The People of Diyarbakir/Salat Tepe in The Chalcolithic and Middle Bronze Age

Abstract

In this study, 21 skeletons, obtained from rescue excavations conducted in Diyarbakir/Salat Tepe (Salat Hill) flooded by a lake formed by the Ilisu Dam, were examined in terms of paleopathology, paleodemography, morphology and non-metric features. The analysis of archaeological and anthropological findings reveal that the Salat Tepe people dated back to the Middle Bronze Age. Their small socio-economic structure based on agriculture, and the inhabitants lived a modest life in harsh conditions. The evidence of small and local agriculture, rather than being an advanced agricultural society, shows that Diyarbakir/Salat Tepe people share the general characteristics of ancient Anatolian societies of the period.