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Oylum Höyük

Türkiye · Kilis

SettlementExcavation ongoing
Approximate period3,500 BCE — 100 BCEChalcolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age See on the map ↓

In brief

The large mound near Kilis was an important administrative center during the Bronze Age. The excavated palace's kitchen, storage and workshop areas provide concrete evidence of the palace economy.

What was found?

  • 1Middle Bronze Age I Palace

    This is a monumental, multistory building with thick mudbrick walls. According to researchers, its plan and construction technique are related to the palace tradition of the Northeastern Mediterranean.

  • 2Door bulla with a seal impression

    This is a clay sealing used to seal a door. Its cylinder seal impression is connected with the Old Syrian tradition.

  • 3Kitchen hearths

    Clay hearths were found on raised platforms in the palace rooms. They allow food preparation spaces to be identified in the excavated part of the building.

  • 4Grinding stones and storage vessels

    These are basalt grinding stones and terracotta storage vessels. They document grain processing and food storage activities.

  • 5Small cuneiform tablet

    This is a clay document found in the palace debris. Since it was not found in its original place of use, researchers consider its association with the palace uncertain.

What does it point to?

The palace, seal impression, and storage arrangements show that Oylum Höyük was an important administrative center. The kitchens and workshops reveal aspects of palace life involving daily labor, such as food preparation and storage.

What did it teach us?

  1. Showed that the exposed part of the palace contained kitchens, storage rooms, pantries, and workshops.
  2. According to researchers, architectural comparisons highlighted a palace tradition characteristic of the Northeastern Mediterranean.
  3. The inability to associate the tablet found in the debris conclusively with the palace showed that the location of written finds is decisive for interpretation.

Images

OylumHüyük1
Klaus-Peter Simon · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Record

Culture
Bronze Age cultures of northern Syria and southeastern Anatolia
First modern dig
1988
Team / historical
Atilla Engin / Gaziantep University
Coordinates
36.6991°, 37.1785°

Sources

  1. hoyuk.gov.tr
  2. aa.com.tr
  3. de.wikipedia.org
  4. Nevşehir Hacı Bektaş Veli Üniversitesi — Oylum Höyük kazıları

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12.000

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