Late Chalcolithic Age
The earliest settlement at Çaltılar Höyük dates to the Late Chalcolithic. During the excavations carried out on the northeastern slope of the mound, Late Chalcolithic remains were found just below the surface of the soil. Four architectural layers belonging to this period have been identified during the excavations so far.
Late Chalcolithic remains on the northeastern slope of Çaltılar Höyük
The remains belonging to these architectural levels V.3. and V.2. were identified during the sounding. The remains of the lowest architectural level V.3 consist of a hole belonging to a wooden post and fragments of coarse kitchen utensils on a compacted soil base. The remains of the architectural layer V.2 consist of the northern part of a circular building. The holes belonging to the tree posts of the building wall and a small number of mud shards (pisé) with tree branch/reed negatives on them indicate that the building wall was formed by filling the perpendicular tree branches with straw-tempered mud (wattle and daub technique). Many ceramics have been recovered from this structure, which was destroyed in the Late Period.
Northeastern slope of Çaltılar Höyük, remains belonging to the Late Chalcolithic Period V.2. architectural level
Levels V.1 and V.0 were investigated in larger areas. The excavations revealed that the wattle and daub technique used in the architecture of level V.2 continued in these architectural levels as well as the use of mud bricks in the architecture. A small and a large rectangular room, built side by side, were excavated in architectural level V.1. The larger one is oriented in a northwest-southeast direction and its walls were built with a wattle and daub technique. A different technique was used on the walls of the small room in the same direction to the west of this room. During the excavations, the holes of the wooden posts on the east and west walls of this room and small burnt and collapsed mud bricks were found outside the room near these holes. It is certain that these small-sized mud bricks were used in the masonry together with the wooden posts. The sherds of wide-long necked pots and jars found in the small room indicate that this space was used as a storage room, while the sherds found in the large space, mostly consisting of bowls, indicate that this space was used as a living area.
Northeastern slope of Çaltılar Höyük, remains belonging to the Late Chalcolithic Period V.1-3 architectural levels
The jar found in the small room in the Late Chalcolithic Period V.1 architectural layer on the northeast slope of Çaltılar Höyük
Northeastern slope of Çaltilar Höyük,
Late Chalcolithic architectural layer V.1, west wall of the small room.
The settlement is surrounded by a thick stone glacis in level V.0. dating to the end of the Late Chalcolithic. It is believed that this glacis was built to protect the mound from the floods of the Küçüklü stream, which flows east of the mound. There is a rectangular structure inside the glacis. The floor of this building with wattle-and-daub walls was plastered with white lime. It is assumed that the structure had a saddle roof from the order of the holes of the wooden posts found inside the structure. The examples of red slip and thin-walled vessels found in the ceramics associated with this building appear as a new practice in ceramics. In addition, the obsidian from Central Anatolia recovered from the floor of the building is important in terms of revealing the connection of the settlement with the interior parts of Anatolia and distinguishing it from other contemporary settlements in the coastal region of Western Anatolia.
Northeastern slope of Çaltılar Höyük, remains belonging to the Late Chalcolithic Period V.0-1 architectural levels
Northeastern slope of Çaltılar Höyük, a building of the Late Chalcolithic Period, architectural level V.0.