Voices From the Field (2021-06-08)

The Northern Fortifications

Gygaia Projects

As things dried out over our first week, excavation area 95.555 was re-opened and cleaned in preparation for excavations under the supervision of Ebru Kaner, who is working on a PhD dissertation on related subjects.

Students and vocational staff cleaning the area after the removal of protective coverings.

The aims of Ebru’s excavations this year include recovering evidence for the phases and functions of the fortifications and other architecture in the area. At some point in its Late Bronze Age history, the single c. 1.5 m-wide curtain wall (seen curving along the top of the excavation area in the view below) was cut through, tower-like features were added, and other buildings were built seemingly on top of it. Was there a gate here? Were the other buildings defensive in nature, domestic spaces perched on the edge of the citadel, a combination of both, or something else entirely? These are some of the questions we hope to explore (if not answer) this season.

An oblique aerial view of excavation area 95.555 to the south-southeast. Note the curving trace of the fortification wall near the top (southern) edge of the area and the architecture cutting through and built over it.

In this view to the east, terrace walls on the northern slope below the fortifications are being exposed. Were these associated with a gate, some sort of access route, or something else?

Ebru and the team documenting, sectioning, and preparing to block-lift a mysterious, small clay-lined pit located just inside the fortifications. Along with a hearth and other features typical to domestic structures, discovery of this kind of feature begs questions about the multiple functions (that is, not just defensive) served by the fortification walls and associated spaces at Kaymakçı.

Look forward to more posts from Gygaia Projects soon!