Tepe Düzen: July 8-12, 2007

Archaeological activities at Tepe Düzen (H. Vanhaverbeke)

This year we resumed archaeological activities at Tepe Düzen, where in 2006 we documented the extent and layout of the Archaic-Classical urban predecessor of Sagalassos with archaeological surveys and test soundings (directed by H. Vanhaverbeke), mapping of the site by means of a laser theodolite (S. Aydal), and geophysical research (B. Musi, Ljubljana University, Slovenia) (see web reports 2006, Tepe Düzen).

Mapping at Tepe Düzen (S. Aydal, H. Vanhaverbeke)

The aim of this year's mapping activities is to supplement the topographical and archaeological map of Tepe Düzen with observations on the south slopes of the Zincirli Tepe (the "acropolis" of the site), and the area west and south of the zone we mapped last year. We hope to have covered most of the settlement (except the very western reaches) by the end of July.

Geophysical activities at Tepe Düzen (B. Music)

This week the Slovenian geophysical team set out a grid, with the help of Sabri Aydal, south and west of the area explored in 2006. In the coming weeks we will welcome them again for their second campaign of ground-penetrating radar and magnetometer surveys at the site.

Excavations at Tepe Düzen (K. Vyncke)

The first week of the campaign a new trench (10 by 10m) was opened at Tepe Düzen, 2 m north of last year's trench I, and supervised by Kim Vyncke with the assistance of Annelies Coenen, Jonas Danckers, and Merve Özkiliç. Our goal in excavating this trench is to expand our view on the complex phasing of the architectural remains excavated last campaign, and to gain more insight in the material culture (pottery, small finds, faunal and floral remains, etc.).

In the first days of the excavation 2 adjacent sectors were being excavated in the southern part of the new trench. At first sight the stratigraphy in both sectors closely reflects the succession of four layers of last year's trench I, which corresponded with four successive occupation phases. As was the case last year, the topsoil and layer 2 were rather thin and contained little archaeological material. Layer 3 provided us with a larger amount of pottery and faunal remains. Some painted pottery was found, as well as an amount of diagnostic sherds (rims, handles, and bases) that will be very useful for the ceramological study by Ph.D. researcher Dennis Braekmans (K.U.Leuven). The part of layer 4 excavated so far contained little archaeological material.

At this stage of the excavation, the architectural remains reveal two abutting walls running from the southwestern corner of the western sector to the northeastern corner of the eastern sector over a length of at least 12 m. In the eastern sector at least one earlier architectural phase is visible running just south of this wall over at least 3 m, although possibly with a slightly different orientation it seems. All these walls seem to have been built on top of layer 4 or dug into it. This fact once again makes clear that the architectural remains at Tepe Düzen are the result of a rather quick succession of building phases in a relatively short time span. Removing layer 4 in both sectors, to be undertaken next week, will probably give us more insight in the exact phasing of these walls.

So far, two rather shallow refuse pits were found, both dug into layer 4. The first one, north of the SW-NE wall in the eastern sector, was about 1.20m by 0.90 m large and contained some large cooking ware sherds, as well as some faunal remains. The second one--in the northwestern corner of the eastern sector--contained small fragments of burnt faunal remains and some pottery. Since the edges of this pit are to be situated outside the sector, it is still unclear how large this refuse pit is. From both pits samples for flotation were taken.

In the coming week, we will further excavate the first two sectors in order to reach virgin soil and to get more insight in the phasing of the architectural remains. After that, we will expand the excavation to the two most northern sectors.