Formation in the Highlands of Eastern Turkey: An Overview From the Bronze to Iron Ages

Archaeological data from the highlands of Eastern Turkey unfortunately does not provide tangible evidence for the transformation of the earliest village communities into the institutional societies of the Urartian State period. The first cities, advanced agricultural activities, mass production and...

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Main Author: Aylin Ü. Erdem
Format: Article
Language:deu
Published: Istanbul University Press 2023-06-01
Series:Anadolu Araştırmaları
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Online Access:https://cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/file/JTA6CLJ8T5/2485124B7D954E11A62D051436C74570
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author Aylin Ü. Erdem
author_facet Aylin Ü. Erdem
author_sort Aylin Ü. Erdem
collection DOAJ
description Archaeological data from the highlands of Eastern Turkey unfortunately does not provide tangible evidence for the transformation of the earliest village communities into the institutional societies of the Urartian State period. The first cities, advanced agricultural activities, mass production and developed commercial activities, however, started to appear after the establishment of the Urartian State, as a result of central authority and institutionalization. There is a sharp difference between the pre-Urartian and Urartian State periods, which makes it difficult to understand the stages of the state transformation process. This article discusses political and social changes and stages of state formation through the archaeological data, chronologically. The emergence of the first elites in the Eastern Anatolian plateaus goes back to the Middle Bronze Age with the appearance of the kurgan burials, which is mostly observed in Northeastern Anatolia. After a while, another organizational process started in the Van Lake Basin during the Late Bronze-Early Iron Age, which is characterized by the construction of fortresses and cemeteries including bronze and iron weapons. This means the state formation in the region and the establishment of the Urartian State rises from the organizational process of the semi-nomadic tribes dealing with animal husbandry during the Early Iron Age, rather than farmer societies engaged in agriculture. In other words, the state formation in the Eastern Anatolian highlands did not develop from the agricultural model of “village, city and state”. Rather, it is observed in the form of “village, state and city”
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spelling doaj-art-8a8f24bcd66b4d8fb388307512b931342025-08-20T02:13:47ZdeuIstanbul University PressAnadolu Araştırmaları2667-629X2023-06-0128859610.26650/anar.2023.28.1293944123456Formation in the Highlands of Eastern Turkey: An Overview From the Bronze to Iron AgesAylin Ü. Erdem0Ege Üniversitesi, Izmir, TurkiyeArchaeological data from the highlands of Eastern Turkey unfortunately does not provide tangible evidence for the transformation of the earliest village communities into the institutional societies of the Urartian State period. The first cities, advanced agricultural activities, mass production and developed commercial activities, however, started to appear after the establishment of the Urartian State, as a result of central authority and institutionalization. There is a sharp difference between the pre-Urartian and Urartian State periods, which makes it difficult to understand the stages of the state transformation process. This article discusses political and social changes and stages of state formation through the archaeological data, chronologically. The emergence of the first elites in the Eastern Anatolian plateaus goes back to the Middle Bronze Age with the appearance of the kurgan burials, which is mostly observed in Northeastern Anatolia. After a while, another organizational process started in the Van Lake Basin during the Late Bronze-Early Iron Age, which is characterized by the construction of fortresses and cemeteries including bronze and iron weapons. This means the state formation in the region and the establishment of the Urartian State rises from the organizational process of the semi-nomadic tribes dealing with animal husbandry during the Early Iron Age, rather than farmer societies engaged in agriculture. In other words, the state formation in the Eastern Anatolian highlands did not develop from the agricultural model of “village, city and state”. Rather, it is observed in the form of “village, state and city”https://cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/file/JTA6CLJ8T5/2485124B7D954E11A62D051436C74570eastern turkeyanimal husbandryiron ageurartian statestate formation
spellingShingle Aylin Ü. Erdem
Formation in the Highlands of Eastern Turkey: An Overview From the Bronze to Iron Ages
Anadolu Araştırmaları
eastern turkey
animal husbandry
iron age
urartian state
state formation
title Formation in the Highlands of Eastern Turkey: An Overview From the Bronze to Iron Ages
title_full Formation in the Highlands of Eastern Turkey: An Overview From the Bronze to Iron Ages
title_fullStr Formation in the Highlands of Eastern Turkey: An Overview From the Bronze to Iron Ages
title_full_unstemmed Formation in the Highlands of Eastern Turkey: An Overview From the Bronze to Iron Ages
title_short Formation in the Highlands of Eastern Turkey: An Overview From the Bronze to Iron Ages
title_sort formation in the highlands of eastern turkey an overview from the bronze to iron ages
topic eastern turkey
animal husbandry
iron age
urartian state
state formation
url https://cdn.istanbul.edu.tr/file/JTA6CLJ8T5/2485124B7D954E11A62D051436C74570
work_keys_str_mv AT aylinuerdem formationinthehighlandsofeasternturkeyanoverviewfromthebronzetoironages