New Information on the Anatolian Metallic Ware Dated to the Early Bronze Age

Abstract

Goltepe, excavated under the direction of A. Yener between 1990 and 1993, and the Kestel Mine, whose excavation began in 1987, have both allowed us to review our knowledge about mining in the 3rd millennium B.C. Goltepe and Kestel are located in the mountainous area to the north of the Central Taurus Mountains within the borders of Celaller Village, camardi County, Nigde (Figs. 1-3). The two sites are approximately two kilometers from each other. The sites of Goltepe and Kestel Mine are in mountainous terrain approximately 1700-2000 m. above sea level. One of the rare natural passages providing transportation between the regions, the Ecemis corridor created by the Ecemis fault line fracture connects Central Anatolia to Cilicia and, by extension, to the entire Near East (Figs. 1, 4). Due to this geographical structure, prehistoric cultures of Central Anatolia were able to experience their own cultural development without being excessively influenced by the evolved cultures of the Near East. As of 2012, studies resumed on the wares of the Goltepe settlement located in such a critical area. Among the wares of the Early Bronze Age, a certain group identified as Anatolian Metallic Wares stands out both in terms of quantity and quality. Vessels of this group of wares feature angular profiles, omphalos bases, and thin, hard walls. Apart from all these features, they are distinguished from other groups of contemporaneous ware by the decorative paint on the exterior. Besides locations to the north of Central Taurus Mountains, vessels of this ware group have so far been discovered in surface studies conducted in Konya and Cilicia, as well as in the excavations of Tarsus, Kilisetepe, Acemhoyuk, Kultepe, and Topak Hoyuk, albeit in fewer numbers. Many of the vessels unearthed in settlements considerably far from these are quite similar, both in terms of form and production technique. The significant number of Anatolian metallic ware examples obtained in the Goltepe excavations has yielded new data on the said ware's emergence, production, and period of use, as well as quantity in the mountainous terrain. Particularly, the fractured pieces with production flaws indicate that vessels in this group went through a production process that encompassed certain standardized stages and that they were manufactured by a specialized segment of society. If these new characteristics observed in the production of the ware are evaluated in light of metal production and the natural passages in the region, it becomes quite evident that they reflect the transformation in the social structure of the period. The indications of specialization and control observed in Anatolian metallic wares can thus simultaneously be interpreted as indicators of a newly formed economic, social, and political structure as well.