Çine Tepecik Höyük

Number: 76
Latitude, longitude: 37.609367, 28.012267

Çine Tepecik is located 5 km west of the town Çine in the province of Aydın. The settlement mound lies 600 m east from the present stream course of the Çine creek (Çine Çayı = the ancient river Marsyas) and 3 km southwest of the village Karakollar. Çine Çayı is one of the major tributaries of the Great Meander. This valley forms a strategic link to the Bay of Gökova and its natural ports.

The tell is 120 x 40 m wide and about 9 meters high. The site has been excavated by Sevinç Günel from Hacettepe University in Ankara since 2004. The excavations revealed that the place was continuously inhabited from the Late Neolithic until the Late Bronze Age. A Late Bronze Age settlement was thus far found primarily in the western and southern parts of the hill. The western part of the hill revealed a fortification wall running approximately north-south direction. The wall is 2.20 m wide and has been exposed through excavations along a 55 m section. The fortification wall is interrupted by several square towers, 6.30 x 6.30 m in size, that were placed approximately 20 m. Architectural remains are associated with the fortification wall. One room, 3.50 m x 2.00 in size and labelled Y I by the excavator, appears to have been a depot. Vessels found there consisted predominantly of native Anatolian wares, in particular fine and medium-fine bowls of different types. Some Mycenaean crater fragments were also found. Some of these were imported, other were locally produced.

More pottery was found in a store room, labelled Y 2, that was as much as 16.5 m long and 4 m wide. This rooms contained pithoi and a range of typical western Anatolian vessel types. In addition, some Mycenaean vessels were stored in this room. Their typical Late Helladic IIIB/C-decorations help assigning a date to the destruction horizon. The various store rooms also contained metal pieces such as needles and spear tips. In addition to pottery, two seal impressions were found in this area. They belonged to [Tark]asnaya ve Pisurailix or [Tark]asnapiya ve Surailix. According to Suzanne Herbordt, the king Tarkasnawa of the 13th cent. BCE state Mira carried a personal name in the form of tarkasna. The seal has been interpreted as evidence for a direct contact between the Hittite empire and south-western Anatolia.