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<p>The longevity of the Kura-Araxes culture is an archaeological phenomenon in the Caucasus and Near East. Over the course of a millennium, this culture spread from its origins in EasternAnatolia, the Transcaucasia and northwest Iran to Southeastern Anatolia, northern Syria, Palestineand Israel. Named after the settlement mound Karaz near Erzurum, the Karaz culture is a widelyestablished Turkish term for the Kura-Araxes culture. In Palestine and Israel, this culture is calledKhirbet-Kerak. Apart from the striking small finds and special architectural features, it has a specialpottery with characteristics that remained almost uniform in its area of distribution. Situated in theAltınova plain in Eastern Anatolia, Tepecik was also home for this significant culture. Today, this settlement mound lies under the waters of the Keban Dam in Elazıg. Yet its strategic location on a tributary of the Euphrates enabled the emergence and development of various cultures. At this settlement, archaeologists documented the Karaz culture that occurred in an almost unbroken culturalsequence from the Late Chalcolithic up to the beginnings of the Middle Bronze Age. Thus, Tepecik isone of the most significant prehistoric settlements within the distribution area of the Kura-Araxes/Karaz/Khirbet Kerak culture in the Near East. This paper presents the Karaz pottery from Tepecik as wellas the possible development of the Karaz culture in the course of the Early Bronze Age at this settlement<br></p> |
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