Amasya Müzesi'nden Boya Bezekli İki Çanak Işığında Kızılırmak Kavsi Geç Demir ve Helenistik Çağları Çanak-Çömleğine Yeni Bir Bakış

Year 2001, Issue: 4, 89 - 99, 15.12.2001

Şevket Dönmez

Abstract

In the Late Iron Age (650- ca. 500/350 B.C.), the Central Anatolian Region was divided into two areas as mentioned in the Western ancient sources, in Western sources of which the Western part of the Kilirmak (Halys) was known as Phrygia and the easter part as Cappadocia. In Ancient Eastern sources the middle part of the Kralırmak region was known as Tabal, the nort hern part as Kashku, the southwestern part as Tuvana (Tukhana) and the eastern part as Melid. Due to the cosmopolitan nature of this region's population structure, the painted pottery group with stylized deer representations of silhouette technique with concentric motifs, which were fo- und in the main settlements of the region and known as Alişar IV, are considered to be the ma in characteristic pottery of the Kızılırmak Bend in the Middle Iron Age (850-650 B.C.). The effects of political developments in the Late Iron Age (650- ca 500/350 B.C) were reflected in the new techniques introduced into the pottery production of the workshops that had been the centres of the Middle Iron Age tradition. The stylized deer figures began to be produced with new line- ar and reserve techniques and gained a more naturalized in appearance. The numbers and vari ety of bird representations increased and these began to be the used as the main elements of compositions consisting of representations of bulls, horses, donkeys, wild goat, roe deer, lions, dogs and fish. In addition to these, representations of hybrid creatures such as winged bulls and sphinxes and unidentifiable strange creatures also appeared. Human figures, which were very few in number and extremely stylized in the Middle Iron Age, became important in the Late Iron Age. Kybele, the mother goddess of the Phrygians who was in fact worshipped in Anatolia from Neolithic times, was portrayed on pottery in this period. It is apparent that the pottery workshops of the Kızılırmak Bend Region continued to use traditional characteristics but also incorporated external influences into their pottery production from around the beginning of the 5 century BC. From this period onwards some noticeable differences began to occur in pottery decoration techniques, for example the number of types of animal representations lessened while series of birds began to be widely used as the main element in compositions. Changes in plant motifs also occur from the beginning of the 5 century. The composition of ivy leaf seen on a bowl from Amasya Museum (Fig.1) can be attributed on the basis of technique to influence from the Aegean and must have entered the Late Iron Age pottery decoration repertoire of the Kızılırmak Bend during the first half of the 5th century BC. However it seems that, on the basis of typological and decoration characteristics, the complete bowl with a decoration of ivy leaves (Fig 2-3) belongs to the 3" century BC. The evaluations and examples presented above suggest that the Lar te Iron Age and Hellenistic Age chronology of the Kızılırmak Bend Region and the pottery ter minology need to be reviewed. It is apparent that, in spite of some changes in the details of motifs, the Late Iron Age tradition within the Kızılırmak Bend continues to be strong until around the Middle of the 4 century BC, that is up to the Hellenistic Period. It is therefore clear that there was no real gap between the Late Iron Age and the Hellenistic Age but instead a cultural continuity in pottery development can be traced and the pottery workshops, in existence from the Middle Iron Age, continued without interruption into the Hellenistic Period. In the light of this, the chronological boundary of the Late Iron Age within the Kızılırmak Bend can be said to extend to the middle of the 4 century BC.

Keywords

Kızılırmak Kavsi, Amasya Müzesi Boya Bezekli Çanak-Çömlek, Sarmaşık Yaprağı, Geç Demir Çağı, Helenistik Çağ

A New Look to the Pottery of the Late Iron and Hellenistic Ages in the Kızılırmak Bend Region in the View of Two Painted Vessels at the Amasya Museum

Abstract

In the Late Iron Age (650- ca. 500/350 B.C.), the Central Anatolian Region was divided into two areas as mentioned in the Western ancient sources, in Western sources of which the Western part of the Kilirmak (Halys) was known as Phrygia and the easter part as Cappadocia. In Ancient Eastern sources the middle part of the Kralırmak region was known as Tabal, the nort hern part as Kashku, the southwestern part as Tuvana (Tukhana) and the eastern part as Melid. Due to the cosmopolitan nature of this region's population structure, the painted pottery group with stylized deer representations of silhouette technique with concentric motifs, which were fo- und in the main settlements of the region and known as Alişar IV, are considered to be the ma in characteristic pottery of the Kızılırmak Bend in the Middle Iron Age (850-650 B.C.). The effects of political developments in the Late Iron Age (650- ca 500/350 B.C) were reflected in the new techniques introduced into the pottery production of the workshops that had been the centres of the Middle Iron Age tradition. The stylized deer figures began to be produced with new line- ar and reserve techniques and gained a more naturalized in appearance. The numbers and vari ety of bird representations increased and these began to be the used as the main elements of compositions consisting of representations of bulls, horses, donkeys, wild goat, roe deer, lions, dogs and fish. In addition to these, representations of hybrid creatures such as winged bulls and sphinxes and unidentifiable strange creatures also appeared. Human figures, which were very few in number and extremely stylized in the Middle Iron Age, became important in the Late Iron Age. Kybele, the mother goddess of the Phrygians who was in fact worshipped in Anatolia from Neolithic times, was portrayed on pottery in this period. It is apparent that the pottery workshops of the Kızılırmak Bend Region continued to use traditional characteristics but also incorporated external influences into their pottery production from around the beginning of the 5 century BC. From this period onwards some noticeable differences began to occur in pottery decoration techniques, for example the number of types of animal representations lessened while series of birds began to be widely used as the main element in compositions. Changes in plant motifs also occur from the beginning of the 5 century. The composition of ivy leaf seen on a bowl from Amasya Museum (Fig.1) can be attributed on the basis of technique to influence from the Ae- gean and must have entered the Late Iron Age pottery decoration repertoire of the Kızılırmak Bend during the first half of the 5th century BC. However it seems that, on the basis of typological and decoration characteristics, the complete bowl with a decoration of ivy leaves (Fig 2-3) belongs to the 3" century BC. The evaluations and examples presented above suggest that the Lar te Iron Age and Hellenistic Age chronology of the Kızılırmak Bend Region and the pottery ter minology need to be reviewed. It is apparent that, in spite of some changes in the details of motifs, the Late Iron Age tradition within the Kızılırmak Bend continues to be strong until around the Middle of the 4 century BC, that is up to the Hellenistic Period. It is therefore clear that there was no real gap between the Late Iron Age and the Hellenistic Age but instead a cultural con- tinuity in pottery development can be traced and the pottery workshops, in existence from the Middle Iron Age, continued without interruption into the Hellenistic Period. In the light of this, the chronological boundary of the Late Iron Age within the Kızılırmak Bend can be said to extend to the middle of the 4 century BC.

Keywords

Kızılırmak Bend, Amasya Museum, Painted Pottery, Ivy Leaf, Late leon Age, Hellenistic Age

References

• AKARCA, A. 1990 "Yerli Pontos Seramig. V. Terk Tarih Kongrest, Ankara, 142146