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

of such a dagger in the Central Anatolian region comes from Göller Mezarlığı (Cat.
No: 13). Özgüç (1980) compared the technical skill and the execution of the Göller
Mezarlığı dagger with the silver dagger from tomb K in Alaca Höyük (Özgüç, 1980:
470-71). Unfortunately, the Göller Mezarlığı dagger was purchased from a private
dealer in 1971. It is generally agreed that it was either looted from Göller Mezarlığı or
Oymaağaç Mezarlığı where similar objects are found (Özgüç, 1980: 468). Göller
Mezarlığı dagger is dated to the late third millennium B.C based on stylistic grounds
(Mellink, 1969-70: 11). Since the Göller dagger has no solid provenance or context, it
is difficult to make a solid statement with regard to its origin. The technology of a
wide tang with double rivets is also found at Troy, although, these daggers in Troy
have rhombic cross section. Stronach suggests (1957:99) that the silver Alaca dagger
might have been imported as an exotic weapon from Western Anatolia is reasonable,
yet cannot be proven with certainty. It would be an anthropologically possible theory
that the silver dagger from Tomb K might have been part of a gift exchange between
the elites of Alaca and Ovabayındır region in Western Anatolia to forge alliance. In
addition, if in fact the dagger from Ovabayındır is lead treated, this might suggest that
the dagger from Ovabayındır (Fig. 14) shows an attempt to imitate a prestigious silver
dagger like the one found in Alaca Höyük.
There are two Type I (f) daggers from Alaca Höyük and both are made out of
Iron (Cat. No: 7 and 8). They are proposed to be produced in Alaca Höyük based on
the three iron artifacts found below an EB III mineral melting furnace (Çınaroğlu-
Çelik, 2009: 92-93). Although both of these daggers might be local production,
Stronach states that “both weapons appear to be descended from forms that evolved in
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