Aksu and Melet Basin in the old age

The Black Sea Region is bordered by Georgia-Turkey in the east, Sakarya Plain in the west, the line of the peaks of the mountains on the southern border of the Northern Anatolian Mountains in the south and the Black Sea in the north. The Melet River Basin surrounds the Reşadiye district of Tokat Province, Suşehri and Koyulhisar districts of Sivas Province, Ordu/Altınordu, Mesudiye, Gölköy, Gürgentepe, Ulubey and Kabadüz districts, while the Aksu River Basin surrounds the borders of Giresun/Center, Bulancak, Dereli, Yağlıdere, Keşap, Piraziz, Alucra and Şebinkarahisar districts. These two basins have attracted the attention of human communities with their convenience for shelter and nutrition and being a passage between the surrounding cultures and a natural road route extending east and west. The settlement pattern of Aksu and Melet basin, which started in the Chalcolithic Age, continued uninterruptedly until the Hellenistic-Roman Period, although it sometimes decreased. Important data have been revealed through ancient sources and archaeological excavations and surveys carried out in the two basins. Archaeological materials have provided valuable data for the history of the region. Our study consists of five chapters, excluding the introduction. Archaeological excavations, surveys and museum studies carried out in the Aksu and Melet (Melanthios) Basin in the Old Age are important in terms of providing us with comprehensive information about settlement models, settlement geography and the constructions. As a result of this study, we aimed to reveal the settlement models, cultures, social and economic structure in Aksu and Melet Basin. We tried to determine the similarities and differences between Aksu and Melet Basin and different regions. Keywords: Giresun, Ordu, Melet, Aksu, Pontus, Eastern Black Sea.