Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
AULA ORIENTALIS, cilt.43, sa.1, ss.77-104, 2025 (AHCI)
The Tatlıgöl Höyük is located in a special natural environment surrounded by lakes and floodplains on the Bafra plain at the Kızılırmak (Halys) delta which is the coastal part of North-Central Anatolia. The mound is not only accessible by land but is also connected to the Black Sea by river. Its hinterland is, therefore, one of the densest areas in the Black Sea Region of Anatolia in terms of the number of settlements and the diversity of periods. The settlement consists of three mounds totalling 16 hectares in size. Copper/bronze daggers, spearheads, rings, cymbals, maceheads, and lead bowls found in the mound constitute the metal artifacts group, while shaft-hole axes and maceheads constitute the stone artifacts group. Terracotta artifacts consist of spindle whorls and loom weights related to weaving. These sophisticated artifacts have distinctive aspects that provide new and important contributions to the literature. Since systematic excavation was impossible due to illegal excavation, analogical methods were used to compare and evaluate the finds. The study includes finds of everyday life as well as those of prestige and symbolic/ceremonial nature. Despite the small number of imports, most of the finds were produced and shaped according to the taste and skills of local artisans, and the reflection of regional characteristics was dominant. Nevertheless, it is not difficult to see the interactions resulting from the long-distance trade in which the site was indirectly involved. At the same time, this group of findings point out indirect evidence for the existence of an elite group that managed a complex organization in the region. The characteristics of the artifacts suggest the existence of a necropolis area. The artifacts can be dated mainly from the Early Bronze Age II to the Middle Bronze Age (2500-1800 BC) in terms of type analogs and derivatives. All this also necessitates the Zalpa/Zalpuwa debate in terms of its location and the nature of the artifacts.