Contributions of new research to the Ancient History of Elazığ

During the formation and development of civilizations, people made decisions by taking into account the topography, climatic conditions and main road routes when choosing the geographical place where they will live. Therefore, the geographical conditions of Eastern Anatolia have been important in the spread of civilizations such as Anatolia and Mesopotamia civilization. It is a part of Eastern Anatolia and Elazığ province, which constitutes our research area, is located at a key point between Mesopotamia and Anatolia due to its location, and serves as a bridge for the spread of Mesopotamian cultures to Anatolia Dec. Elazığ Region, the fact that it is located at the intersection of important roads and intersections between east and west, is of great importance for the spread of this culture. Decatur is located at the intersection of important roads and intersections between east and west. In this sense, Elazığ region has become a region where cultural activities have been intense from prehistoric times to the present due to the presence of plains and plateaus suitable for agricultural and vital activities. Due to the characteristics it has harbored, it has remained under the rule of important civilizations from the past to the present and has been the scene of various struggles. M.D. in Elazığ province, which continues to exist under the rule of many states such as the Hurrians, Urartians, Persians, Arabs, Artukids, Anadolu Selcuklu and Ottomans with its history dating back to the 2000s, many archaeological excavations and surface studies have been carried out systematically in different periods. The region, which has an important place since prehistoric times, has been traced to the civilizations that lived in the region by looking at the Ancient history in accordance with archaeological data. As a result of excavations and surface surveys, remains belonging to the Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic, Halef, Chalcolithic, Ubaid, Bronze Iron Ages, Urartian, Hellenistic, Roman-Byzantine, Islamic and Turkish periods have been identified. These ruins reveal the socio-cultural, political and economic structure of the region. At the same time, with the information obtained and the data obtained in line with the studies conducted in previous years about the region, a cultural inventory of the city is put forward and a contribution is made to the History of Antiquity. My master's study titled "The Contributions of New Research to the Ancient History of Elazığ" consists of an introduction and four chapters. In the first part; after explaining the purpose of the study, the areas covered as a subject, the boundaries and the methods and techniques determined at the thesis stage under the introductory title, in the second part; I mentioned the geographical features of the Eastern Anatolia Region in which Elazig province is located and then gave information about the geographical location, geological and geomorphological features, streams, climate, vegetation and soil structure of Elazig province. In the third part, I covered the name of the city, the history, the history of Ancient research, the archaeological and the places identified by surface research, and included the purpose and scope of the research carried out in the region. In the fourth chapter, I tried to introduce in detail the settlements, mounds, caves and castles identified in the light of new research in Elazig under my thesis topic. In the fifth section, which constitutes the last stage of the study, under the title of results, I made an evaluation of Elazığ province by analyzing all dimensions. Keywords: Elazig, Prehistory, Antiquity, History, Archaeology, Keban Project, Surface Research.