The earliest neolithic levels at Barcın Höyük, northwestern Turkey

Abstract

This article presents the current state of research on the two earliest levels encountered at Barcin Höyük, Located in the Yenişehir Plain, Barcin Höyük is excavated as part of a long-term research project on early farming communities in the southern Marmara Region. Even though the exposures are small, excavations have uncovered notable differences between the phases termed VIe and VId. The two phases are compared in terms of pottery traditions, cooking practices, bone tools, beads and stone artifacts, ultimately allowing us to understand some of the key changes that were taking place among the earliest permanently settled communities of this region. The article places the stratigraphy and relative ceramic chronology into a chronological and regional context. Eleven radiocarbon determinations demonstrate that Barcin VIe and VId date to the 66th through 64th centuries BC.