Abstract
Presents the examination and XRF analysis of a gold cloisonné object dating from ca. 1800 BCE, discovered by the Japanese Institute of Anatolian Archaeology (JIAA) in the Kaman-Kalehöyük excavation of 2010 in Turkey, representing the Assyrian Colony Period in Central Anatolia. Kaman-Kalehöyük is a rural settlement along the ancient Silk Road trade route dating from the Bronze Age (2300 BCE) through the Ottoman Empire. The object is constructed from hammered sheet gold and gold rings that may have portrayed a rearing lion. The composition was found to range from 87.3% to 96.1% gold, 1.8% to 10.5% silver, and 1.3% to 3.1% copper. The evidence for joining techniques is discussed based on elevated silver content in some areas indicating a gold-silver solder and overheating of the gold in places possibly resulting from any number of fusing methods. Areas of partially melted gold, the absence of inlays, and little evidence of use wear suggest that this object may have been damaged during manufacture, unfinished, or destined for reuse.
Highlights
IntroductionAn unusual gold object was unearthed from the Kaman-Kalehöyük excavation, Turkey, in 2010 dating to ca. 1800 BCE, the Assyrian Colony Period in Central Anatolia (Figure 1) (Omura 2008; Paterakis 2011)
Presents the examination and XRF analysis of a gold cloisonné object dating from ca. 1800 BCE, discovered by the Japanese Institute of Anatolian Archaeology (JIAA) in the Kaman-Kalehöyük excavation of 2010 in Turkey, representing the Assyrian Colony Period in Central Anatolia
An unusual gold object was unearthed from the Kaman-Kalehöyük excavation, Turkey, in 2010 dating to ca. 1800 BCE, the Assyrian Colony Period in Central Anatolia (Figure 1) (Omura 2008; Paterakis 2011)
Summary
An unusual gold object was unearthed from the Kaman-Kalehöyük excavation, Turkey, in 2010 dating to ca. 1800 BCE, the Assyrian Colony Period in Central Anatolia (Figure 1) (Omura 2008; Paterakis 2011). An unusual gold object was unearthed from the Kaman-Kalehöyük excavation, Turkey, in 2010 dating to ca. 1800 BCE, the Assyrian Colony Period in Central Anatolia (Figure 1) (Omura 2008; Paterakis 2011). The gold object (KL10-1) was unearthed in room R409, grid XXXIV-54, Sector VI, from Stratum IIIc. Excavation of Stratum III has revealed a sequence of cultures from the Early Bronze Age to the Iron Age (Omura 2015). Stratum IIIc dates to the Assyrian Trade Colony Period. Kaman-Kalehöyük is located 192 km northwest from Kultepe-Kanesh, the capital of the Assyrian Trade Colonies in Central Anatolia. A hearth in front of W29 measured 35 cm in diameter and 10 cm deep. The earthen surface of the hearth had hardened from intense heating
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