A New Contribution to Anatolian Ancient Mining Activities: A Miners Settlement from the Early Bronze Age I, Bileç Höyük (Develi / Kayseri) Salvage Excavation

Abstract

When Bileç Höyük was discovered in 2005 during the Kayseri Surveys, it was a settlement that was about to disappear due to intense destruction by the landowners. In 2007, a three-month salvage excavation was carried out under the direction of the Kayseri Museum and with Assoc. Prof. Dr. K. Serdar Girginer as scientific advisor. It was determined that the first layer of settlement belonged to the initial phases of the Early Bronze Age. The finds from the same layer provide important contributions to the history of metallurgy in Anatolia. In this article, the mining-related finds will be evaluated, and the existence of the Kura-Araxes origin interactions in Kayseri will be discussed.

Keywords

• Bileç Höyük
• Early Bronze Age I
• crucibles
• mining
• Kura-Araxes

References

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