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

which should be assigned to the daggers presented in this study. At the meantime,
majority of the daggers in Central Anatolia are conservatively dated to EB III. As it
was stated earlier, using a dagger typology as a chronological marker is a dangerous
practice. Nevertheless, it is possible to make some suggestions based on available
evidence such as the probability that the type I daggers recovered in Horoztepe, based
on wear patterns, were in use longer than the type II daggers recovered from the same
context. This is also supported by their close typological similarity to daggers from
earlier contexts, such as from Yazılıkaya. The appearance of certain dagger
typologies, such as the arrival of “Cilician” daggers, ca. 2200 B.C., to Central
Anatolia, along with culturally associated material allows us to make chronological
suggestions.
Maturing of the archaeometallurgical studies will certainly deepen our
understanding of the role daggers played in the EBA Anatolia. Another issue which is
not considered in this study is the social significance of daggers in EBA societies. It is
true that we cannot completely understand the significance of a dagger to the wearer in
the EBA. It is clear, however, that the place daggers hold in the human history is
beyond the role of a simple utilitarian tool. The cultural and ritual connotations of
daggers in the history of Anatolia are clearly evident from the impressive snake motif
handled Çatalhöyük lithic dagger, through the relief of Yazılıkaya (Nergal relief) near
Boğazköz, to Ottoman jewel encrusted daggers.
Finally, experimental archaeology can play a role in our understanding of the
manufacturing techniques of the daggers in Central Anatolia during the EBA. As it
was mentioned earlier, there is lack of molds, yet many of them were certainly cast.
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