Aşıklı Höyük

38.34916666666734.229722222222Koordinaten: 38 ° 20 ' 57 "N, 34 ° 13' 47" O

The Aşıklı Höyük is a tell in the Anatolian highlands. It is situated at 1100 m above sea level on the banks of Melendiz near the village in the district Kızılkaya Gülağaç, about 25 km southeast of Aksaray in the homonymous province.

The Tell is about 230 × 240 m and extends approximately 15 m above the surrounding plain. The site was excavated between 1989 and 2001, with four cultural layers were identified. The oldest of these was only being excavated and consisted of round Lehmgebäuden unclear function. The overlying layer with a total of 10 phases, however, has been extensively studied. It consisted 8500-7400 BC and is therefore older than the more famous Çatal Höyük. In this phase, the houses were built close together, the settlement was opened up by a partially paved path and branching off roads. As in Çatal Höyük also the building must have been accessible via their flat roof. As building material clay bricks, which were sealed with colored plaster or white clay were used.

In addition to the buildings because they were on the Aşıklı Höyük 65 tombs to light. These were among the floors of the houses and were with rich offerings, partly of copper, equipped. The dead were all in a crouched position and were probably wrapped in mats. Some skeletons were found the remains of ocher, others showed traces of fire. Within the settlement area, a special construction was excavated, which was surrounded by a kind of casemate wall. The building had a hard lime - clay soil floor and was furnished in its interior with red painted Lehmbänken. In this construction, the skeleton of a woman found with a child, the woman had a trepanation.

The device inventory consisted mainly of obsidian was recovered from the deposits of the nearby volcanoes and Kayırlı Nenezi Dağ. The processing of the raw material was done in open areas within the settlement between the houses.