Yassitepe Mound

History

Located within the boundaries of the Kazımdirik neighbourhood of Bornova, Yassıtepe Mound lies approximately 3 kilometres north of Yeşilova Mound. Following the cultural phase at Yeşilova, a new community settled on this site some 6,000 years ago, making it one of the forerunners of İzmir's earliest urban centres. During the Bronze Age, the Aegean shoreline lay further inland than it does today, and Yassıtepe was a coastal settlement just 2.5 kilometres from the sea.

Archaeology

Dwellings at the settlement were constructed as adjoining, multi-roomed, fan-shaped structures sharing common walls. Security was provided by defensive walls, whilst houses were connected by shared courtyards and streets. The people of Yassıtepe cultivated wheat, barley and lentils alongside cash crops such as grapes and figs, producing wine, grape molasses and olive oil. Sheep, goats, cattle and pigs dominated animal husbandry, whilst seafood was also an important source of nourishment. The breeding of horses, donkeys and mules enabled the establishment of long-distance commercial links.

The settlement was one of the important stops on the caravan routes extending from Mesopotamia through Anatolia to the Aegean and the Balkans, a position from which it drew considerable wealth. Bronze production was also mastered at Yassıtepe; raw materials from the copper deposits of Buca and Menderes were combined with tin brought from central Anatolia to produce bracelets, earrings, axes, pins and similar artefacts. Trade in obsidian likewise continued from the Neolithic period onwards.

Traces of the world of belief are also evident at the settlement. In a space identified as a "sacred chamber," rituals were performed around a specially prepared oven; miniature vessels and traces of plant-derived analgesics have been found as part of this devotional context.

Present-Day Significance

Yassıtepe Mound is one of the earliest known examples of urbanisation in İzmir. A powerful centre during the Bronze Age thanks to its networks of agriculture, animal husbandry, seafood and trade, the settlement is today regarded as one of the foremost representatives of Bornova's historical and cultural heritage. Yassıtepe sheds light on İzmir's earliest urban culture by offering evidence not only of daily life but also of the development of commerce, technology and systems of belief.