New observations on the prehistory of west anatolia in the light of the findings at afyonkarahisar ocin settlement

Abstract

The archaeological surveys conducted with the provincial borders of Afyonkarahisar between 2002-2012 suggest that the number of the Neolithic and Chalcolithic settlemens is substantially higher than we expected. The geographical formations within inland mid-western Anatolia are the most important element impacting its cultural situation. The region contains large and small plains that are divided by the mountain chains. The suhut district, where we have carried out our research, is located in the southern part of the region and has natural extensions to the Lakes region. The Igikli-Ugin settlement is an important center that represents the early cultures of this region. This settlement is regarded as a plateau settlement and located on a point that can reach the (Jay district or the Lakes region either through Afyon-Dinar or the mountainous region. The largest part of the pottery that has been found can be dated to the ECA. Its decorations with light or dark reddish brown or dark reddish brown on white or cream coat are dominant. An important amount of the decorations belong to bowls and ceramics, and the decorations are mostly shaped with triangles, interlocked lozenges, vertical line sets or concentric semicircles. A figurine found in the Ugin settlement is an important find for plastic arts in this area. This figurine along with the figurines brought from igikli village and the (Jay Devederesi region are now displayed in the Afyonkarahisar Museum. They represent a tradition belonging to inland mid-western Anatolia. We see the closest examples of such figurines in examples from the Beycesultan and Lakes regions. These findings contribute to our understanding of the cultures of mid-western Anatolia.