Located in the Volcanic Cappadocia Region in Central Anatolia, Sırçalıtepe offers new information about the region with its stratification dated to mid-8000 BC. The settlement, which draws attention with its proximity to the obsidian beds, is in the Kayırlı Village of Niğde Province. Two seasons of excavations were carried out at the mound in 2019 and 2020 under the leadership of the Niğde Museum and the scientific coordination of Prof. Semra Balcı.

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   Sırçalıtepe is a settlement that will fill the lack of knowledge in the region of this period with its well-preserved architectural remains, in addition to its location close to obsidian sources and rich obsidian finds. Sırçalıtepe is also important because although the settlement is a mound, it has the density of materials that can only be found in a workshop (atelier), which makes it the only example in the region with these features.

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   The surface obsidian finds, all of which point to the Aceramic Neolithic period, show similar features to the bipolar technology known from Kayırlı or Kaletepe obsidian workshops in the region, as well as reflecting a unique tradition itself.

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Reference

Balcı, S.,  Altınbilek Algül, Ç., Mouralis, D., Kaycı, O.H., Büyükkarakaya, A.M. ve Açıkgöz, F. (2021). A new Aceramic Neolithic Site nearby the obsidian sources: Preliminary insights from Sırçalıtepe. Anadolu Araştırmaları-Anatolian Research, 24, 67–92. DOI: 10.26650/anar.2021.24.936778