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

place. This is most obvious by the sacrificial remains of bovines. The severed heads
and heads of the bovines are placed by the grave in a matter similar to those found in
Alaca Höyük. Also, just as in the Alaca Höyük graves, earthen cups were placed in the
graves which were likely to contain liquids. This tradition of providing the deceased
with food and liquids along with the deceased having been buried with their daily
belongings, such as jewelry and weapons, indicates a religious belief that the person
needed these items in afterlife (Yıldırım, 2010: 18).
The majority of the monochrome pottery recovered from the graves in
Resuloğlu falls into the typology of the Yeşilırmak and Halys river region of the last
quarter of the third millennium B.C. The black burnished vessels with grove and dot
decorations which imitate metal forms are found in the region from Çorum to the
Black Sea, especially as a grave offering (Yıldırım, 2010: 18). In addition to
monochrome pottery, metal vessels recovered from the graves. The typology of the
vessels fits well within the Çorum, Amasya, Tokat, Merzifon, and Amasya regions
(Yıldırım, 2010: 19).
The metal weapons are another category of grave offerings found in the
Resuloğlu graves. While some of the weapons are rendered useless by bending, some
of the others were placed in the grave without any intentional damage. The weapon
repertoire was composed of daggers, shafted axes and small number of mace heads.
The typology of the shafted axes recovered from the Resuloğlu cemetery not only
includes the Central Anatolian and Central Black Sea repertoire, but, in addition, there
are some types of axes which have close parallels in the south Caucasian region.
37