Tres peu d'info hélas sur
Karahan Tepe , l'information la plus complète que j'ai trouvé à ce jour provient du site et de la publication "exoriente" en anglais et qui date en plus (2000). Là voici en version anglaise:
A New Early-Neolithic Settlement: Karahan Tepe Bahattin Celik (University of Harran)Karahan Tepe lies some 63km east of Sanliurfa (Urfa), southeastern Turkey in an area called Tektek Daglan (Tektek Mountains). Some 266 in situ pillars were observed in the fields on the northern and eastern slopes of the hill. Since this area, which was discovered by the author in 1997, was not named on the maps, it was thought to be suitable to name the site "Karahan Tepe" after a hill nearby (Footnote 1) Geomorphologically, the Tektek Mountain area in the vicinity of the Karahan Tepe settlement in the southeast part of Harran plain is more of a range of high hills rather than mountains (Giizel n.d.: 170-171). It is a dissected Eocene and Miocene limestone formation whose valleys which were formed by erosion during interglacial and post-glacial periods under humid climatic conditions (Atalay 1994: 280-282). There is no basalt in Tektek me and is a locally popular hunting area even today. Except towards the NW end, where pistachio trees (Pistacia khinjuk) are present, there is no woodland on Tektek Daglan, (Guzel n.d.: 203-204).
On the 1:5000 maps of Karahan Tepe, the height of the hill is 705 m. The eastern terrace, where the settlement is located, has an average height of 680 m (Note 2). The southern and western slopes of the hill are very steep and rocky, and the settlement mostly occurs on the eastern and northern slopes. The eastern part of this settlement ends at a rocky plateau. There is a dry streambed along a north-south line and a terrace to the west. To the north there is a hill known as Ke~i lTi epe and an eponymous little village.
Karahan Tepe ruins covers an area of 325,000 mZ (32.5 ha).
Except for the agricultural field in the east, surface is almost wholly covered with still-stranding pillars peering about 50-60 cm above ground level. These pillars occur at a distance of 1.5 - 2 m from each other. These "T-shaped pillars" are similar to the others found in upper levels of Gobekli Tepe, Nevall Cori, and at Hamzan Tepe approximately 10 km south of Sanllurfa (Schmidt 1998b: Fig. 15; Hauptmann 1993: Figs. 7,15; Celik n.d.: Fig. I).
In some areas near the pillars it is possible to see clearly the upper sides and comers of Neolithic walls. Some cavities 30cm in diameter and 10-15 cm depth were carved into the bedrock to create pools, also known from Gobekli Teue and Hamzan Teue ( ~ e i l e - ~ o hent a l. 1998: Fig. 20, Celik n.d.: Fig. 2, DAI 1996: Fiz. 3). " ,
In one exposure west of Karahan Tepe, a 4.5 m long T-shaped pillar is ready to be removed from the parent bedrock, similar to a situation at Gobekli Tepe (DAI 1997: 551-553; Schmidt 1998a: 1-5, 1998c: 17-49). In other cases, there is "totem-polew-like statue of superimposed animals, part of a pillar engraved with animals, some animal patterns engraved into groundstone, and a Tshaped pillar with a snake relief similar to those from Nevali
Cori and Gobekli Tepe (Hauptmann 1993: Fig. 19, Schmidt 1999: Fig. 5). There are two side-by-side pillars 1.5 m distant from each other in a ruined sector partly destroyed by treasure hunters. On one of these broken pillars there is a relief of a snake at least 70 cm long, with a round head and a wavy body (Fig. 1). Examples of stairs also have been seen on the platform of a nearby rock exposure.
And what is most interesting here is that on both corners of the rock there are two 40x70 holes that might have been pillar bases. This is likely a ceremonial area.
The snake relief on this pillar is different in size compared to the ones from Gobekli Tepe. It resembles the snakes on flat engraved stones from Jerf el-Ahmar (Stordeur et al. 1996: Fig. 5)
The snake pillar has dimensions of 130 x 50 x 30 cm. Dimensions of this pillar and the pillars of lions from Gobekli Tepe are almost the same (DAI 1997: 551-553). In addition, except for the agricultural field of Gobekli Tepe, pillars that have been found there in situ have the same dimensions.
Some animal motifs carved on a smoothed limestone base were detected as a surface find. Across ca. 40 cm of this 86 cm stone, on a smoothed place, there are the figures of a rabbit's head and feet, long back feet and tail of a gazelle, and evidently the back feet of another animal (Fig. 2). Even today it is possible to see these animals in the vicinity. Due to the danger of extinction, gazelles are under a protection program on the State Production Farm in the east of Tektek Mountains. For the very first time we have found a part of a tied pillar with reliefs of animal feet.
The in situ pillars detected on the surface of the site provide us an unprecedented opportunity in the Sanllurfa region. Future excavations at this site will prove very enlightening.
et une bibliographie très rare en langue étrangère (et encore moins française...) qui demontre le peu d'empressement de la communauté internationale à étudier ce site