Architectural Structures in Diyarbakir And Its Surroundings During the Chalcolithic Period

The primary objective of this study is to examine the general characteristics of the architectural structures that developed in Diyarbakır and its surroundings during the Chalcolithic Age from a multifaceted perspective. The study specifically seeks answers to the following questions: Did the commercial and cultural relations maintained with Mesopotamia have an impact on the architectural traditions established in the region? Furthermore, what elements of the Chalcolithic Age cultures that emerged and developed in Mesopotamia are reflected in the formation of architectural traditions in the field? The answers to these questions will undoubtedly yield important findings regarding the region's residential architecture. Indeed, with the Chalcolithic Age, mudbrick architecture gradually became widespread as a result of new settlement practices coming from Mesopotamia in the south. In addition to the dwellings built as a result of ongoing economic and cultural contacts, temple architecture, which was gradually becoming institutionalised, also developed. Findings from archaeological excavations conducted in modern times reveal that the social life observed in the Ancient Near East during the Chalcolithic Age and the associated cultural transformations can also be traced in Diyarbakır and its surroundings. In particular, the storage rooms, ovens, hearths and workshops uncovered in architectural structures were visible results of changes in social and economic conditions. Furthermore, the architectural fabric of the area during this period was shaped by the existence of numerous building complexes developed around the main structure. This architectural transformation also constituted the fundamental parameters of the social and cultural changes that emerged during the Chalcolithic Age. Consequently, the phenomenon of urbanisation, which was widespread in the Anatolian plains during this period, emerged as a result of the transformation experienced in architectural traditions

Chalcolithic · Excavation · Mesopotamia · Ancient Near East History · Eurasian Exchange Networks · History and Cultural Heritage · Architecture

• The Upper Tigris Archaeological Research Project (Utarp)

  Bradley J Parker, Lynn DODD et al.•Anatolica•2006

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• The Upper Tigris Archaeological Research Project (Utarp)

  Bradley J Parker, Catherine P FOSTER et al.•Anatolica•2009

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