The 2007 Season At Amasya-Oluz Höyük: A Preliminary Report

Abstract

Oluz Höyük, in the Amasya Province, situated in the Land Zone of the Central Black Sea Region, resides at the 27th km of the Çorum Mainroad, in the territory of the Gökhöyük Agriculture Operation Management (TİGEM). Oluz Höyük, which has dimensions of 280 x 260 m, is 15 m higher than the plate level and has a field of 45.000 m2. The operations of the Oluz Höyük season 2007 were completed in three phases:1. Phase: Topographical Plan Operations: In the topographical plan operations, which were maintained parallel to the excavations, some topographical maps of Oluz Höyük were drawn to the scales of 1/1000 and 1/500, with technical support from the Amasya branch of the General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works (DSİ).2. Phase: Geophysics Research Operations: As a general specification of archaeological sites, the difference of the construction materials, forming the architectural remains, from the fill covering these made it possible for geophysics science, which has its roots in the examination of the physical features of the subsoil, to find a wide field of application in archaeological operations. in recent years geophysics methods have been intensely used to state the information about the remains in the subsoil in archeological residential sites. In the researches there was a sharp rise of demand in the devices and software used to gather information about especially shallow depths quickly, securely and in detail. In the light of these developments, in order to make a strategic planning for the systematic archaeological excavations in Oluz Höyük both in this period and in future, information about depth, elongation and position of the possible structure remains in subsoil were tried to be discovered by using GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar), and DCI (Direct Current Impedance) in a field of approximately 2000 m2 in the direction of west-east in the middle of the höyük.3. Phase: Archaeological Excavations: Oluz Höyük excavations were carried out in two fields; Trench A and Trench B.The first field is the highest point of the höyük and is located in the west side. In this section, an average depth of 1.80 m is reached in the field named Trench A, which has dimensions of 30 x 10 m with a total of 300 m². As a result of the operations between the heights of 478.78 m and 477.00 m, there were findings of three structure layer and 12 human skeletons and remains. The operations in the second section named Trench B were carried out on the east side of the höyük and these were stepped operations. In this section, 6 architectural layers were discovered. As a result, a total of 6 architectural layers were discovered resulting from the excavations of Oluz Höyük 2007 carried out in a field of 600 m2 in two trenchs for 31 days. It was understood from evaluation of the coins and pottery discovered that the first layers of Trenchs A and B were coeval. In this context The "O" Layer of the Oluz Höyük could be dated to Middle Age; The 1st Architectural Layer to Hellenistic Period (The end of 2nd century BC and the beginning of the 1st century BC); The 2nd Architectural Layer to the Late Phase of the Late Iron Age ( 4th and 3rd centuries BC). The 3rd and 4th Architectural layers discovered in Trench B could be dated to the Early Phase of the Late Iron Age ( 6th and 5th centuries BC), 5th Architectural Layer to the Middle Iron Age (7th century BC) and 6th Architectural Later to possibly either Early Iron Age or Late Bronze Age in other words, to the Age of Hittite Empire Period.