During the Later Prehistory of the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers and adjacent regions, a great cultural spread took place during the Late/Terminal Ubaid phases of Southern Mesopotamia. In the Northern Mesopotamian regions, it happened during the immediate pre-Late Chalcolithic phases. Excavations in Southeastern Turkey prove a continuity of Ubaid cultural traits at least during the earlier phases of the local Late Chalcolithic (LC1). Two archaeological sites, Surtepe and Tilbes-Körche, close to the Birecik Dam area (Turkish Euphrates) are presented and evaluated here. Surtepe höyük, a 8 ha Late Ubaid settlement that provided Coba bowls, has levels with painted pottery from the late Late Chalcolithic 1 or earlier LC 2 phases in an area of at least 4 hectares in south and southwestern slopes. The small site of Tilbes-Körche has probably a bigger inter-connected structure and no simple isolated buildings. Among the stone foundations we identify at least one tripartite premise with a surface over 90 m2 and two bipartite buildings. From the largest excavated unit (H3-H10) was recovered a stamp seal depicting a crosshatching motif and another token/stamp seal with 8 incised lines. Within LC1 or a transitional phase between it and LC2, the 18 % of the pottery found in the Tilbes-Körche buildings was painted and there is a huge abundance of unpainted bowls, which are about half the ceramic ensemble, many with traces of a wheel or slow-wheel, mass-produced bowls, various variants of LC1 flint scraped, and two that most resemble the so-called “flower pots”.

The Early Bronze (EB) I culture in the Turkish Middle Euphrates is of particular importance to our Tilbes Project. Such an archaeological period was discovered in three of the archaeological sites under our supervision. We have been able to differentiate two different moments in the character of the occupation during this Early Bronze Age I, Phases Ia and Ib. The EB Ia phase is characterized by a large urbanization and extensive settlement of the places of Surtepe Höyük, Tilvez/Meteler Höyük and Tilbes Höyük. However, the EB Ib phase, which seems to have continued in at least two of the places, Surtepe and Tilbes Höyük, does not present large remains of monumental architecture and does show an increase in funerary remains in both places. Tilbes Höyük also had, during EB Ia-b, a building with ritual-religious characteristics, built in the same place that was later occupied by BA II and BA III sanctuaries in sector E4a-E8-E3. This area of Birecik is included in the ceramic province of the Late Reserved Slip Ware and indicates a change of orientation of Tilbes and Surtepe towards the Northern Levant, the region of the future kingdom of Ebla, as opposed to the route of the Euphrates, dominant during the Late Chalcolithic.

The Uruk Expansion, which took place during various phases throughout the 4th millennium BC, also developed in Northern Mesopotamia. In the area of Birecik, in eastern Turkey, on the edge of the Euphrates, various archaeological sites have been discovered, showing different phases of expansion of the Uruk culture. We focus this study on the Surtepe site, a 8 ha settlement, where we have distinguished a possible Late Calcolithic 5 ritual building, in a phase that we consider Terminal Uruk within the chronology of this Mesopotamian culture

In the late 1990s when salvage Archaeological Excavations took place in the Birecik Dam Area (Birecik, Urfa, South Eastern Turkey), huge deposits of the whole Early Bronze Age phases (I-IV) were discovered at Tilbes Höyük, a settlement of 3 ha on the left bank of the Euphrates river. The site yielded during the years 1998-99 remains of a religious Early Bronze Age III burnt building and other shrines dated in previous phases (EB I and II). The earliest shrine, from the Early Bronze Age I, located in the center of the tell, was on a mudbrick platform and presents a possible access from the East, the sunrise. The building had stone walls and a clay horn altar during the Early Bronze Age I, 3025 (2900) 2875 BC. Another shrine above the same spot was also documented, worse preserved, during the Early Bronze Age II. This religious space suffered a fire at the end of the later shrine, dated on Early Bronze Age III, 2675 (2550-2500) 2450 BC, and the building is better preserved. It has a narrow entrance from the West, the sunset, to a small room with stone pavement that gives access to the main room. It is a mudbrick pillar, a rectangular hearth and two small clay-horned structures, one of them near the pillar. In the phase of the Early Bronze Age II, two stone cists with infant burials appear in the interior of the Tilbes Höyük sanctuary. But later on the former shrines area of Tilbes Höyük, although no longer built, in the Early Bronze Age III are mainly composed of newborns, between 7 and 9 months, deposited in pits outside the building, perhaps linked to a cult of rebirth and fertility. These discoveries of the third millennium do not appear to be restricted to a local phenomenon of the time in southeastern Turkey, but are present in other regions with a similar date. The best parallels are the Temple B of Arslantepe VIB, Early Bronze Age I, 3000-2800 BC, with two mudbrick pillars and a rectangular hearth, and the shrine of Level XIV of Beycesultan, West Anatolian Early Bronze Age II, 2500-2400 BC, with two other mudbrick pillars and a large structure of horns. ResumenA fines de la década de 1990, cuando se llevaron a cabo excavaciones arqueológicas de salvamento en el área de la presa de Biredyik (Urfa, sureste de Turquía), se descubrieron enormes depósitos de todas las fases del Bronce Antiguo (I-IV) en Tilbes Höyük, un asentamiento de 3 ha, en la orilla izquierda del río Éufrates. En el yacimiento se documentó entre los años 1998-1999 los restos de un edificio religioso incendiado del Bronce Antiguo III y los restos de otros santuarios de fases anteriores (BA I y II). El primer santuario, del Bronce Antiguo I, situado en el centro del tell, estaba sobre una plataforma de adobes y presenta un posible acceso desde el Este, la salida del sol. El edificio tiene paredes de piedras y un altar de cuernos en adobe durante el Bronce Antiguo I, 3025 (2900) 2875 AC. Otro santuario sobre el mismo lugar también fue documentado, peor preservado, durante el Bronce Antiguo II. Este espacio religioso sufrió un incendio al final d...