Turkey: Oylum Höyük - An ancient settlement in Southeastern Turkey

Excavations at Oylum Höyük, Kilis Province: Oylum Höyük was a regional centre on the boundary between Anatolia and Syria from the 4th millennium BC to the Persian period.

One of the largest ancient settlement mounds in Southeastern Turkey

Location

Aerial view (1991)

The Kilis Plain lies south of the foothills of the Taurus mountains and forms the northern edge of the Syrian Plain, halfway between Gaziantep and Aleppo. The area is the continental watershed between the Mediterranean and the Euphrates and is drained by the River Qoueiq. Oylum Höyük (ill.: Oylum Höyük, aerial view (1991)) is located on the Akpınar River, one of the headwaters of the Qoueiq, and forms the ancient centre of this region.

History

	Coba bowls (5.-4. mill. BC.)

Excavations took place between 1995 to 2002 in a cooperation between the Istanbul Section of the German Archaeological Institute and Hacettepe University, Ankara. Since 2003, the results of the project began being prepared for publication.

Oylum Höyük was continuously settled from the Neolithic period to Hellenistic times and formed the regional centre during these four millennia. The place lost importance only during Roman times, when the settlement moved to the opposite side of the river. Occupation continued there into the byzantine period. The regional centre moved to Cyrrhus, now located on the Syrian side of the border. 

Objectives

	Typical burial inventory, EB III period

The first objective was to produce a stratigraphic sequence for the western Euphrates region, as the history of this region was virtually unknown, when compared to the intensively researched regions of Cilicia and the Euphrates Valley. The second, specific levels were investigated, in particular the Middle Bronze Age levels were uncovered in large areas. In this period, Oylum Höyük was the centre of a small state, the direct neighbour of the Hegemony of Yamhad (Aleppo), but its name is unknown.  

History of Research

	View over the MB II building, c. 1550 BC.

Surface surveys by U.B. Alkım (1968) and by an Italian mission(1971) first established the central postion and strategic sigificance of Oylum Höyük on a branch of the trade route north from Aleppo. Systemstic investigation began in 1984/85 by E.Özgen. Since 1987 there have been regualr excavations at the site. Since 1995, the DAI has participated in a German-Turkish cooperation in these works.  

Previous Activities

	Limestone stele showing a warrior godess, MB II period, c. 1550 BC.

1. Excavation of a step-trench on the eastern slope (in 3 levels of 9m x 15m;17m deep) and connected investigations of the Middle Bronze Age levels.
2. Open area investigation of Hellenistic to Iron Age occupation levels on the north summit.
3. Clearance of a massive mudbrick building of late Iron Age date on the western summit.
4. Investigation of late Chalcolithic levels in several trenches on the West Terrace.
5. Initiation of open area excavation of the late Bronze Age occupation levels on the southern slope.
6. Rescue excavation of a early Byzantine church in a field on the opposite bank of the river.  

Current Work

1. Postexcavation analysis of the step-trench on the eastern slope, in preparation for publication.
2. Continuation of the step-trench into the Chalcolithic levels.
3. Continuation of the open area excavation of the Late Bronze Age levels on the southern slope.
4. Detailed investigation of the architecture of the late Iron Age monumental building on the west summit (Liverpool University).  

Results

	Church from the Early Byzantine period, c. 5.-6. cent.
	Massive mudbrick building, second half of 2nd mill. BC.

The oldest excavated settlement at Oylum Höyük dates from the middle Chalcolithic.Levels with Amuq E material was found in the bottom of the eastern slope. 300 metres away, the south-western foot of the mound, a massive terrace wall of the early fourth millennium BC was uncovered. After a hiatus, there followed a late Chalcolithic village occupation (ill.: mass produced coba bowls, from the Late Chalcolithic village (5.-4. mill. BC.)). Contemporary material was found on the surface of the eastern slope, but whether or not these finds belong to the same settlement or neighbouring places, is not known. The latestphase of the late Chalcolithic is found elsewhere in the eastern step trench, where three late Uruk bulding levels were discovered.
In Early Bronze Age III a massive settlement was established, as shown by architectural reamins on the eastern step-trench. The significance of the Early Bronze Age evident from its rich grave goods, from pithos burials, cist graves and chamber tombs on the eastern slope (ill.: Typical burial inventory, EB III period). Further graves are found under the modern village.
So far it appears that at the beginning of the Middle Bronze Age Oylum Höyük, in common with many other sites in the surrounding area, was unoccupied. In Middle Bronze Age II, a massive split level building was constructed on the eastern slope (ill.: View over the MB II building, with kitchen area and courtyard, c. 1550 BC.). An entrance with massive basalt block uprights and rich contents, under which a stele depicting a warrior-goddess (ill.: Limestone stele showing a warrior godess, MB II period, c. 1550 BC.), reflects the social standing of the owner of this building. In the Late Bronze Age, the character of the settlement on the eastern slope changed, now more typified by village houses and working areas. The archaeological record shows a secure and unbroken transition to the Iron Age. On the eastern slope, the character remains that of a village community.
During the later Iron Age, a massive mudbrick building was constructed on top of the western summit (ill.: Massive mudbrick building, second half of 2nd mill. BC.). In the Hellenistic period, there was a prosperous settlement on Oylum Höyük. From a Hellenistic building on the western summit of the mound came a jug containing a silver coin hoard, the latest of which dated from the reign of Antiochus III. Late Roman graves from the north summit of the mound are the site's most recent finds. Apparently, the mound was abandoned as a settlement in favour of a new settlement on the western bank of the Akpınar river. A Byzantine church of the 5/6th century AD belongs to this settlement (ill.: Church from the Early Byzantine period, c. 5.-6. cent.).  

Cooperation

From 1995 to 2002, the excavations at Oylum Höyük were a cooperative project of the Istanbul Section of the German Archaeological Institute and the Insitute of Archaeology and Art History of Hacettepe University, Ankara. Since 2003, the Eurasian Section of the German Archaeological Institute continued the cooperation. Since 2001, Liverpool University has conducted a project at the site.  

Contact

Dr. phil. Barbara Helwing

Iranische Altertumskunde
Telefon: 01888-7711-311
Telefax: 01888-7711-313
Email: eurasien@dainst.de
Further Email Addresses: daiteheran@yahoo.de

Further Contact Partners

Prof. Dr. Engin Özgen, Hacettepe Üniversitesi, Edebiyat Fakültesi, Arkeoloji Bölümü, 06532 Beytepe - Ankara, Turkey. email: eiozgen@bilkent.edu.tr
Dr. Atilla Engin, Hacettepe Üniversitesi, Edebiyat Fakültesi, Arkeoloji Bölümü, 06532 Beytepe - Ankara, Turkey. email: enginatilla@hotmail.com
Dr. Barbara Helwing, German Archaeological Institute - Eurasian Section, Im Dol 2-6, D-14195 Berlin, Germany. email: bh@eurasien.dainst.de
Dr. Alan Greaves, School of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, University of Liverpool, L22 5NZ Liverpool, UK. email: greaves@liv.ac.uk

Sponsors

1987 - present: Turkish Ministery of Culture, General Directorate for Antiquities and Museums.
1995 -2002: German Archaeological Institute, Istanbul Section
1996: Gerda Henkel Foundation
1997 - 2001: Peter Dornier Foundation, Konstanz  

Bibliography

E. Özgen/B. Helwing/H. Tekin, Vorläufiger Bericht über die Ausgrabungen auf dem Oylum Höyük. Istanbuler Mitteilungen 47, 1997, 39-90.

E. Özgen/B. Helwing/A. Engin/O. Nieuwenhuyse/R. Spoor, Oylum Höyük 1997-1998. Die spätchalkolithische Siedlung auf der Westterrasse. Anatolica Antiqua 7, 1999, 19-67.

E. Özgen/B. Helwing, Ausgrabungen auf dem Oylum Höyük, 1997-2000. Zweiter vorläufiger Bericht. Istanbuler Mitteilungen 51, 2001, 51-132.

E. Özgen/B. Helwing, On the shifting border between Mesopotamia and the West: Seven seasons of joint Turkish-German excavations at Oylum Höyük. Anatolica 29, 2003, 61-85.

And, since 1996 annual reports in: Kazı Sonuçları Toplantısı.