The structure of Upper Mesopotamian cities: Insight from fluxgate gradiometer survey at Kazane Höyük, southeastern Turkey

Abstract

This paper presents the results of fluxgate gradiometer survey of the Bronze Age city at the site of Kazane Ho« yˇk, southeasternTurkey.We undertook this work to test the applicability of magnetometry to the study of the organization of urban space at this site within the context of urbanization in Upper Mesopotamia. Gradiometry collection covered a total of 37 520 m 2 in five parts of the site. Results from each area were mixed but the most revealing data, from Area 1, show a roughly 2 ha area in the outer town that contains monumental, elite and administrative architecture as well as a main street. Low negative values indicate that most identified architecture is built with limestone foundations, and high positive values reveal that some of the buildings burned before their collapse. These interpretations are supported by excavations that reveal much about the use of the identified spaces and features. Although the structure of Area 1 is rectilinear, evidence for strict rules of city planning is lacking. Instead, the third millennium city at Kazane has a structure seen at other Upper Mesopotamian cities: dense, semi-orthogonal architecture built along well-maintained avenues. Combined with previous research, it is clear that Kazane contained multiple elite or administrative areas, which may indicate a degree of power-sharing or heterarchy in the development and management of this city.

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