Zerzevan Castle late rome and late ancient period kitchen ware

Zerzevan Castle is a military garrison located within the borders of Demirölçek Village, 13 km away from Çınar district of Diyarbakır. When the existing architectural remains in the castle and the findings obtained during excavations are examined, it shows that the castle was used actively between the 3rd and 7th centuries AD. It is believed that the walls and structures of the settlement were restorated during the reign of Anastasios I (491-518 AD) and Justinian I (527-565 AD) and took their final form. The settlement preserved its importance until the conquest of the region by the Islamic armies in 639 A.D. Built on a rocky hill 124 m high, the castle was the scene of Roman and Parthian/Sassanid struggles. During the excavations that started in 2014 and continued uninterruptedly, the watchtower, ramparts, Mithraeum, underground shelter, church, military and civilian residences, underground temple, altars, rock tombs and water canal were unearthed. The ceramic works discussed in the thesis were examined under the title of "Zerzevan Castle Late Roman and Late Ancient Period Kitchen Wares". Ceramic works taken into consideration cover the excavation session between 2015-2020. The analogy of the artifacts unearthed in the Zerzevan Castle excavations was made over similar examples and according to the context of the finds. 82 ceramic works were evaluated within the scope of the thesis. As a result of the studies, it is thought that 59 of 82 works were produced in Late Roman and , four of which are predicted to be of Parthian production. Apart from these examples, there are 17 samples that could not be able to identified. Late Roman Period ceramics are dominant in the Zerzevan Castle Excavations. Late Roman Period ceramics are mainly dated between the 3rd and 7th centuries AD. Apart from the Late Roman samples, samples representing the Parth Period were also found. These examples are mostly dated to the 3rd century BC and the 3rd century AD. The earliest examples date back to the Late Hellenistic-Early Roman Period, while the Late Roman Period Samples date back to 7th centuries AD. Examples of important ware groups such as Brittle Ware (Brittle Ware), North Syrian Amphora I, Phokaia Red Slip Ceramics were encountered during the Zerzevan Castle Excavations. Zerzevan Castle ceramics reflect the interaction of Syria, Levant, Iran and the west.