Thesis Chapters by M. Gökçe Dede
Master Thesis, 2014
In this thesis, stamp and cylinder seals found in Anatolia have been evaluated. These seals consi... more In this thesis, stamp and cylinder seals found in Anatolia have been evaluated. These seals consist of published excavation and survey finds as well as artefacts with a definite Anatolian origin within museum collections. The aim of the study is to evaluate seals from different regions of Anatolia in a comprehensive schema in order to determine some regional and chronological characteristics. Besides, it is aimed to define the Early Bronze Age interactions between Anatolia and Near Eastern settlements according to analogies on seals. A comprehensive study of seals is thought to have a supporting role for Early Bronze Age studies.
Most of the Early Bronze Age stamp seals in Anatolia are made of clay but there are also some examples made of stone, metal or bone. Stamp seals have been classified under 11 body shapes and 3 decoration groups. The most popular motifs are geometrical.
The second group in the study consists of cylinder seals, mainly made of baked clay, different stones, metal, ivory or bone and the shapes are very similar with other Near Eastern sites. Decoration on cylinder seals is classified under 3 main groups where the most popular group consists of figurative motifs. Cylinders have been found especially in South-Southeast Anatolia.
Doctoral Dissertation, 2024
This study examines public buildings in 18 centres of the Early Bronze Age in Anatolia. The main ... more This study examines public buildings in 18 centres of the Early Bronze Age in Anatolia. The main aim of the thesis is to identify the emergence and rise of public buildings in Anatolia during the Early Bronze Age, the main dynamics that brought about this rise, and to determine their regional, temporal, qualitative and quantitative similarities and differences in Anatolia. While in the early phases of the Early Bronze Age public
buildings were observed in only a few centres, the number of settlements where these structures were observed increased from the second half of the Early Bronze Age onwards, and they are represented by one or more examples in almost every region of Anatolia. As is well known, the second half of the Early Bronze Age is a very dynamic period with many changes and movements. During this period, social complexity increased with the growing need for raw materials, especially mineral resources, and local
and regional ruling elites emerged to control access, accumulation and distribution of these raw materials in order to increase their power. These ruling elites and the emergence of public structures appear to be related. It is assumed that these ruling elites engaged in long–distance interactions to consolidate their status; it is assumed that they carried out
their administrative, ritual, communal, feasting and ceremonial practices from public buildings. It is assumed that Anatolian public buildings showed a hybrid structure, influenced both by their own internal dynamics and by the surrounding cultural regions during the period of global interactions that were particularly active in the second half of the Early Bronze Age; in some centres architectural ideas were transferred, but local
features were also preserved.
Papers by M. Gökçe Dede
OANNES - International Journal of Ancient History, 2025
In archaeological literature, public buildings generally refer to administrative and/or religious... more In archaeological literature, public buildings generally refer to administrative and/or religious structures located within the monumental fortifications of large upper settlements, serving a class of rulers or ruling elite. Public buildings were constructed to serve administrative, religious, or other social functions such as meetings, banquets, ceremonies, festivals, or as symbols of power. While the Elâzığ-Malatya Region is considered part of Eastern Anatolia culturally and politically, it was also a region with its internal dynamics in the Early Bronze Age. This study aims to discuss the architecture of public buildings in the Elâzığ-Malatya Region, their use, the tendencies of the rising ruling class reflected in this architecture and the social dynamics of the region in the Early Bronze Age from a holistic perspective. The region's settlement pattern is analyzed, and the study is illustrated with maps and drawings. The results indicate that in the first half of the Early Bronze Age, when mobile groups dominated the region, there was social chaos. Stabilization began in the second half of the period. The elites emerging towards the end of this period, who ruled the settlements from public buildings named palaces, are considered to have been instrumental in this stability.
Anatolian Research/Anadolu Araştırmaları, 2025
Cylinder seals began to be used in Anatolia shortly after their emergence in Mesopotamia and Iran... more Cylinder seals began to be used in Anatolia shortly after their emergence in Mesopotamia and Iran during the second half of the 4 th millennium BCE. These seals, offering a wide narrative space, were used across Western Asia until the 5 th century BCE. Seal impressions, which in their simplest function ensured property protection, appeared within similar timeframes. This study provides a comprehensive evaluation of cylinder seals and impressions from the 3rd millennium BCE in Anatolia, focusing on their significance during the Anatolian Early Bronze Age. Published cylinder seals and impressions are cataloged, categorized by region and period, and analyzed. The findings revealed that cylinder seals and impressions were prevalent at the Southeast Anatolian and Cilician-Amuq sites, areas that interacted with the Mesopotamian cultural sphere during early Early Bronze Age. In the later Early Bronze Age, these artifacts spread to Central and Western Anatolia, facilitated by trade routes known as the Anatolian Trade Network or Caravan Roads. The limited number of cylinder seals and the near absence of their impressions on clay bullae in Western Anatolia indicate that cylinder seals did not support the indigenous stamp seal tradition of the region. Moreover, they were not adopted as bureaucratic tools similar to their use in Mesopotamia. Instead, it is posited that as cylinder seals moved farther from their region of origin, they transitioned into prestige items or simple protective amulets rather than organizational instruments.
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Thesis Chapters by M. Gökçe Dede
Most of the Early Bronze Age stamp seals in Anatolia are made of clay but there are also some examples made of stone, metal or bone. Stamp seals have been classified under 11 body shapes and 3 decoration groups. The most popular motifs are geometrical.
The second group in the study consists of cylinder seals, mainly made of baked clay, different stones, metal, ivory or bone and the shapes are very similar with other Near Eastern sites. Decoration on cylinder seals is classified under 3 main groups where the most popular group consists of figurative motifs. Cylinders have been found especially in South-Southeast Anatolia.
buildings were observed in only a few centres, the number of settlements where these structures were observed increased from the second half of the Early Bronze Age onwards, and they are represented by one or more examples in almost every region of Anatolia. As is well known, the second half of the Early Bronze Age is a very dynamic period with many changes and movements. During this period, social complexity increased with the growing need for raw materials, especially mineral resources, and local
and regional ruling elites emerged to control access, accumulation and distribution of these raw materials in order to increase their power. These ruling elites and the emergence of public structures appear to be related. It is assumed that these ruling elites engaged in long–distance interactions to consolidate their status; it is assumed that they carried out
their administrative, ritual, communal, feasting and ceremonial practices from public buildings. It is assumed that Anatolian public buildings showed a hybrid structure, influenced both by their own internal dynamics and by the surrounding cultural regions during the period of global interactions that were particularly active in the second half of the Early Bronze Age; in some centres architectural ideas were transferred, but local
features were also preserved.
Papers by M. Gökçe Dede
Most of the Early Bronze Age stamp seals in Anatolia are made of clay but there are also some examples made of stone, metal or bone. Stamp seals have been classified under 11 body shapes and 3 decoration groups. The most popular motifs are geometrical.
The second group in the study consists of cylinder seals, mainly made of baked clay, different stones, metal, ivory or bone and the shapes are very similar with other Near Eastern sites. Decoration on cylinder seals is classified under 3 main groups where the most popular group consists of figurative motifs. Cylinders have been found especially in South-Southeast Anatolia.
buildings were observed in only a few centres, the number of settlements where these structures were observed increased from the second half of the Early Bronze Age onwards, and they are represented by one or more examples in almost every region of Anatolia. As is well known, the second half of the Early Bronze Age is a very dynamic period with many changes and movements. During this period, social complexity increased with the growing need for raw materials, especially mineral resources, and local
and regional ruling elites emerged to control access, accumulation and distribution of these raw materials in order to increase their power. These ruling elites and the emergence of public structures appear to be related. It is assumed that these ruling elites engaged in long–distance interactions to consolidate their status; it is assumed that they carried out
their administrative, ritual, communal, feasting and ceremonial practices from public buildings. It is assumed that Anatolian public buildings showed a hybrid structure, influenced both by their own internal dynamics and by the surrounding cultural regions during the period of global interactions that were particularly active in the second half of the Early Bronze Age; in some centres architectural ideas were transferred, but local
features were also preserved.