Missing link of 6th millenium BC of Cappadocian Chronology: Recent studies on gelveri pottery

Abstract

Gelveri which is prominent by its special incised pottery ornaments, was always interpreted as the easternmost frontier of the 5th millennium Balkan cultures in comparison to the recent archaeological investigations in southeastern part of Central Anatolia such as Tepecik-Çiftlik, Köşk Höyük and Çatalhöyük West excavations. Prof. Sevil Gülçur and her team conducted short-term sondage excavations at the site in 2007 which presents a more reliable pottery sequence. This article comprises the results of this excavation and tries to establish new ties pottery corpus the Cappodocia and the Konya Regions. Gelveri was discovered by Burhan Tezcan in 1951. At that time, there was limited knowledge and only a few excavations gave information Anatolian pre-bronze age sequence and C14 revolution not emerged. Most scholars have suggested 3500 BC as the starting date for Chalcolithic Period in the Anatolian Peninsula. Tezcan dated Gelveri within the Chalcolithic period and correlated the findings with several Balkan and Eastern European cultures like Cucuteni and Tripolje based on curvilinear decoration patterns resemblance. After C14 revolution and Mellaart, French and Todd in sixties and seventies, Central Anatolian sequence was dated back into 8th millenium BC. Hacılar, Çatalhöyük and Canhasan excavations have established new background for Anatolian prehistoric chronology. Hacılar II-IX, Çatalhöyük West and Canhasan 2B-2A were considered Early Chalcolithic their painted pottery styles. The issue of connections between Anatolia and Balkan has become popular after Mehmet özdoğan and Turan Efe's investigations in Thrace and Northwestern Anatolia in the nineties Gelveri's chronological position was still standing around the 4th millenium BC, although the similar pottery was found in those regions. Ufuk Esin decided to start the first systematic research in Gelveri by opening small test trenches with this motivation. Esin dated Gelveri in 5th millenium BC and again underlined the Balkan connections but also pointed out the internal connections with the Köşkhöyük's and Canhasan 2B's black burnished, incised pottery for the first time.The number of prehistoric in Central Anatolia had increased since the last two decades. Th provide new information on the chronological sequence of related regions. C14 analysis contributes the absolute chronological framework. However, the old excavations in Central Anatolia ha no C14 dates. If we focus the most recent absolute dating based the chronological chart of Central Anatolian 6th millenium BC, 500 years of gap could be recognisible between 5700-5200 BC. This time span coincides with the end of Early Chalcolithic Period within the traditional chronology. Early Chalcolithic period is known in the Volcanic Cappadocia by the tell settlements, red slipped naturalistic styled relief decorated pottery and the extensive use of obsidian arrowheads in Tepecik-Çiftlik 3 and Köşkhöyük 4-2. We encounter different material cultures after this gap, introduced by Güvercinkayası and Köşkhöyük I which belongs to the Middle Chalcolithic in the region. Tepecik-Çiftlik level 2 was dated to the Middle Chalcolithic due to the presence of Gelveri style pottery. Gelveri is a hillside settlement, located on the northwest of Göllüdağ-Melendiz formation. There is an artificial pond nearby the site which was one of the small tributaries of Melendiz River that flows in front of the eastern slope of settlement. Survey results show that archaeological deposition encircles a boulder which is located in the middle of the settlement and covers approximately 300x300. It is located in one of the main passage of Çiflik Plain which is prominent by the obsidian resources throughout Aksaray Region. Sevil Gülçur and her team started new investigations by openning test trenches at the southern slope of settlement in 2007. They reached a partly reliable archaeological deposition by the four main sondage trenches different sizes at the eastern slope of the site and revealed well preserved architectural features. Two pottery corpuses can be distinguished after the study of Gelveri pottery assemblage from the 2007 excavations. The first one, named "Archaic", belongs to the settlement's earlier phase. It consists a small amount of pottery sherds which were recovered in relation to the structures or the bedrock. The second, named "Classic", was part of the filling-up brought by the erosion drainage into the earlier phase structures. Some 3000 pottery pieces, about 12%, are decorated. "Archaic Gelveri" shows strong connections with the Late Neolithic-Early Chalcolithic tradition of the Cappadocian sites by the presence of relief decoration, grooved decoration and the restricted patterns which are presented in Tepecik-Çiftlik 3-2 and Köşk Höyük II-IV. Thus, Gelveri's first occupation was dated roughly to 5900 BC. "Classic Gelveri" decorated pottery is more elaborate than the previous one. This type of decorated pottery was not represented at other sites in Cappadocia and the Konya Region. New patterns like chevrons and tecniques such as combing, impressing and rippling occur in this phase paraleli the Northern Central Anatolian settlement's tradition such as Orman Fidanlığı I-V and Alişar's bottom levels. Classic Gelveri indicates the existance of another phase in the settlement which could not reveal an architectural layout. This phase was dated roughly between 5600-5400 BC.