EARLY BRONZE AGE DAGGERS IN CENTRAL ... - Bilkent University

3.1 Chronological Limits of Early Bronze Age
The Early Bronze Age (EBA) is dated between ca. 3200-3000 B.C. and ca.
2000-1950 B.C. The date given for the beginning of the EBA, as mentioned above,
has two hundred years of uncertainty. At the same time, the end of the EBA, although
it was mentioned earlier that the termination of the EBA era is marked by the
appearance Assyrian merchant colonies, the absolute date for this transition is not
clear as well. Moreover, the internal division dates of the EBA into EB I, II and III are
a hotly debated issue in Anatolian archaeology.
Dating the beginning of the EBA is not an easy task since the date given will
have its repercussions in the following centuries. The early date (3200 B.C.) suggested
for the start of the EBA is based on interregional connections in Anatolia. Troy
deserves our attention here since, essentially, Troy was the “touchstone” in
chronological studies in Anatolia together with Tarsus. The longest studied site in
Anatolia, Troy, had, however, its own problematic chronological interpretations
fueling many debates amongst the scholars. While Mellink has argued that Troy I is
contemporary with Tarsus EB II, which places the beginning of Troy I to ca. 2700 BC,
Mellaart believed that Tarsus EB IIIa must start later than the beginning of Troy II,
effectively correlating Troy I with Tarsus EB I, instead of with Tarsus EB III (Easton,
1976: 145). Mellaart also suggested that the Cilician EB I start before the end of the
fourth millennium (Easton, 1976: 145). Therefore, although 3200 B.C. might be
accepted as beginning of the EBA, its effects should be carefully considered.
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