Browsing by Author "Erbil, Esref"

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Boncuklu Tarla: Production and Social Dynamics of a Middle PPNB Knapped Stone Workshop (Mardin/Türkiye)
(Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis Ltd, 2025) Erbil, Esref; Kodas, Ergul
Boncuklu Tarla, located about 2 kilometres west of the Tigris River, is one of the few sites continuously occupied throughout the entire Pre-Pottery Neolithic Period. This site offers key insights into the evolving techniques and typologies of knapped stone tool production during the Neolithisation process. In 2017, excavations revealed a knapped stone workshop on the floor of a domestic structure, dated to the Middle PPNB. A total of 2,067 artefacts-including cores, flakes, debris, and unprocessed raw material-were found in situ, stacked together. Of these, 1,564 pieces are flint and 503 are obsidian. The finds are especially significant for understanding the use of pressure flaking techniques. Detailed typological and technological analyses, supported by experimental studies, have helped reconstruct all stages of the cha & icirc;ne op & eacute;ratoire in this production context. The Boncuklu Tarla assemblage contributes important data on Neolithic craft specialization and the organization of lithic production within domestic spaces.
First Observations on the Excavations in the Terrace Area of Uluköy Cave, Mardin/Türkiye
(University Chicago Press, 2025) Kodas, Ergul; Erbil, Esref; Kodas, Charlotte Labedan; San, Mehmet
The emergence of sedentary societies in southeastern Anatolia has been the focus of numerous studies in recent years, particularly those concentrating on Early Neolithic mound settlements located along the riverbanks of the Euphrates Basin and the Tigris Valley. However, research on the Late Epipaleolithic communities in this region remains limited. Currently, our knowledge of the early phase of the transition to sedentary lifestyle in southeastern Anatolia is based on information gathered from only five archaeological sites, most of which are situated along the Tigris: K & ouml;rtik Tepe, & Ccedil;emka H & ouml;y & uuml;k, Boncuklu Tarla, Biris Mezarligi, and S & ouml;g & uuml;t Tarlasi. Recently, the excavation of Ulukoy Cave in 2023 and 2024, located in the Mardin Range, led to the discovery of Epipaleolithic architectural features and lithic tools in its terrace. This article presents our initial observations from this archaeological site.