Page 30 - TINA Dergi Sayi 08

TINA

Denizcilik Arkeolojisi Dergisi

Fig. 2: Dicle kenarında ka-
mıştan sepet gibi örülerek yu-
varlak olarak yapılmış kuffa-
lar. (Bell, 184, Fig. 110)
Fig. 2: Coracle-like bas-
ket-weave quffas on the
shores of the Tigris.
Data from written sources dating to the Middle Ages er transport. Written sources in Assyrian also provide
4
indicate that there were five main ports for river trans- information about such facilities. Three cities, Assur,
port to the south starting from Diyarbakır, including Di- Calah (Nimrud), and Nineve, which were once capi-
yarbakır/Amid, Hasankeyf, Tell Fafan/Çattepe, Ceziret tal cities of Assyria, were built along the banks of the
İbn Ömer / Cizre, and Mosul-Baghdad ports (Fig.3). It Tigris River. This created a potential transportation
is likely the sites or cities where these ports were locat- opportunity at the center of the Assyrian Kingdom.
ed were already in use during earlier periods. Written sources also refer to port or harbor construc-
After they fell out of use, these harbor facilities tions. One of the fifteen city gates built by Sennacherib
were destroyed over time, due to being located on the (704-681 BC) in Nineveh, which was used as a port,
waterfront. Apart from Çattepe Mound, almost no ar- was called “Pier Gate”. Written sources make mention
chaeological evidence is available for these structures. of enormous limestone sculptures that Sennacherib
However, we do see such ports depicted on baked clay brought to Nineveh on the Tigris River using keleks
7
casts/models from the Ubaid Period, i.e. 5 millenni- or similar rafts.
th
um BC, and on cylindrical seals dating to the mid-4 Moreover, since river ports or docks were used like
th
millennium BC . Additionally, a fragment of bitumen customs gates, they were subject to customs duties.
5
weighing 0.66 g, which was recovered from the settle- This means that such ports were also a commercial
ment of Hacınebi on the Euphrates River, represents source of income. A relief from Koyuncuk dating to
an important piece of archaeological evidence indicat- the same period depicts two Assyrians carrying stones
ing the presence of such vessels . Analysis has clearly by kelek. In the same relief, there is another man who
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shown impressions of reed bundles and ropes in the helps them while floating on this stomach upon an in-
inner part of the fragment. The watercraft, which was flated sheepskin (Fig. 4). The large 220 meter long and
made of reed bundles, was coated with bitumen to wa- 10 meter high quay wall built by Ashurbanipal (668-
terproof the basketry. This method was used in flow- 626 BC) near the ziggurat, as well as some palatial
ing rivers, particularly in Syria and Iraq, until very buildings that have been unearthed during the excava-
recently. tions in Calah (Nimrud) , are also known to be a part
8
It is likely the rivers in Anatolia and Mesopotamia of the loading and unloading area for goods transport-
were used intensively from the earliest periods due to ed on the river (Fig.5).
the fact that they are suitable for river transport and In southeastern Anatolia, archaeological evidence of
they reach the sea in the south. For this reason, we such harbor structures was uncovered in layers dating
would argue that some mounds and settlements on to the late Roman imperial period and early Middle
the banks of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers were used Ages during the Çattepe excavations in the Botan Val-
for docking, loading, and unloading purposes in riv- ley .
9
4 ÇEVİK 2002, 342, 343, 346, 348.
5 MOOREY 1994, 10.
6 SCHWARTZ 2002, 617-618.
7 YANA 2008, 129.
8 YANA 2008, 129.; CURTİS – READE 1995, 217 pic. 244.
9 SAĞLAMTİMUR 2012, 65; SAĞLAMTİMUR 2013, 130; SAĞLAMTİMUR 2014, 8-9.
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