Aşvan Kale

Asvan Kale is 35 km from Elazığ city center by bird flight view. It was a mound in the northwest, on the south bank of the Murat River, which was a tributary of the Euphrates before the construction of the Keban Dam, just west of the Muratcik Village, formerly known as Aşvan. It was flooded by the collection of water in the Keban Dam Lake. The hill, which has a flat top and steep slopes, measures 130 x 110 meters at the base. [2]

Archeological Mound
Name: Aşvan Castle
City: Elazığ
Provence: Centre
Village: Muratcık
Type: Mound
Damage: Under the Keban Dam Lake.[1]
Registration Status:
Registration No and degree:
Registration Date:
Research Method: Excavation

Excavations

The mound was discovered by İsmail Kılıç Kökten in 1945. It was later studied by R. Whallon and S. Kantman in 1967. Excavations were carried out in 1968-72 under the direction of David French, under the direction of Stephen Mitchell, within the scope of the Aşvan Kale Project carried out by the British Institute of Archeology at Ankara within the framework of the Keban Dam and Hydroelectric Power Plant Project studies. In the same project, Taşkun Kale and Çayboyu mounds were also examined.

Stratification

 According to the results obtained in the excavations, the settlement is dated from the old to the new, the Early Bronze Age II. and III. phases, Iron Age, Roman Period and Middle Age layers. The Early Bronze Age settlement is almost three-quarters thick of the total cultural deposit of the settlement.  [3][4]

Findings

Hellenistic, Roman and Medieval type of architecture were found. It is understood from the remains of the walls and the debris from the walls that mudbrick was used in the architecture. In the studies carried out by looking at the pottery, it was understood that Karaz culture, buff burnished ware and paint decorated ware from Malatya - Elazığ region were found in the upper building levels. In the lower layers, red paint decorated sherds and Karaz red-black burnished ware are seen in all its varieties. Karaz ware yielded in all levels is handmade, grit and chaff tempered. They are mostly black, rarely brown and red on the outside, and reddish brown or beige on the inside. In addition, the existence of another local cream colored ware is mentioned.

Cultivated crops, weeds and useful wild plant species were also found in the excavation area, and the seeds and plant parts found were analyzed and cataloged in detail. There is also evidence of climate change in the region. [5]

References
  1. TAY – Yerleşme Dönem Ayrıntıları
  2. "Home | BIAA". biaa.ac.uk. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
  3. Aşvan Kale. Oxford, UK: BAR Publishing. 1980. ISBN 978-1-4073-5141-4.
  4. The Aşvan Sites 3: Keban Rescue Excavations, Eastern Anatolia The Early Bronze Age. The British Institute of Archeology at Ankara. 1994. p. 5-14. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  5. The Archeobotony of Aşvan. British Institute of Archeology at Ankara. 2017. p. 31-64, 127-133. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
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