - possibly some kind of solar deity (figure 2). The figurine was molded in two halves (front and back) which were then joined, smoothed, and fired. Only the upper 7.85 cm are preserved, showing the head, and upper torso.
Area B
In area B at the south edge of the site, Achaemenid/Hellenistic remains were recovered from Operation 12, a new 10 x 10 m trench located immediately to the west of operation 11. In the uppermost building level of op. 12, at least 19 pits of varying dimensions were scattered across the trench. Some of these were dug expressly for trash disposal or perhaps as borrow pits for mud brick manufacture. However, at least two of the pits - 15 and 18 - were carefully formed, deep bell shaped features, probably used originally for grain storage and then filled up with domestic trash.
Roughly contemporaneous with the pits were a series of burials, generally stone-lined cist burials oriented east northeast to west southwest, containing a single articulated flexed skeleton with grave goods. The cists are generally covered by 2 or 3 slabs of angular unworked limestone. Burial 23 contained a jar, a complete pair of iron shears, a carnelian bead, and several fragmentary pieces of bronze and silver jewelry. Burial 51 contained a skeleton with 1 bronze anklet on each leg. Burnt animal bones were found between the feet of the skeleton and the west wall of the burial cist; these are apparently the remains of a food offering. Three amphorae were placed horizontally across the chest of the deceased.
The pits and burials overlie and cut into an earlier level of large scale Achaemenid/Hellenistic mud brick and stone architecture. This structure forms part of the same complex known from adjacent operations 11, 7, and 2 (see, e.g. Stein and Misir 1995 :129 and figure 15). The building walls in operation 12 were 1.15 m. wide, with a maximum preserved height of 1.02 m. As in ops. 7 and 11, the construction technique consisted of mud brick upper courses on a foundation of rounded cobbles and unworked angular limestone bonded with mud mortar and set into a foundation trench. The floors of the building were clean, and even the post abandonment deposits generally contained little refuse.
The portion of the building exposed in op. 12 consisted of wall 60 to the west, and wall 4 to the east, framing a doorway linking an interior, roofed over room to the south with an open space or courtyard to the north. The walls extended for 7.75 meters, oriented northeast-southwest. The doorway had a stone threshold to north and a mud brick step to south, leading down into the slightly sunken interior of the structure. The area to the north of these walls was apparently an open courtyard, with ovens constructed on an outdoor surface. The courtyard extends 8 m from NW-SE and at least 12 m from SW-NE; its western limits lie in the as-yet unexcavated area to the west of op. 12. The sequence of construction and modification suggests that this structure was used for an extended period.
Area C
Achaemenid/Hellenistic deposits were also exposed in operation 17, an 8x10 m. test trench on the west slope of the mound. The uppermost occupation in op. 17 was a series of deep bell shaped Achaemenid/Hellenistic pits (5, 7, and 10) cut down into earlier architecture of the same general period. These seem to have been grain storage pits reused or filled with trash. The pits cut into an earlier, highly eroded set of small mudbrick walls, apparently representing fragmentary house remains. These in turn overlie a large Achaemenid/Hellenistic mud brick building terraced into the west slope of the mound. The structure appears to have consisted of a single room, oriented east-west, with a blocked doorway in its southern wall. The interior wall surfaces and floor were mud plastered. The north, east, and south walls were all exposed; the remainder of the building continued into the unexcavated west profile. The external room dimensions are 3.8 m from N-S and at least 6.6 m. from east to west. The mudbrick walls were 60 cm wide, and differ from most of the Achaemenid/Hellenistic architecture at Hacinebi in that they were constructed without a stone foundation. The north wall of the structure is little more than a thick plastering of the Late Chalcolithic mound deposits cut into by the terracing to build this structure. The lack of foundations, the narrow dimensions of the south and east walls, and the absence of a true north wall all make it unlikely that this building had a second storey. The function of the structure remains unclear, but the manner of construction suggests that it may have been some kind of semi-subterranean storage facility rather than an actual house.
Overall, the Achaemenid/remains recovered in 1995 are consistent with the occupational sequence known from earlier seasons. This consists of an early phase characterized by large scale well, planned mud brick and stone architecture. Above this phase is an architectural level of smaller scale domestic architecture. The final Hellenistic phase consists of grain storage pits (re-used for trash disposal) and cist burials.
THE LATE CHALCOLITHIC OCCUPATION:
Area A
Late Chalcolithic occupation levels were recovered from all main excavation areas. In area A at the northeast corner of the site, the 1995 excavations in op. 14 exposed the uppermost preserved Late Chalcolithic phase B deposits known to date at Hacinebi. Of particular significance was the discovery of a portion of a house with in-situ Uruk ceramics and associated artifacts on the floor. Finds included complete ceramic vessels such as a spouted jar, a juglet, crude conical cup, a fine conical cup with string cut base, and several bevelled rim bowls leaning up against wall 16 and bin 21. Along with the ceramics, this floor deposit contained a reed-impressed bitumen pad, a stone pestle, a rounded flat stone palette, and two basalt grinding stones (figure 3). The broken distal end of a bitumen dipped wall cone was also found in this floor deposit. The wall, bin, and floor seem to have be the fragmentary remains of a kitchen or food preparation area. This is the first in situ Uruk material found at the site, and is important because it shows that the Uruk ceramics, and especially beveled rim bowls, were used in clear-cut domestic contexts. The fact that this Uruk house fragment was found in some of the latest phase B deposits indicates that the Mesopotamian presence at Hacinebi continued for an extended period, perhaps as long as four or five centuries. This in situ Uruk deposit in op. 14 can be linked stratigraphically to building level 5 in adjacent operations 1 and 6, where contemporaneous deposits of Uruk and Local Late Chalcolithic ceramics were found on opposite sides of the same wall 10/45 (Stein and Misir 1994:150-152, figs. 3,4,18). The later phase B houses in op. 14 were constructed by levelling off and terracing this portion of the mound.
In deposits sealed off beneath this fragmentary Uruk house, a number of pits yielded Uruk material culture in the phase B building levels. One of the most notable of these was pit 50, which contained exclusively Uruk Mesopotamian style ceramics and a crudely carved small limestone eye idol in association with large amounts of chipped stone simple blades and cores. At least some of this trash deposit derives from a specialized lithic production area or possibly a workshop of some sort.
In roughly contemporaneous pits 80 and 91, Uruk glyptic material was found in association with exclusively Mesopotamian ceramics. Two mushroom shaped jar stoppers found in pit 80 bore identical Uruk cylinder seal impressions with a repeated “ear” motif. In pit 91, two jar sealings bore identical Uruk cylinder seal impressions of a work scene taking place in front of a beehive-shaped building (possibly a silo for grain storage) on a platform (figure 4- top right, bottom right).
Beneath these later pits and the uppermost, fragmentary building levels were two main Late Chalcolithic building phases of well preserved mud brick houses built on stone foundations. These consist of an upper “yellow brick” building level overlying and cutting into a lower “red brick” building level. The earlier red brick building was levelled off and filled in to provide a stable footing for the yellow brick building level. Although both construction episodes share a northwest-southeast orientation, the two differ in ground plan and in the locations of major structural elements. Both of these earlier building levels contain exclusively Local Late Chalcolithic ceramics dating to the earlier portion of Late Chalcolithic phase B. The lower “red brick” building level overlies as-yet unexcavated thick ash deposits which extend south into the adjacent op. 4, where they run up against the upper stone platform in ops. 4 and 10. These stratigraphic relationships provide additional evidence to suggest that the upper stone platform was constructed before the period of intensive interaction with Uruk Mesopotamia, although it is still unclear whether this structure dates to early in phase B or perhaps late in phase A.
In the 1995 field season, Ms. Çigdem Köksal made detailed architectural plans of the two large rectangular stone platforms that had been exposed by earlier excavations in in area A (figure 5). The upper platform is a rectangular, free standing structure over 9 m long from NE-SW, 8 m from NW - SE, and over 2.4 m high. The platform is constructed of large rounded limestone cobbles. Although the original superstructure is no longer preserved, the monumental size and height of the upper platform suggest that it may have been either a public building such as a temple, or perhaps an elite residence.
To the east of the upper platform lies the lower platform, located in operations 1 and 6. The upper platform was apparently constructed first, while the lower platform was added at a later date to broaden the area at the top of the mound (figure 6). A small ramp and stairway connect the two structures. The lower platform is over 2.8 meters high. The lower platform consists of an outer retaining wall of large limestone blocks and cobbles, with the area behind it filled in by alternating layers of mud and pieces of angular limestone. On top of the lower platform was a packed mud surface with a small mudbrick retaining wall. Based on the stratigraphy and ceramics of associated building levels, both platforms seem to have been built before the period of contact with Uruk Mesopotamia.
Area B
In Area B, at the southeast corner of the site, Late Chalcolithic deposits were mainly exposed in operations 11 and 12. Operation 11 is a 10 x 10 m trench first opened in 1994. The 1994 excavations had exposed a massive Late Chalcolithic stone wall (wall 68) with a series of wide niches and buttresses on its east face. The 1995 fieldwork sought to clarify the function of this massive stone architecture and determine whether it was built in phase B or in the earlier pre-contact phase A. Excavations down to the base of this wall established that it is 3 m. wide at the base, and is preserved to a height of over 3.3 meters, making it the largest known and best preserved example of Late Chalcolithic architecture at the site (figure 7). The wall is constructed of large rounded cobbles and angular pieces of limestone. On the exposed portions of the east face, the three buttresses and niches - two m. wide and 1 m. deep - begin 2 m. above the base of the wall. Ceramics associated with the earliest deposits at the base of wall 68 suggest that it was built in the pre-contact phase A. The size and orientation of this wall suggest that it was probably part of an open air monumental enclosure of some sort.
Although first constructed in the pre-contact phase A, wall 68 continued in use with substantial repairs, additions, and modifications up through the time of Mesopotamian contact in late phase B. During phase A, east-west oriented stone wall 120 was built to the southeast, forming a possible gateway with wall 68. The area to the northeast of the wall seems to have remained open for a long period, before the construction of massive mud brick and stone platform 111/121 (figure 7). The platform was constructed of mud brick on stone foundations and was preserved to a height of over 1.5 m. Platform 111/121 fills the entire northeast quarter of the trench and extends 4.5 m. N-S and 5.5 m. E-W, continuing into the north and east profiles. The platform was designed to run parallel to the east face of wall 68, forming a street 1.8 m. wide. The dating of the platform is still uncertain, ceramics in associated trash deposits suggest have been constructed before the beginning of intensive contact with Uruk Mesopotamia.
The architectural and stratigraphic sequence of op. 11 suggest several conclusions. Monumental public architecture was constructed and used in the pre-contact phase A at the site. The massive niched and buttressed wall 68 appears to have been some kind of enclosure wall, rather than a fortification or part of a roofed structure. The wall remained in use for an extended period, and is associated with the construction of a large platform (111/121) similar in many ways to the upper stone platform known from operations 4/10 in area A at the north end of the site. Both platforms appear to have been built early in phase B, before the period of intensive contact with Uruk Mesopotamia. Wall 68 continued in use during the later part of phase B; however, by this point the stone and mud brick platform 111/121 had been abandoned and the entire area was being used as a residential area rather than a public precinct.
In op. 12, due to time limitations, the Late Chalcolithic deposits underlying the Achaemenid/Hellenistic building were only investigated in the eastern half of the trench. Beneath erosion layer 94, excavations exposed the west face of massive Late Chalcolithic stone wall 68. Unlike the east face of the wall known from adjacent op. 11, the west face was straight, with no niches or buttresses. The original uses of the wall and its western environs in op. 12 can only be clarified by further excavation.
Area C
In Area C, op. 5 had been excavated in 1993 and 1994, exposing a Late Chalcolithic complex of a mud brick courtyard house adjacent to a set of two long, narrow stone walled rooms, possibly storage structures. This area had also yielded evidence for metallurgy, including a copper chisel and an open faced mold still containing traces of copper. The complex apparently dates to the pre-contact phase A. To further investigate the chronology and function of this Late Chalcolithic complex, operation 16 was opened in area C in the 1995 season.
Late Chalcolithic deposits in op. 16 consisted of three discrete building levels The uppermost occupation was represented by a series of nine late phase B pits, most of them filled with exclusively Uruk ceramics, mainly bevel rim bowls, spouted jars, conical cups, crude conical cups, and chaff tempered trays. No architecture was found in direct association with this material. The pits are in most cases irregularly shaped, and are filled with alternating trash and wash deposits suggestive of a gradual accumulation of debris over an extended period, rather than a single episode of deposition. Although all pit deposits were carefully screened, administrative artifacts such as sealings and sealing clays were quite rare relative to the late phase B occupation levels in area A at the north end of the site. Pit 51 yielded one burnt jar sealing bearing an Uruk cylinder seal impression with an animal procession motif (figure 4 - center). Uruk pit 69 contained a clay “nucleus” of unused sealing clay (cf. Ferioli and Fiandra 1983). Uruk wall cones were also rare, with only one example recovered from ash deposit 37. Although several pits contained almost exclusively Uruk ceramics, other contemporaneous contexts had mixed assemblages of both Uruk and Late phase B Local chaff tempered wares.
The pits cut into trash layers containing both Uruk and Local ceramics. These deposits in turn sealed off an earlier building phase consisting of two well constructed mudbrick buildings. The eastern “white mud brick” building had 3 rooms defined by white plastered walls. The western “red mud brick” building had at least two rooms built on top of stone pavement 44. Both buildings were oriented northwest-southeast, and both extended south into op. 5. The wall dimensions and room layout suggest that these were both houses, but the floors were very clean, so we can only infer the function of these structures. The dating of the houses is also uncertain for the same reason. Ceramics lying on top of cobble surface 99 to the north of the building and in the post-abandonment deposits of deliberate room fill both contain exclusively Local Late Chalcolithic ceramics, often including typologically “late” hammerhead bowls (see Pollock and Coursey 1995). On this basis, it seems that this building level dates to the earlier part of phase B, before the period of intensive contact with Uruk Mesopotamia. Both mudbrick buildings in op. 16 had been cleaned out and then deliberately filled., perhaps in order to level the ground and provide a stable foundation for some later Chalcolithic construction.
The mud brick building level was constructed on a series of levelling fill layers consisting of deliberately laid clay deposits and stone pavements. These deposits seal off the earliest architecture exposed in op. 16. This stone built complex of rooms is the northward extension of the storage rooms known from op. 5 (figure 8). This complex was not constructed as a unit, but instead represents the cumulative result of numerous episodes of additions, rebuildings, and subdivisions of the rooms before the entire structure was eventually filled in and levelled off. The stone building complex was only partially investigated in the 1995 season. It remains unclear whether the stone structures date to the end of the pre-contact phase A or the earlier stages of phase B, before the period of intensive interaction with Uruk Mesopotamia.
To the west of op. 16, a second new trench, op. 17, was opened to investigate Late Chalcolithic deposits eroding out of the west slope of the mound. In contrast with Area A at the Northeast end of the mound, op. 17 has has only limited evidence for an Uruk Mesopotamian presence. Most of the Late Chalcolithic deposits are Local in character, dating to the pre-contact phase A and the earlier part of phase B. The trench was excavated down to bedrock.
The uppermost Late Chalcolithic deposits in op. 17 were preserved in the small area in the northeastern part of the trench which had not been cut away by construction of the Achaemenid/Hellenistic mud brick building. A series of fragmentary walls, floors and associated trash deposits were recovered, although it is still unclear whether these date to the earlier or later part of Late Chalcolithic phase B.
Underlying these fragmentary remains was an occupation level consisting of a well constructed mud brick niched structure to which were added a number of stone and mud brick buildings. Building 36 was located in the southeast corner of op. 17; only the northwest part of the building lay within the limits of the trench (figure 9 - bottom right). The building dimensions are at least 5.75 m. (E-W) and 2.4 m. (N-S). It was a mud brick structure oriented east-northeast by west-southwest, with a door along its east wall and a white plastered interior. The floor was unplastered compact clay. The interior face of the north wall had two niches, one of which was later filled in by the construction of a bench along the west wall. Ceramics overlying the floor were almost entirely Local Late Chalcolithic, and can be dated on typological grounds to later phase B. The find of a single Uruk ledge rim jar sherd supports this dating.
To the north of building 36, a series of stone built rooms back onto an open area which may have been a street or an irregularly shaped courtyard. Set into the trash deposits in this open area was burial 57, a flexed articulated interment with mud bricks arranged in the pit around the skeleton (figure 9 - top center). Burial 57 is exceptional in that is one of only two adult burials dating to the Late Chalcolithic at Hacinebi (the other was found in the earliest occupation of op. 11). No grave goods were found in either burial. To date, almost all other Late Chalcolithic burials at Hacinebi have been infant jar burials.
One of the most noteworthy discoveries in this later phase B building level was a well worn rectangular marble stamp seal (figure 10). The seal is drilled through horizontally, perhaps to allow it to be suspended on a string or chain and worn by its owner. The seal motif is the typical Local Late Chalcolithic style combination of lions and caprids, as known from numerous stamp seal impressions from area A (see e.g. [Stein and Misir 1995). The seal was found in a deposit lying up against wall 61 to the north of the niched mud brick building 36. This upper building level shows considerable continuity with the lines of the underlying rooms and walls in the two earliest construction phases. These are constructed at least partially on the underlying limestone bedrock that slopes down to the south and east. As in the overlying phases, the rooms of the earliest building level are constructed of narrow stone walls along the north, west, and south profiles, with an open area in the central and eastern parts of the trench. The ceramics from these earliest two building levels are typologically “early” Local Late Chalcolithic forms that apparently date to the pre-contact phase A.
The uppermost of these two phase A building levels yielded an infant child burial (locus 73) sealed beneath a room floor in the northeast corner of the trench. Inside the burial jar along with the skeleton were placed a miniature ceramic vessel, 1 copper ring and 2 silver earrings as grave goods. The earrings are the earliest known silver artifacts known from the site, and would certainly be among the earliest silver pieces known from Anatolia. A second noteworthy find from this building level was a baked clay disk shaped Local Anatolian stamp seal with an incised snake motif (figure 11). This seal was recovered from a trash deposit radiocarbon dated to the early fourth millennium.
CHRONOLOGY:
The combination of the new stratigraphic exposures described above, radiocarbon dating, and ongoing ceramic analysis provides the basis for some preliminary comments on the chronology of the Late Chalcolithic occupation at Hacinebi. Of the 65 radiocarbon samples collected in the 1995 season, nineteen samples from Late Chalcolithic contexts were submitted for processing by Beta Analytic. The sample dates were then calibrated using the CALIB 3.03 software package (Stuiver and Reimer 1993). With the addition of these new samples, the calibrated chronology for Hacinebi strongly suggests that the period of intensive contact with Uruk Mesopotamia in later phase B at the site falls within a time range of about 3700-3400 BC (figure 12). This is consistent with the ceramic analyses, which suggest that the Uruk material from Hacinebi has its closest parallels in assemblages dating to the later Middle Uruk (possibly extending into the first part of the Late Uruk period - Pollock and Coursey 1996).
LABORATORY ANALYSES:
In 1995, continuing laboratory analyses focused on seals and sealings, chipped and ground stone, ceramics, botanical remains, metals, and artifact conservation.
Dr. Holly Pittman continued with her analysis of the glyptic material (Pittman 1996a, b). Seals and seal impressed materials recovered in 1995 include examples from both the Anatolian and the southern Mesopotamian record-keeping systems.
Mesopotamian style glyptic was recovered in operations 14 and 16. Operation 14 produced four clay sealings impressed by two different Uruk cylinder seals. HN 9410 and 9411 are two mushroom shaped unbaked clay jar stoppers. Both are impressed with the same small cylinder seal carved with three rows of ear arranged in alternating directions. The second pair of sealings - HN 9465 and 9466 were both impressed with the same seal. HN 9465 is a jar stopper, while HN 9466 is a bag sealing. The seal motif shows a human figure squatting to the left of two domed grain silos built on top of a single platform. This motif has close parallels from Susa. Operation 16 produced a clay bag sealing (HN 8657) bearing the impression of a cylinder seal carved with an animal procession scene showing goats, a feline, and an unidentified horned animal.
Three local Anatolian stamp seals were also recovered from phase A and B deposits in operation 17 at the west end of the mound. HN 8334 is a white calcite rectangular stone pierced laterally across the width of the seal. It is highly worn, and broken through along the string hole. The seal design depicts a feline and a caprid (figure 10) and apparently dates to phase B. HN 8393 is a disk-shaped baked clay stamp seal with a coiled snake motif found in phase A deposits (figure 11). A related snake motif also appears on HN7440, a small highly polished round stamp seal carved from red stone.
Dr. Christopher Edens continued with his analysis of the Late Chalcolithic chipped and ground stone (Edens 1996). 4513 pieces of chipped stone were coded in 1995 When added to the 5100 pieces coded in 1994, the available sample amounts to 9600 pieces, the largest analyzed chipped stone sample from a Late Chalcolithic site in SE Turkey. The 1994 analysis focused on the blade technology, concluding that the Hacinebi assemblage combines an informal flake industry with two technologically distinct blade reduction trajectories. Canaanean blades and cores exhibit striking platforms that are facetted and obtuse-angled, and are invariably on opaque, fairly coarse-grained cherts; simple blades have plain and slightly acute-angled striking platforms, and often are made on fine-grained, translucent cherts. The two kinds of blades are metrically distinguishable, the simple blades strongly tending to be narrower than 2.2 cm., and the Canaanean blades wider than 2.0 cm. Both blade technologies exist in Phase A and Phase B contexts, and in both Uruk and local contexts (as identified by pottery) within Phase B. Dr. Edens also began a pilot study intended to establish the feasibility and effectiveness of low magnification microscopy for lithic use-wear analysis. 101 blades and other pieces were examined to identify characteristic patterns of edge wear associated with specific tool uses. Several general microwear patterns were identified, reflecting chopping, scraping, and cereal harvesting. Finally, ground stone tools from the 1992-1994 excavations were also examined to develop a typology of these objects.
Ceramic analyses by Augusta McMahon began to develop a typology of Achaemenid/Hellenistic ceramics, while Julie Pearce, Kenneth Boden and Anwen Tormey continued the examination of Late Chalcolithic pottery, using the typology developed in the 1993 season (Pollock and Coursey 1995, 1996). The 1995 study focused on 3 goals: a) refinement of the chronology for the Local Late Chalcolithic ceramics, b) reconstruction of the Phase A ceramic production technology and procedure, and c) functional comparisons of Uruk versus Local ceramic assemblages from different parts of the phase B occupation.
Dr. Naomi Miller continued with her analysis of Late Chalcolithic archaeobotanical remains. 12 new samples were examined from phase A and B Local contexts, and from Uruk deposits (Miller 1996). The main crops represented in the Hacinebi samples are barley, einkorn, emmer, free-threshing wheat, and lentil. Among the cultigens, barley is most common in all phases. Minor contributors to the assemblage include grasspea, grape, fig, and possibly almond and olive. As is typical of sites in the Near East, the most common wild plants are for the most part grasses and legumes along with a few other small plants (e.g., Galium). The quantities of wood charcoal suggest a vegetation cover of steppe forest or open woodland. Newly recorded taxa in 1995 included arboreal species such as olive (Olea europaea) and acorn (Quercus sp.) along with the small herbaceous plants Ziziphora and Sherardia. All types found at Hacinebi also occur on other archaeological sites in the middle Euphrates valley.
Hadi Özbal began an archaeometallurgical analysis of the Late Chalcolithic copper artifacts, focusing on a small chisel from the pre-contact phase A (Özbal 1996). Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) analysis determined that the chisel is made out of a highly pure copper containing no alloying elements. Based on the presence of Nickel and Iron, Özbal suggests suggest that the metal is not made from native copper but was smelted instead. The confirmation of advanced metallurgical processing based on chemical characterization studies is consistent with the finds of open faced molds in the 1993 and 1994 seasons.
Finally, laboratory work also included the continuing program of archaeological conservation, conducted in 1995 by Jessica Johnson and Tania Collas. Conservation efforts focused mainly on the stabilization and removal, of corrosion from bronze and iron artifacts recovered from Achaemenid/Hellenistic cist burials in operation 12.
CONCLUSIONS:
The 1995 field season at Hacinebi accomplished four main aims. First, radiocarbon dates and ceramic analyses are allowing us to refine site chronology so that we can pinpoint the beginnings of the period of intensive interaction between Mesopotamians and Anatolians at Hacinebi during Late Chalcolithic phase B. Second, our excavations of the underlying phase A deposits at the site exposed evidence indicative of monumental public architecture, social differentiation, advanced metallurgy, and complex administrative systems at Hacinebi well before the period of intensive interaction with Uruk Mesopotamia. Third, the ceramic and stratigraphic evidence suggests a high degree of continuity between the pre-contact and contact phases at Hacinebi, so that many structures may have continued in use between the two. Finally, our discovery of in situ Uruk material culture on house floors in the late phase B settlement provides the basis for detailed artifactual studies of the organization of interaction between the Mesopotamian enclave and their local Anatolian host community.
Understanding the initial date and duration of the Contact phase at Hacinebi is essential to any reconstruction of the organization of interaction between Mesopotamians and Anatolians at Hacinebi. The combination of the 19 radiocarbon dates collected and processed in 1995 with the ceramic analyses allow us to establish the beginning of the period of intensive Mesopotamian-Anatolian interaction at ca. 3700 BC in calibrated dates.
Excavations of the early pre-contact (phase A) and late pre-contact (phase B1) deposits recovered architectural, mortuary, and glyptic evidence indicative of monumental public buildings, social differentiation, advanced metallurgy, and complex administrative systems at Hacinebi well before the period of intensive interaction with Uruk Mesopotamia. The phase A construction date for the massive stone enclosure wall 68 in op. 11/12 and the apparent Phase B1 construction date for the two large stone platforms in ops. 1/4/6/10 mean that all of the largest structures at the site were first built prior to the contact phase. The recovery in op. 17 of a pre-contact phase child burial with silver earrings is extremely unusual for fourth millennium Anatolia and argues strongly for the local origins of prestige goods and social ranking before the period of intensive interaction with Mesopotamia. Similarly the discovery of an Anatolian style stamp seal in a secure phase A deposit confirms the presence of a local administrative technology at the site prior to contact.
Figures and Captions:
Figure 1: Topographical map of Hacinebi Tepe showing 1992-1995 excavation areas.
Figure 2: Operation 15: Locus 27 Lot 77. Achaemenid/Hellenistic molded ceramic figurine (HN8527).
Figure 3 Operation 14: In situ Uruk ceramics and other domestic artifacts from a floor deposit in the uppermost preserved Late Chalcolithic later phase B building level. HN#s 7367, 7368, 7370, 7371, 7373, 7374, 7378, 7380, 7382, 7815.
Figure 4 Late Chalcolithic seal impressions. Top left - Local Anatolian stamp seal impression. Top and bottom right - Uruk cylinder seal impressions with work scene and grain silos. Center - Uruk cylinder seal impression with animal procession motif. Center left and bottom left - Uruk cylinder seal impressed jar stoppers with “ears” motif.
Figure 5 Area A upper stone platform (left) and lower stone platform (right): plan view.
Figure 6 Area A upper stone platform (left) and lower stone platform (right): measured cross section.
Figure 3 Operation 14: Uppermost preserved Late Chalcolithic phase B building level - Fragmentary house with bin 21. Floor deposits in this area contained in situ Uruk material.
Figure 5 Operation 14: Late Chalcolithic earlier phase B “yellow brick” building level
Figure 6 Operation 14: Late Chalcolithic earlier phase B “red brick” building level
Figure 7 Operation 11 Late Chalcolithic phase A niched and buttressed stone wall 68 (left) and mud brick and stone platform 111/121 (top right).
Figure 8 Operation 16: Late Chalcolithic stone architectural complex of narrow storage rooms and adjacent structures.
Figure 9 Operation 17: Late Chalcolithic later phase B architecture. Note niched mud brick building and associated floor 59 at bottom right, and flexed adult burial at top center.
Figure 10 HN8334 Op. 17 Locus 60 lot 41: Rectangular calcite stamp seal with lion and caprid motif.
Figure 11 HN 8393 Locus 82 Lot 58. Disk shaped stamp seal with abstract snake motif.
Figure 12 Hacinebi calibrated radiocarbon dates.
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Edens, Christopher
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Özbal, Hadi
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Pearce, Julie
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Gil J. Stein
g-stein@northwestern.edu
Anthropology Department, Northwestern University
Last modified - July 31, 2001