During the excavations in Amida Höyük, which is described as the “heart of Diyarbakır”, it was determined that the settlement in the archaeological area started 10 thousand years ago.
DIYARBAKIR (AA) – ÖMER YASİN ERGİN – In the second part of AA’s dossier news regarding the discovery of data dating back to earlier periods than expected in archaeological excavations in Anatolia, the findings in Amida Höyük in the central Sur district of Diyarbakır were discussed.
Culture and Tourism in the mound, which hosted many civilizations including Hurrian-Mitannis, Urartians, Assyrians, Medes, Persians, Kingdom of Tigran the Great, Romans, Sassanids, Byzantines, Umayyads, Abbasids, Mervanids, Seljuks, Artuqids, Ayyubids, Akkoyunlus, Safavids and Ottomans. With the permission of the Ministry, Dicle University Faculty of Education Lecturer Prof. Dr. The excavation work, which started in 2018 under the direction of İrfan Yıldız, continues.
To date, excavations have unearthed remains such as water channels and heating systems dating back 1800 years, burial chambers dating back 1700 years, 782 hand grenades from World War I, and 800-year-old marble pieces. Work is being carried out in the area between the road and the royal road.
According to the data obtained from the fire traces, ceramic pieces and stone materials carried out in a trench within the scope of the excavation, it was determined that the settlement began in the mound 10 thousand years ago.
– “Amida was burned with all its contents and the fire lasted for days.”
Head of the excavation team, Prof. Dr. İrfan Yıldız told the AA correspondent that they will complete the work on the royal road between Amida Mound and the western walls this year, that a project regarding the royal road will be prepared, and then repairs will be made.
Explaining that they started excavations in a trench on the damaged part of Saraykapı and the King’s Road, Yıldız said:
“During the excavation work we carried out in this trench, three burn marks that were previously found in the trenches right at the bottom of the mound began to appear here as well. These burn scars were sent to TÜBİTAK. Necessary examination and dating were carried out using the carbon-14 method. The date when the city was first burned was 6 thousand 764 BC, the second burn layer was 5 thousand 721 BC, and our third burn layer was 5 thousand 518 BC. Therefore, the city was burned 3 times between 7 thousand and 5 thousand BC. Especially in this trench, the traces of the burnt layer of 6 thousand 764 B.C. were found much more intensely here. There are burn marks measuring approximately 5-10 centimeters. “From here we understand that Amida, which was an important city at that time, was burned down with all its contents, and the fire lasted for days.”
Stating that the civilizations that reigned in Amida Mound carried out construction work by correcting the data related to the previous civilizations, Yıldız stated that they intensively obtained obsidian tools dating back to 8 thousand BC just under the fire layer of 7 thousand BC.
Yıldız pointed out that it is clear that life has continued uninterruptedly in Amida Höyük for 10 thousand years, as evidenced by the ceramic pieces and stone artifacts dating back to 8 thousand years B.C. unearthed in the same trench.
– “The excavation will continue to be a candidate to change the history of Diyarbakır”
“When we started the excavations in Amida Höyük, we determined that it has a history of 3,500 BC, that is, 5,500 years from today, but this date is constantly changing based on the data obtained. “In the trench where we are currently working, traces dating back 10 thousand years ago were found.” Yıldız said that this date may change as the studies continue.
Yıldız continued his words as follows:
“It is certain that data will be available dating back to 9 thousand BC, that is, 11 thousand years ago, and perhaps we will go even further. When we look at the life in the region, settlement started in Körtik Tepe, Hasankeyf Höyük and Göbeklitepe in 10,500 BC and continues until 12,500 BC. Amida Höyük will probably have a date close to these dates. For now, we can say that a settlement started here 10 thousand years ago and continued uninterrupted. This is the most important feature of Amida Mound. “As can be understood from the data obtained from the excavations, the settlement was never interrupted in any period.”
Stating that the earliest city where life continued uninterrupted on earth is the city of Jericho in Palestine, Yıldız said that according to data, settlement began in Jericho 11 thousand years ago.
Prof. Dr. Yıldız concluded his words as follows:
“Amida Mound was in the second place, settlement started here 9 thousand years ago. However, as of now, it has shifted to 10 thousand years ago. We can now say this about Amida Höyük: The settlement started 10 thousand years ago and continued uninterruptedly, the data clearly show this. After the work in the trench is completed, I think we can say that settlement began here 11 thousand years ago. “The Amida Höyük excavation will continue to be a candidate to change the history of Diyarbakır.”