Evaluation of the pottery uncovered during the excavations at Çavuştepe Castle and its Necropolis in 2016-2019

The Urartu State was founded and spread in the present Eastern Anatolia Region in the 9-7 centuries BC, with the Van Lake Basin being the center. Urartu State made many expeditions in accordance with its expansion policy and expanded its borders to the Euphrates in the west, Urmiye Lake Basin in the east, Kars Plateau - Sevan Lake Basin in the north and Toros Mountains in the south. It is known that Urartu State existed in this mountainous region for 250 years. Important settlements have been established in the mentioned geography. One of these settlements is Çavuştepe (Sardurihilini), which was proved by the archaeological data that it had been built by Urartian King Sarduri II. Çavuştepe Castle is one of the important religious and economic centers of Urartu State. The subject of our thesis is the pottery of Çavuştepe Castle and Necropolis excavations belonging to the years 2016-2019. These pots are grouped as pink ware, coffee ware, buff ware, bianili ware, gray ware, pink burnished ware, coffee burnished ware, cream lined ware, tile lined ware, cream ware and tile ware. Among these pottery we stuided there are bottoms, bodies, handles and cups. Among these potsherds, as well as coarse wares, carefully processed pottery are seen. These sherds show different forms and profiles among themselves. Such signs as points, plants, plats and starsa re ko-nown to appear on the pottery examined. When both the ware groups and typological characteristics of Çavuştepe Fortress and Necropolis 2016-2019 pottery were evaluated, it was found that there were regional similarities. Therefore, it is determined that the cultural regions where Çavuştepe pottery are similar are Van, Elazığ-Malatya-Bingöl, Ağrı, Iğdır, Muş, Northwest Iran and Armenia. It was determined that the pottery found in Çavuştepe Castle and Necropolis, which we have been evaluated, were used for different purposes in daily and religious life. These pottery have been used by the Urartians in the preparation, consumption and storage of food, in religious rituals and finally in social status. Key Words: Urartian, Çavuştepe, Iron Age, Pottery