Hellenistic Amphora Stamps from Kırşehir Kale Höyük: Rhodes and Sinope
Işık ADAK ADIBELLİ - Erkan ALKAÇ
Abstract
Kırşehir Kale Höyük, which spreads over a very large area in the city center, is the first settlement of the city. The Hellenistic Period layers are the the most important part of the stratigraphy of the mound from the present to the Bronze Ages. Hellenistic finds and remains in a were unearthed in a multi-phase manner under the Medieval layer, especially in the south of the mound. Among these, the aim of our article is to introduce, evaluate and interpret the three stamped amphora handles found in the trenches in grid-squares H4 and J3. Unfortunately, the handles recovered from the pit, filling layer or blockage in the Hellenistic layers do not have a sterile context.
The first of the handles belongs to a Rhodian amphora. It was found in the filling layer under the medieval wall foundation with code no. D1 in grid-square H4. The other handles belong to two Sinopean amphorae. The first of these was recovered from a pit associated with the Hellenistic (third) layer, again in grid-square H4. The second handle of the Sinope amphora was found in the J3 grid-square on the slope, from the blockage layer of a mostly destroyed flooring ruin.
In our study, the production sites of the above-mentioned amphora stamps were determined and classified, cataloged and generally dated between the middle of the 3rd century BC and the beginning of the 2nd century BC. Also, the handles were compared with similar samples found from other centers. Thus, the amphorae, whose production centers were identified from their stamps, gave information about the commercial connections of Kırşehir in the Hellenistic period. Finally, the routes through which these amphorae may have been transported to Kırşehir have also been discussed; the region's connections with Sinope, Kilikia and Pergamon have been stated.
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