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Teppe Hasanlu
Coordinates:

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370017.39N 452732.01E

"Hasanlu" redirects here. For other uses, see Hasanlu (disambiguation).

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Teppe Hasanlu or Tappeh Hassanlu

Teppe Hasanlu

(Persian: ) is an archeological site of

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an ancient city[1] located in northwest Iran (in

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the province of West Azerbaijan), a short

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distance south of Lake Urmia. The nature of

its destruction at the end of the 9th century BC

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essentially froze one layer of the city in time,

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providing researchers with extremely well

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preserved buildings, artifacts, and skeletal

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remains from the victims and enemy

combatants of the attack.
Hasanlu Tepe is the largest site in the Gadar
River valley and dominates the small plain

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known as Solduz. The site consists of a 25m

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high central "citadel" mound, with massive

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fortifications and paved streets, surrounded by

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a low outer town, 8m above the surrounding

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plain. The entire site, once much larger but

reduced in size by local agricultural and
building activities, now measures about 600m

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across, with the citadel having a diameter of

about 200 m.[1]
The site was inhabited fairly continuously from

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Azrbaycanca

the 6th millennium BC to the 3rd century AD. It

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is famous for the "Gold Bowl" found by a team

from the University of Pennsylvania led by

Franais

Robert Dyson.[2]

Shown within Iran

Location
Coordinates
Type

West Azarbaijan, Iran

370017.39N 452732.01E
Settlement

Portugus
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Contents [hide]
1 Archaeology
2 History
3 Photo gallery
4 See also
5 Notes
6 References
7 External links

Archaeology

[ edit ]

The site of Hasanlu was excavated in 10 seasons between 1956 and 1974 by a team from the
University Museum, University of Pennsylvania and the Metropolitan Museum.[3][4] The project
was directed by Robert H. Dyson, Jr. and is considered today to have been an important training
ground for a generation of highly successful Near Eastern archaeologists.[5][6]

Originally, excavations in the Ushnu-Solduz Valley were intended to explore a series of stratified
occupation levels in the area with the objective of reconstructing a regional cultural history from
Neolithic times until Alexander the Great's conquest of Persia beginning in 334 BC, such that any
conclusions would rely solely on material evidence from the region itself, independent of
linguistic or literary evidence from adjoining regions.[7] The unexpected discovery of the famous
"Gold Bowl" at Hasanlu in 1958 led to the project shifting its focus to the Iron Age levels at this
site, although several other sites in the region were also excavated in order to stay in line with
the project's broader objective. These other excavations were conducted at Dinkha Tepe, Dalma
Tepe, Hajji Firuz Tepe, Agrab Tepe, Pisdeli, and Seh Girdan.
The Hasanlu Publications Project was initiated in 2007 to produce the official monograph-length
final reports on the excavation.[8] Currently two Excavation Reports and several Special Studies
volumes have been completed.[9][10][11][12]

History

[ edit ]

The excavators originally divided the sites occupation history into ten periods based on the
nature of material finds in the different strata: the oldest, period X, stretches back to the Neolithic
period, after which there was fairly continuous occupation until the early Iron Age (ca 1250-330
BC), followed by a hiatus before subsequent reoccupation; occupation finally ends in Irans
medieval period (Hasanlu period I).[13]
Starting in the Middle Bronze III period or hasanlu VIa (16001450 BC), there are important
changes in material culture. This is best attested at the site of Dinkha Tepe, but is also present
at Hasanlu. The most obvious change is the rapid abandonment of old styles of pottery,
especially painted Khabur Ware, and the increased importance in producing monochrome
unpainted pottery that is frequently polished or burnished. This ware is known as Monochrome
Burnished Ware or, formerly, "Grey Ware" the ware occurs in a wide range of colors and this
is something of a misnomer. In the Late Bronze Age or Hasanlu Period V, Monochrome
Burnished Ware comes to dominate the ceramic assemblages of the Ushnu and Solduz valleys
of the southern Lake Urmia Basin. Some scholars link changes in pottery forms to cultural
contact with Assyria, this being a period of expansion for the Middle Assyrian kingdom, when
such kings as Adad-nirari I (1295-1264 BC), Shalmaneser I (1263-1234 BC), and Tukulti-Ninurta
I (1233-1197 BC) were conducting campaigns into the Zagros mountains to the south.[14] During
this time, there was occupation on the High Mound and Low Mound of Hasanlu, and graves
have been excavated at Dinkha Tepe and Hasanlu.
At around 1250 BC, there are some changes in the material culture at Hasanlu and in the graves
excavated at Dinkha. This marks the beginning of the Iron I period, formerly identified with
Hasanlu Period V but now the equivalent of Hasanlu IVc. While this period is designated the Iron
I, there is virtually no iron in use during this period two iron finger rings are known from
Hasanlu. The High Mound of Hasanlu was almost certainly fortified during this period, and an
internal gateway, large residential structures, and possibly a temple were located in this citadel.
The Low Mound was also occupied. The best evidence of this coming from a house excavated
in 1957 and 1959 dubbed the "Artisan's House". This structure derives it name from the fact that
evidence for metalworking, primarily the casting of copper/bronze objects, was found there.
At the end of Hasanlu IVc/Iron I, Hasanlu was destroyed by a fire. Evidence of this destruction
was discovered on the High andLow Mound. This destruction dates to around 1050 BC and it
marks the beginning of the Iron II period. While the destruction was extensive, the settlement's
occupants seem to have rebuilt the citadel and the buildings of the Lower Town rapidly, cutting
down the mudbrick walls of the burned structures to their stone footings and erecting new brick
walls. The buildings of the Iron II settlement were based on their Iron I precursors, but were also
larger and more elaborate in their layout and ornamentation. The primary example of this being
the monumental columned halls of the citadel.
The continued presence in significant quantities of Assyrian goods or copies, alongside objects

of local manufacture, attest to continued cultural contact with Assyria at this time; iron first
appears in bulk at Hansanlu at around the same time Assyria seized control of the metal trade in
Asia Minor.[15] While the Neo-Assyrian Empire was beginning a period of renewed power and
influence in the 9th century, it is also at this time that the existence of the kingdom of Urartu,
centered around Lake Van, is first attested in the Neo-Assyrian annals and related literature. By
the time we hear about it, it is already a fully developed state - the circumstances attending its
rise in the 2nd millennium are obscure.[16] Urartus expansion during this period brought the area
south of Lake Urmia under its influence, although material finds at Hasanlu suggest that the city
may have remained independent.[17] Nevertheless, Hansanlu was catastrophically destroyed,
We know a great deal about Iron II/Hasanlu IVb because of the violent sacking and burning at
around 800 BC, probably by the Urartians.[18] Over 150 human victims were found where they
had been slain. Some victims were mutilated and distributions of other bodies and the wounds
they received suggest mass executions. Amid the burned remains of the settlement the
excavators found thousands of objects in situ. Hasanlu IVb is a veritable Pompeii of the early
Iron Age Near East. Some have suggested that the Iron II culture of Hasanlu, which has close
ties to Mesopotamia and northern Syria, indicates the settlement came under the control of a
foreign power, or experienced an influx of new occupants, or perhaps made internal changes to
its political system.[14]
The Iron II settlement was fortified and was perhaps entered via a fortified road system located
on the southwest side of the High Mound, although this interpretation of the archaeological
remains of this area has come under increasing scrutiny in more recent analyses. Two areas of
the citadel were investigated by the Hasanlu Project. In the west, buildings that served to control
access into the citadel, a possible arsenal (Burned Building VII), and a large residential structure
(Burned Building III) were investigated. South of this was Burned Building (BB) I and BB I East.
These buildings formed a fortified gateway into the Lower Court area. BBI was also an elite
residence. It was in this building in 1958 that the famous Gold Bowl of Hasanlu was discovered.
The buildings of the Lower Court (BBII, BBIV, BBBIV East, and BBV) were arranged around a
stone-paved court. Burned Building II likely served as a temple, and it was in this building that
the excavators found over 70 massacred women and children only a few adult males were
found among the victims.
Following Hasanlu's destruction, the High Mound was used as the site for a Urartian fortress. A
fortification wall with towers at regular intervals was constructed around the edges of the High
Mound. Hasanlu was occupied fairly continuously during Period IIIa (the Achaemenid Period)
and Period II (the Seleuco-Parthian Period).[19]

Photo gallery

[ edit ]

Bronze Drinking Vessel,

Egyptian blue, Hasanlu,

Hasanlu, 1st mil

1st mil BC. National

BC.National Museum of

Museum of Iran.

Iran.

crescent shaped plaque,

Hasanlu, early 1st mil
BC. National Museum of
Iran.

See also

[ edit ]

Cities of the Ancient Near East

Ancient Near East portal

Hasanlu Lovers
Short chronology timeline

Notes
1. ^

a b

[ edit ]
The Cambridge History of Iran (ed. by W.B. Fischer, Ilya Gershevitch, Ehsan Yarshster).

Cambridge University Press, 1993. ISBN 0-521-20091-1. Pages 57-58, 138.

2. ^ [1]

The Hasanlu Golden Bowl. Thirty Years Later, Expedition, vol. 31, no. 203, pp. 87-106,

1989
3. ^ Mary M. Voigt, Hasanlu I: Hajji Firuz Tepe, Iran--The Neolithic Settlement, Monograph 50,
University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 1983, ISBN 0-934718-49-0
4. ^ Michael D. Danti, Hasanlu II: The Ilkhanid Heartland: Hasanlu Tepe (Iran) Period I, Monograph
120, University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 2004, ISBN 1-93170766-9
5. ^ Oscar White Muscarella, Hasanlu 1964, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin New Series,
vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 121-135, 1966
6. ^ Oscar White Muscarella, The Excavation of Hasanlu: An Archaeological Evaluation, Bulletin of
the American Schools of Oriental Research, no. 342, pp. 69-94, 2006
7. ^ Dyson, Robert H (1989). "Rediscovering Hasanlu"; Expedition, Vol. 31, Nos. 2-3, pp. 3-11. (see
external link, below)
8. ^ Hasanlu Publications Project

9. ^ Irene J. Winter, Hasanlu Special Studies I: A Decorated Breastplate from Hasanlu, Iran,
Monograph 39, University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 1980, ISBN
0-934718-34-2
10. ^ Oscar White Muscarella, Hasanlu Special Studies II: The Catalogue of Ivories from Hasanlu,
Iran, Monograph 40, University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 1980,
ISBN 0-934718-33-4
11. ^ Michelle I. Marcus, Hasanlu Special Studies III: Emblems of Identity and Prestige--The Seals
and Sealings from Hasanlu, Iran, Monograph 84, University of Pennsylvania Museum of

Archaeology and Anthropology, 1996, ISBN 0-924171-26-X

12. ^ Maude de Schauensee, Hasanlu Special Studies: Peoples and Crafts in Period IVB at Hasanlu,
Iran, University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, 2011, ISBN 1-93453617-2
13. ^ http://www.hasanlu.org/
14. ^

a b

. Hasanlu Publications Project: see 'overview' tab for chronology.

Dyson, Robert H (1965). "Problems of Protohistoric Iran as Seen from Hasanlu"; Journal of

Near Eastern Studies, Vol. 24, No. 3, pp. 193-9.

15. ^ Oscar White Muscarella, Hasanlu in the Ninth Century B. C. and Its Relations with Other
Cultural Centers of the Near East, American Journal of Archaeology, vol. 75, No. 3, pp. 263-266,
1971
16. ^ Kuhrt, Amlie (1995). The Ancient Near East (Vol. 2); Routledge, New York, p.548ff.
17. ^ Dyson, Robert H (1989). "Constructing the Chronology and Historical Implications of Hasanlu
IV"; Iran, Vol. 27, pp.18-9, 22.
18. ^ Inna Medvedskaya, Who Destroyed Hasanlu IV?, Iran, vol. 26, pp. 1-15, 1988
19. ^ Robert H. Dyson Jr., The Architecture of Hasanlu: Periods I to IV, American Journal of
Archaeology, vol. 81, no. 4, pp. 548-552, 1977

References

[ edit ]

Robert H. Dyson Jr., The Achaemenid Painted Pottery of Hasanlu IIIA, Anatolian Studies, vol.
49, Anatolian Iron Ages 4. Proceedings of the Fourth Anatolian Iron Ages Colloquium Held at
Mersin, 1923 May 1997, pp. 101110, 1999
Oscar White Muscarella, A Fibula from Hasanlu, American Journal of Archaeology, vol. 69,
no. 3, pp. 233240, 1965
Michelle I. Marcus, The Mosaic Glass Vessels from Hasanlu, Iran: A Study in Large-Scale
Stylistic Trait Distribution, The Art Bulletin, vol. 73, no. 4, pp. 536560, 1991
Paul Collins, An Assyrian-Style Ivory Plaque from Hasanlu, Iran, Metropolitan Museum
Journal, vol. 41, pp. 1931, 2006
Maude De Schauensee, A Note on Three Glass Plaques from Hasanlu. Iraq, vol. 63, pp. 99
106, 2001
Vincent Pigott and Darrel J. Butterbaugh, A Programme in Experimental Mudbrick
Preservation at Hasanlu Tepe, Iran, vol. 16, pp. 161167, 1978

External links

[ edit ]

Hasanlu Publications Project

University of Pennsylvania Museum excavations at Hasanlu
Expedition

Magazine Special Issue (Vol.31 No.2-3): East of AssyriaThe Highland

More pictures, Tishineh Settlement of Hasanlu

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