Spatial structure and stratigraphy at 2nd-millennium BCE Kaymakçı

Abstract

Owing to abandonment after its primary period of use and an exposed location, the ridgetop citadel of Kaymakçı offers a remarkably clear picture of the structure of a 2nd-millennium BCE site in western Anatolia. Even before excavation, non-invasive investigations in 2007-2014 identified remains preserved at or near the site's surface, allowing interpretation of spatial structure-the general configuration of buildings and walls across the site. Excavations beginning in 2014 continue to provide stratigraphic evidence as a control on earlier interpretations deriving from non-invasive methods, in some cases confirming and in others challenging them. In all cases, ongoing work allows refinement of previous understandings of both spatial structure and stratigraphy. Current evidence underlines the robustness of settlement on the citadel of Kaymakçı in the second quarter of the 2nd millennium BCE, in addition to both earlier and later remains, stretching from at least the 20th through the 14th century BCE. Exactly where and whether Kaymakçı may have been occupied into the 13th century BCE and exactly when and why it was abandoned are among the topics recent evidence has brought back into question. Archival and recent aerial evidence provides clues about which areas of the site might be least disturbed from natural and anthropogenic degradation, pointing to possible venues for ongoing and future research at the site aiming to clarify its long and rich history.