Excavation at Bademağacı Preliminary Report, 2002 and 2003

Abstract

The 10th season of excavations at Bademağacı Höyük took place from 30th July to 20th September 2002 and the 11th season of excavations 1st August - 8th September 2003. In both excavation seasons work was carried out in the northern and southeastern sections of Trench A in the northern half of the höyük and by the end of the 2003 season Trench A had been extended to cover all of the northeastern part of the höyük, about 1/4 of the surface area - approx. 4.000 m2 - of the höyük. No architectural remains associated with level 9, the oldest EN I settlement, were found in the 1st Deep Trench in the central section of the höyük. This oldest settlement is only represented by pottery. It became apparent that the hard 'limestone plaster' floor of level EN 8 did not continue any further north. It is very likely that the structures of the first two settlements were huts made with 'wattle and daub' technique. There are no remains in settlements 7-5 that provide information concerning the architectural situation. Eight buildings have so far been uncovered from level EN 3, the settlement that has provided the best architectural evidence for EN II. It was not possible to give any explanation concerning the 'Grid Foundations' uncovered in the southeastern skirts of the mound and the long wall approx. 1 m. in thickness determined at the outer edge of the höyük, both belonging to the same period. The pottery examples and other small finds from EN I and II are no different from those found in previous excavation seasons. During the extension of the excavation area to the north of the höyük some new buildings belonging to the EBA II settlements were uncovered. These were not very different from the point of view of plan and small finds from those found in previous years. In 2002, during the extension northwards of the excavations that were started in 2001 between Trench A and the Church, some feeble and roughly made foundations belonging to two separate phases were uncovered in various places approx. 1 m. below the surface level and some MBA pottery was also found. The existence of MBA settlements in this section has now been confirmed. In the 2002/03 seasons, only clearing and tidying up work was done at the Church in the highest section of the höyük.