Barcın Höyük

Üyecek Tepe

Türkiye · Bursa

SettlementExcavation completed
Approximate period6,600 BCE — 1,100 CEDifferent phases of use from the Neolithic to the Byzantine period; approximate beginning See on the map ↓

In brief

Barcın Höyük in the Yenişehir Plain was excavated as part of projects investigating the spread of farming into Northwestern Anatolia and Europe. Excavations between 2005-2019 revealed the Neolithic settlement as well as later phases of use.

What was found?

  • 1Rectangular-plan dwellings

    Dwellings consisting of rectangular rooms were uncovered in the Neolithic settlement. The buildings allow investigation of the spatial organisation of early village life.

  • 2Human footprints

    Two human footprints dating to around 6400 BC were found at the threshold of a dwelling. Preservation conditions associated with plaster and fire enabled these rare traces to survive to the present.

  • 3Horned cattle skull

    It was found immediately beneath the section bearing the footprints. According to researchers, this association suggests that the threshold arrangement may have had a symbolic aspect.

  • 4Burials beneath houses and in courtyards

    Infant burials were found beneath house floors, while adults were generally found in courtyards. Ancient DNA analyses showed that children in the same building were not always close biological relatives.

What does it point to?

The dwellings and traces at the threshold allow us to approach directly the spaces inhabited by the early farming community. According to researchers, genetic results obtained from the burials suggest that connections with the house were not based solely on biological kinship.

What did it teach us?

  1. A direct physical trace of human movement was preserved at the entrance to a Neolithic house.
  2. The preference for different spaces for burying infants and adults was documented.
  3. The assumption that those buried in the same house necessarily belonged to the same biological family was questioned.

Record

Culture
Early farming communities of Northwestern Anatolia
First modern dig
2005
Team / historical
Fokke Gerritsen and Rana Özbal / Netherlands Institute in Turkey and Koç University
Coordinates
40.2666°, 29.6021°

Sources

  1. nit-istanbul.org
  2. opencontext.org
  3. turkiyeturizmansiklopedisi.com
  4. wikidata.org
  5. Cultural Heritage and Science — Barcın ayak izlerinin korunması
  6. Hollanda Araştırma Enstitüsü — Barcın'da akrabalık araştırması

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