SITE CONTENT

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION

With its location in the point where Batman Çayı and Tigris are met, in approximately 30 km west of Batman, in Southeastern Anatolia, Körtik Tepe that is in situation of being one of the locations to whom Tigris gives life, takes place near Pınarbaşı field that is attached to Ağıl Village (Ancolini) that hold place within administrative borders of Bismil district, Diyarbakır Town. In the form of low hill, The mound includes at average 100 x 150 meter area with its 5,50 meter height concerning its surroundings. The Mound which is known with its traditional names Kotuk or Kotik, was detected firstly in surveys made in 1989 and evaluated as a late location area.

Compulsory archeological excavations that began in 2000 in the presidency of Diyarbakır Museum with permissions of Culture and Tourism Ministery in the extend of Ilısu Barrage and Hydroelectric Plant Project continued until 2009. Excavations show richness of Anatolian Neolithic in regional level and also it is supported together with Hallan Çemi, Körtik Tepe is one of the earliest location areas in which transition of hunter–gatherers communities from nomadic life to settled village life is represented.

Excavations put forward existence of two main culture phase in mound. Except architectural remains, two phase of mound can be differentiated with original productions. Medieval Age represents the first culture phrase while Pre-Pottery Neolithic that is represented mainly with architectural remains, grave and grave gifts with being destructed in mound extend, represents the second one.

Medieval Age is much more described with graves. Also, you can come across with poor location area remains such as simple housing foundations and fireplace remains. As it can be understood by order of graves, burial types of skeletons and dead gifts although they are a few in number and as it is possible to carry mentioned era to A.D 4. century, ten unit Constantius II coins that are found in a grave are guides in this matter. Finding graves related to Late Roma and Byzantine age and Islamic ones mixed, shows that mound was used for long time in Medieval Age and make us think they were possibly regarded as cemetery in late periods. This situation of mound concerning late periods gave way to destruction of Neolithic structure.