DELİCE VALLEY (ÇORUM) ARCHAEOLOGICAL, GEOARCHAEOLOGICAL AND PREHISTORIC MINING SURVEY 2016 SEASON

This article presents the results of the first season of research that focuses mainly on the Bronze Age settlement systems in the portion of Delice Valley between Sungurlu and Iskilip. Even though the archaeology segment of this research focused on a portion of the basin, a holistic approach has been adapted and the whole Delice valley has been analyzed in terms of long-term changes in paleoenvironmental conditions and the use of raw materials through geological research and paleoclimate modeling. The results of paleoclimate modeling indicate that the average annual precipitation and temperature values did not drop in a pattern that would threaten the survival of societies in the Basin. Based on the results of GIS-based analyses, it is proposed that the archaeological settlements tended to remain at the center of the Basin rather than spreading out but nevertheless targeted certain landforms. Further research is warranted in order to build a framework that would explain such preferences from economic, social, political and environmental perspectives. Analyses also revealed that at times of intensified settlement activity, the entrance and exit routes of Delice Valley were kept under visual control.