The 3rd Millennium BCE Idols Discovered in 2022 at Tavşanlı Höyük, Kütahya

Abstract

Archaeological excavations have been carried out at Tavşanlı Höyük since 2021. Both the excavation and the intensive surveys conducted beforehand, along with radiocarbon datings from geoarchaeological corings and excavated areas, reveal that the stratigraphy of the settlement mound covers the entire Bronze Age. Following the first excavations in Late and Middle Bronze Age layers in 2021, a 10 × 10 m test trench was opened in 2022 on the flatland approximately 60 m east of Tavşanlı Höyük, in order to investigate the Early Bronze Age layers of the settlement. This paper aims to present the marble and pottery idols discovered in this area, which may have belonged to the lower town of Tavşanlı Höyük during the Early Bronze Age. Two marble idols were unearthed from votive pits dating to the later phases of the Early Bronze Age. From the same period, a third marble idol and two pottery idols, seemingly unfinished, were found in an open area, presumably used as a courtyard. These idols, belonging to the so-called Trojan idol typology, were popular in the western half of Anatolia during the 3rd millennium BC. The fact that as many as five idols were unearthed from such a limited area highlights the need for further investigation in this part of the settlement. It is expected that future excavations at Tavşanlı Höyük will provide new insights into the Early Bronze Age levels of the site..