The Late Bronze Age domestic architecture at Beycesultan Höyük and its evaluation in terms of socio-economical organization

Beycesultan Höyük is located on the plateau of Çivril in the Upper Meander Basin and it constitutes one of the largest settlements located in Western Anatolia. During the excavations carried out for 6 seasons between 1954 -1959, it was revealed that the settlement was inhabited continuously from the Vth millennium BC until the end of the Late Bronze Age. The layer 5b (c.1700-1595 BC/ Early Excavation Layer II), which constitutes the subject of this dissertation, demonstrates urban characteristics with the streets and buildings therein. Especially the domestic structures located between east-west oriented streets in the layer 5b are important in terms of shedding light on the existence of a well-planned construction. During the examinations made in the houses, it is revealed that the houses consist of a main room, where the hearth is located, a room at the front-side and storage rooms connected to this main room. The silos and pithos found in the main room reveals that this area was partially used for storage purposes. It is possible to state that the room at the front-side, located at the entrance of the houses, plays an alternative role for daily work. It is considered that the production and consumption activities in these two-story houses were carried out on the ground floors, and the upper floors were used for sleeping and resting purposes. This layer was destroyed by a big fire. During this disaster, numerous human remains were revealed, along with all the items used in the houses. It is understood that individuals who were found in hiding position in rooms in the fire could not get out of a possible threat. The lack of written evidence as well as any traces of conflict have made the outbreak of this fire disaster controversial and questionable. The economic activities in the Late Bronze Age houses were mostly based on agriculture and animal husbandry. Whilst the grain residues obtained in this settlement with a large possibility of agriculture are inspected, it is possible to state that agricultural activities such as wheat, barley, lentils, and vetch were carried out for dry farming in this settlement. Houses with a dense storage capacity in this settlement appear to have the potential to feed an adequate population. In this period, it is possible to consider that the settlement had an independent economic model to a large extent, although having it partially. Moreover, finds such as spindle whorls, crescent loom weights, weaving shuttle and weaving loom comb, which are used in textile production, have been discovered in the excavations. In addition to these, a textile sample found in a house. Altogether, all these finds point out that weaving activities were an important economic activity in the settlement.