İKİZ TEPE RUINS

İKİZ TEPE RUINS

GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION

İkiz tepe ruins were first discovered by archeologists in excavation works around Dündar Hill in 1944. Ruins are now located in Central Black Sea, in 55 km northeast to Samsun and 7 km northeast to Bafra and within the boundaries of İkiz Tepe village. Their altitude above sea level is 20 m. Currently placed over one of the small hills (in the northernmost point) drawing the lines of Bafra Plain, İkiz Tepe ruins were previously (before Bafra Plain was formed) located at the point where Kızılırmak River was flowing into Black Sea.

HISTORY OF RESEARCHES AND EXCAVATIONS

First systematic excavations arranged in İkiz Tepe were started by deceased Prof. Dr. Bahadır Alkım in 1947. Since 1981, these researches have been guided by Prof. Dr. Önder Bilgi on behalf of İstanbul University and Ministry of Tourism and Culture and funded by Turkish History Institution.

CHARACTERISTICS OF IKIZ TEPE RUINS

Although ruins are called İKİZ (twins), the settlement area is composed of 2 big and 2 small hills. They are composed of different cultural layers that cover an area of 66 decares (375 m x 175 m). The highest and biggest one is 29.42 m higher than Tepe Bafra. II. Hill which is located in the northern side of the first one is 22.54 m. III. Hill which is found in the northern part of the second hill is 12.30 m and the IV. Hill is in the western side of the second hill and is 16.00 m high.

CULTURAL LAYERS

Each summer, till the end of 2006, the excavation works have been undertaken in the hills of İkiz Tepe. Between 1974 and 1976 and in 1978, they were focused in Hill I and II; in 1977, they were in Hill I, II and III; between 1979 and 1993 and between 2000 and 2006, they were undertaken in Hill I and between 1994 and 1999, they were only focused in Hill III. In Hill I, II and III, mainland was discovered. According to the outcomes of the excavation Works: İkiz tepe was inhabited during Late Chalcolithic Period (BC 4300-3200), Early Bronze Age 1 (BC 3200- 2800), Early Bronze Age II (B.C 2800-2400), Early Bronze Age III (BC 2400-2100), Transition period/ Late Hittite Period (BC 2100-1700). İkiz Tepe was once more inhabited after it was emptied at the end of Late Hittite Period. This last settlement in the area was discovered in Hill III and the inhabitants were considered to live in Early Iron Age (BC 6th and 5th centuries) by looking into painted pots and pans of Late Phrygians’ era. After this, Hellenistic Era settlement started in the same area (BC 41st century).

A tumulus style, 2-roomed mausoleum was found in Hill I in İkiz Tepe which was considered to be from Hellenistic Era. In the corridor of this mausoleum constructed with face Stones, there was also a gold coin belongs to Hellenistic Era, monetized in memory of the King of Thrace Region, Lysimakhos (B.C. 306-281) found. As this mausoleum was robbed in the antique age, it is still unclear for whom this mausoleum was constructed.

To conclude, İkiz Tepe ruins show that this area has hosted continuous settlements between Late Chalcolithic Era and Old Hittite Period, in other words between B.C. 4300 and 1700, and from B.C. 600 to B.C. 30.

ARCHITECTURE

No stone pieces, adobe bricks or walls are found in excavations. Instead square or rectangular plans and drilled columns are found and this is why, it is estimated that settlements in İkiz Tepe were constructed in wooden. They were (log cabins) constructed by using raw trunks which were plastered with ceramic. Huge ovens were found in their backyards. Also biggers, atelier type models which were considered to be common property were encountered.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC LIFE

By looking into the bones of game animals and live stocks found in the excavations, we understand that people lived in İkiz Tepe settlements were surviving by hunting, stockbreeding and fishing; rather than dealing with agriculture. It is also understood from the broad-axes, hammers, knockers and drillers made out of animal horns that these people were using the skins of the animals that they hunted. On a bronze dagger that belongs to Early Bronze Age I found in excavations, a fossilized residue of an animal’s skin was seen.

We understand from the very-well knitted fabric ruins on the metal substances that people living in İkiz Tepe were dealing with advanced weaving. It is also clear that they weaved the fabrics over benches. There are also lots of earthenwares and bone loom weights found in this area which means people were spinning animals’ feathers and hairs at those times.

Metals used by İkiz Tepe people should have been obtained in bullions as excavators could not have encountered sufficient amount of mineral ore ruins or scoria in their findings. When looked into earthenwares, emery stones or whetstones found in the surrounding of İkiz Tepe, it is understood that metal pieces were most probably made in the ateliers where there existed publicly used ovens.

It is quite possible that people living in İkiz Tepe were providing the copper required from miners operating the Cooper beds located in Bakır Çay, Tavşan Dağı- close to Merzifon. Cooper Stone beds found close to the surface and including iron as well and also scoria ruins and small mine galleries should be accepted as the proves mining activity in the old times. Just like copper, İkiz Tepe people should have provided arsenic from iron beds which were located in Bakacak Hill Pırasakaya region, close to Bakır Çay, in the western side of Peynir çay canyon and from beds close to Durağan-Sinop. Strabon, antique age geographer, states very clearly that arsenic was produced at that era and prisoners working in mines were dying in a short time. The reason of their death was most probably the arsenic steam.

It is now known how people living in İkiz Tepe were controlling those areas where copper and arsenic were produced. If those facilities were not under their control, then they might have using the exchange system to be able to provide those metals and were giving processed leather and fabric in return for the metals provided.

RACE, RELIGION AND BURIAL CEREMONY IN İKİZ TEPE

Hill I was used as a graveyard in the Early Bronze Age III. In that graveyard, located in the centre of the hill and placed over an area of 1000 square meters, more than 650 soil type graves were found. Death people were placed within those graves on their back, with their arms lying next to their bodies. As special goods belonging to death people, guns, tools, symbols made of copper, earthenwares, women figures, small bells, Stone necklaces and/or whetstones were left in the graves. Although graves were excavated from different depths of ground soil, it is understood that this graveyard had been used at least for 200 years. On the other hand, death embryos and babies were placed within jugs which were later on buried in the houses.

The most important thing about İkiz Tepe graves is trepanation; in other words the fact that they have operated skulls inside. These operations had been undertaken in 2 ways: by sculpting or by removing the piece whose lines were drawn before.

The anthropologic analyses realized over the bones of death people lying in İkiz Tepe graveyard show that these people do not carry the characteristics of Mediterranean race. This in other words show that these people do belong to same race with people who lived in Southern Russia, Caucasia, Romania and Bulgaria and their race is totally different than the Anatolian Race known to have lived in Alaca Höyük and Horoz tepe ruins. The most important findings that witnessed people in İkiz Tepe to have reflected their religious thoughts are 2 spearhead on which exist arsenic&copper-embossed human figures.

Over the heads of these figures, there are discs which probably represent the Sun. From this composition, it is possible to say that people were idolizing Sun God and Goddess (mentioned later on in written Hittite tablets in relation to Sun Cult) in Anatolia before Hittite Era. These figures were most probably representing İştanu, the Sun God of Hittites. The traces of Sun God and Goddess make us think that people living in İkiz Tepe settlement were infact Proto-Hint Europeans.

The portraits reflecting Taurus and Taurus horn openly show that the traditional Taurus culture which once appeared in Neolithic Age also was adopted by İkiz Tepe people. “W” motive, developed in interaction with taurus horn and used by Hittites as the logo of Air/Storm God, was found to be used first by people in İkiz Tepe. This shows that İkiz Tepe people and Hittites have an organic relation and further that ancestors of Hittites may be the people who once lived in İkiz Tepe, Central Black Sea. This also may show that İkiz Tepe people may have Indian-European roots. The likes of appliqué taurus heads existing in Çatal Höyük, a Neolithic Age settlement, were also found in İkiz Tepe, in a more abstracted style and in earthenware models. Taurus horns made from metal plaques and W motive existence made us understood that taurus cult was adopted in İkiz Tepe.

The “W” motif which was developed by taking Taurus horn as a model and which later became ideogram of Hittite Storm God Teşup show that Air God of Hittites, Taru, was idolized in İkiz Tepe.

In the excavations, only figures representing women and small Taurus figures were found and this means that İkiz Tepe people idolized Mother and Priapus Goddess and Taurus that represented the men power in Anatolia since Neolithic Age. However, it is not clear how they were performing this worship. There are traces found in Late Chalcolithic Age which prove that people in İkiz Tepe were using circular or semi-circular planned altars. There is also a sacred area found in Hil III, which is surrounded by trunks and which includes semi-circular altar made of clay and placed next to an oven. 18 women figures found in this area are express proves showing that this settlement was once a center of religion.