The First Excavation of a Tumulus in the Lake Van Basin: Şabaniye Tumulus

Abstract

The & Scedil;abaniye Tumulus is located 6 km from the city center, in the Edremit District of Van Province. As the first tumulus to be excavated in the Upper Murat-Van Section, archaeological excavations of & Scedil;abaniye were initiated in 2021 by the Van Museum Directorate. The tumulus, situated approximately 5 km from the capital city ofTu & scedil;pa, yielded pottery during excavations that was classified into six (6) ware groups: Brown-Red Ware, Cream-Slipped Ware, Gray-Black Ware, Brown Ware, Cream Ware, and Brown-Slipped Ware. This assemblage, comprising bowls, jars, pots, and pouring vessels, was analyzed under four (4) categories. Painted ceramics characteristic of the Late Iron Age, featuring red, brown, and black decorations on a cream-colored slip, with geometric and animal motifs, were also documented. These pottery types and decorative styles provided archaeological evidence that the & Scedil;abaniye Tumulus can be dated to the 6th-4th centuries BC. This study evaluates the bowls, pots, jugs, and pouring vessels uncovered duringthe excavations of the & Scedil;abaniye Tumulus, the firsttumulus identified in the Lake Van Basin. The archaeological findings from & Scedil;abaniye, which address issues of representation in the Late Iron Age of the Lake Van Basin, shed light on the presence of the Persian (Achaemenid) Empire in Eastern Anatolia during the 6th-4th centuries BC, when the empire dominated Anatolia.