THE USE OF WOODEN MATERIALS IN THE URARTIAN STATE IN THE LIGHT OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCES
Abstract
Urartians, between the centuries BC IX. - VI., they established a central state, including the core region of the Eastern Anatolia Region. The Urartians ruled for about 250 years and expanded their borders from the Eastern Anatolia Region to northwest Iran and beyond the Caucasus. This workforce requirement was met by the expert Urartian people and this craft, which was taken as spoils in wars, by expert prisoners.
On the basis of the economy of the Urartu State, there are craft activities that require expertise such as agriculture, animal husbandry, war incomes and weaving, metal processing, leather making. By evaluating the findings found in archaeological excavations, it is understood that woodworking is an essential craft branch for the economy of the Urartian State. The use of wood is highly preferred in Urartu geography due to its easy access and convenient processing. Besides, demand at every stage of daily life, especially for architectural and military purposes, has also been the development of woodworking. Records on this subject in the Urartian inscriptions are very restricted. Since wood is a material that cannot withstand time due to its structure, both wooden products and the tools used in their manufacture are very limited among the archaeological data. Information on the application of this craftsmanship comes from depictions of resistant materials such as stone and metal.
By evaluating the findings found in archaeological excavations, it is understood that woodworking, which is used in many areas from architecture to furniture production, is an important craft in the Urartian State. The fact that the geography where the Urartian State was established is partially rich in plants and forests, the rich forest areas in the geography it has acquired with the expansion of the sovereignty area have also been an important factor in the development of woodworking and thus carpentry.
Ayanis, Çavuştepe, Toprakkale, Bastam, Hasanlu, Argiştihinili, etc. During the excavations carried out in important Urartian centers, carbonized wooden artifacts were found on the doors and beams. However, the word “LÚGIŠNAGARMEŠ”, which is a profession mentioned in the inscriptions, was also used in the Urartians as a common occupational term born from the Mesopotamian language interaction like Sumerian and Assyrian languages. Wooden beams, posts, and doors are used in architecture; furniture such as the throne, coffee table and table used in interior decoration; wooden parts used in the joints of cars and car frame-making and so on. Wooden beams, posts and doors used in architecture; furniture such as throne, coffee table and table used in interior decoration; there is not much information about how the wood used in the works such as the wooden parts used in the joints of the cars and the car casing was shaped and the stages through which these works were created. Besides, the fact that handmade production in many areas from ceramic to weaving has reached the present day without much change from generation to generation suggests that woodworking was also done by the Urartians with almost the same methods as with simple hand tools today. Wood is significant in terms of the maintenance of the craft activities carried out in the Urartian State, especially providing the doors, pillars and roof cover of the stone houses, continuing the mining activities, the continuity of the ceramic craft and meeting the fuel requirement in winter. Although there are not many examples left today due to the lack of durability of wood, it is possible to see beautiful examples in the art of Urartian depiction. The fact that there is no information about what training should be passed in order to have a craft in Urartian written sources leads us to make various comments about woodworking education. An artisan would be able to enter the state service and have the opportunity to easily obtain the necessary raw materials, use his knowledge and skills and have a safe production environment and housing. It is believed that the person who secures himself by entering the state service transfers his knowledge and skills from generation to generation in a master-apprentice relationship. Therefore, it is believed that an important specialization has been accomplished in craft branches such as woodworking. This study aims to determine the inventory in which wood material dating to the Urartians period is used and to determine the usage areas of wood in the Urartians by adhering to these determinations.
Keywords
ARKEOLOJİK KAYNAKLAR IŞIĞINDA URARTU DEVLETİ’NDE AHŞAP MALZEME KULLANIMI
Abstract
MÖ I. binyılda Doğu Anadolu Bölgesi merkez olmak üzere kurulan Urartu Devleti, yaklaşık 250 yıl bölgede hüküm sürmüştür. Sınırlarını Doğu Anadolu Bölgesi’nden, Kuzeybatı İran ve Kafkas ötesine kadar genişleten devlet, idari, ekonomik ve sosyal alanlarda teşkilatlanmasını merkezi bir devletin ihtiyaçlarını yerine getirecek şekilde organize etmiştir. Urartu Devleti’nin ekonomisini oluşturan temel unsurlar arasında tarım, hayvancılık, savaş gelirleri ve dokumacılık, metal işlemeciliği, dericilik gibi uzmanlık gerektiren zanaat faaliyetleri bulunmaktadır. Arkeolojik kazılarda tespit edilen buluntuların değerlendirilmesiyle ahşap işlemeciliğinin Urartu Devleti ekonomisi için önemli bir zanaat dalı olduğu anlaşılmaktadır. Ahşap kullanımı Urartu coğrafyasında hem kolay erişimi hem de rahat işlenmesinden dolayı oldukça fazla tercih edilmiştir. Ayrıca mimari ve askeri amaçlı kullanımı başta olmak üzere günlük hayatın her aşamasında talep duyulması da ahşap işlemeciliğinin gelişmesinde etkili olmuştur. Urartu yazıtlarında bu konu ile ilgili kayıtlar çok sınırlıdır. Ahşap yapısı gereği zamana direnemeyen bir malzeme olduğundan gerek ahşap ürünler gerekse bunların imalatında kullanılan aletler arkeolojik veriler arasında da çok kısıtlıdır. Bu zanaatkârlığın uygulanması ile ilgili bilgiler hem Urartu coğrafyasında hem de Mısır ve Mezopotamya’ yapılan kazılar sonucunda tespit edilen taş ve metal gibi dirençli malzemeler üzerinde yer alan tasvirlerden gelmektedir. Bu çalışmanın amacı öncelikle erişilebildiği ölçüde Urartular dönemine tarihlenen ahşap malzemenin kullanıldığı envanterin tespiti ve bu tespitlere bağlı kalınarak Urartular’da ahşabın kullanım alanlarını belirlemektir.
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