The Assyrian mill beyond Assyria: recent evidence for Assyrian influence in the Afşin-Elbistan plain


Basturk E., BAŞTÜRK M. B.

LEVANT, 2025 (AHCI) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Basım Tarihi: 2025
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1080/00758914.2025.2458981
  • Dergi Adı: LEVANT
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Arts and Humanities Citation Index (AHCI), Scopus, IBZ Online, Periodicals Index Online, L'Année philologique, Anthropological Literature, ATLA Religion Database, Index Islamicus, Old Testament Abstracts Online
  • Anadolu Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

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.