Early bronz age Iva agricultural economy at tell Tayinat and its interrelationship with the contemporary sites in the Orontes Basin

The aim of this thesis is to evaluate the plant remains unearthed during the excavations at Tayinat Höyük, one of the most important settlements of the Amik Plain in the province of Hatay, in an archaeological context. It aims to shed light on the agricultural economy of the period by examining the plant remains, most of which are preserved in carbonized form, found in a room that was probably damaged by fire and whose function has not been fully determined. The findings of the Early Bronze Age IVA period in the Amik Plain were obtained only from Tayinat Höyük in a regular stratigraphic context. This shows that this period is represented only by Tayinat Höyük among all the settlements in the Amik Plain. For this reason, the plant remains from these strata were selected to be studied first. The archaeobotanical findings together with their contexts aim to understand the function of the site and contribute to the archaeological research in the region. The plant community analyzed in this thesis includes many taxa from different plant families.These taxa are classified into three groups, namely Wheataceae, Legumes, and other taxa, according to their archaeological context. The settlement preferences in the Amuq Plain show significant differences throughout the Early Bronze Age. At Tayinat Höyük, settlement ceased after the Early Bronze Age and resettlement began in the Iron Age. In the Middle and Late Bronze Age, settlement activities were concentrated at Aççana Höyük, which is close to Tayinat Höyük. In order to understand the reasons for these differences in settlement, a comparative assessment was made with environmental studies conducted at contemporary settlements in the Asi Basin. In addition, the effects of urbanization processes, social structures, historical developments, and climatic conditions on settlement preferences in settlements in southern and northern Mesopotamia, northern Syria, the Upper and Middle Euphrates Basin, and the Asi River Basin during the 3rd millennium BC are discussed. The analyses in this context aim to provide important data on the socio-economic and environmental dynamics of the period.