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The earliest evidence of Assyrian mills in northern Mesopotamia dates to the Neo-Assyrian period (c. 900-600 BC). The geographical distribution of the finds indicates a correlation between the expansion and agricultural policies of the Assyrian Empire and the utilization rate of the Assyrian mills. Since 2021, the archaeological excavations at Tan & imath;r Yass & imath;h & ouml;y & uuml;k in the Af & scedil;in-Elbistan plain have yielded a series of significant findings, including the discovery of Assyrian mills, which had not previously been documented to the north of the Taurus Mountains. The objective of this paper is to stimulate interest about the political implications and cultural influences of the empire on its Anatolian frontiers, via the analysis of the newly discovered cluster of findings from the Af & scedil;in-Elbistan plain. The presence of Assyrian mills, Assyrian-influenced stone vessels of the bar-handled type, and Assyrian pottery, although comparatively less abundant, suggests that the Assyrian influence on the region was more enduring than initially anticipated, persisting into the Post-Assyrian and Achaemenid periods.
