Domuztepe

Türkiye · Kahramanmaraş

SettlementExcavation ongoing
Approximate period6,500 BCE — 1,000 CELate Neolithic and Halaf; later phases of use See on the map ↓

In brief

Domuztepe, south of Kahramanmaraş, is one of the large settlements of the Halaf period. Excavations document complex burial practices as well as settlement organization and long-distance connections.

What was found?

  • 1Death Pit

    The deposit referred to by this name in research contains fragmented human and animal remains together. It is an important find for investigating the Late Neolithic community's practices associated with death.

  • 2Stamp seals and seal impressions

    Seals with incised designs and their impressions have been found. They provide tangible evidence of the transfer of marks onto objects; their specific functions must be interpreted carefully because of their find contexts.

  • 3Painted pottery

    A rich assemblage of painted vessels was recovered from the settlement. Similarities with pottery from other regions allow cultural relationships to be compared.

  • 4Obsidian tools

    Chipped stone artefacts made from volcanic glass. The chemical characteristics of the examined examples show that different, widely separated raw material sources were used.

What does it point to?

Domuztepe's seals, painted vessels, and stone tools indicate varied production skills and interregional connections. The deposit containing human and animal remains together allows practices associated with death to be investigated; on its own, it does not prove a particular ceremony or cause of death.

What did it teach us?

  1. It revealed that obsidian was not obtained from a single source.
  2. It documented the use of stamp seals and seal impressions in the Late Neolithic settlement.
  3. It showed that human and animal remains occurred within the same deposit.


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12.000

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