Two White Painted Vessels and Dating of Hamza Tepe (Elbistan-Karahöyük) Cemetery
Abstract
The site of Hamza Tepe cemetery is located 10 km north-west of Elbistan district of Kahramanmaraş province and lies to the west of Elbistan Karahöyük settlement. Within the scope of the renewed archaeological excavations at the Elbistan Karahöyük settlement, a test trench was opened at the Hamza Tepe which revealed a cremation cemetery. The archaeological excavations carried out so far in the north-eastern part of Hamza Tepe uncovered mostly urn graves as well as a cremation grave surrounded by stones and a simple pit grave. There are few examples of urns with grave goods. Within those urn graves two white painted vessels were recovered in the tombs number 17 and 29. Similar vessels with concentric circles are encountered in settlements located on the coasts of Cilicia and the Eastern Mediterranean. The vessels are dated to the Middle Iron Age 8th-7th centuries bc and thus play an important role in dating of the Hamza Tepe cemetery.
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References
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