World Heritage Identification Number: 1622
World Heritage since: 2021
Category: Cultural Heritage
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: 🇹🇷 Türkiye
Continent: Asia
UNESCO World Region: Europe and North America
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Arslantepe Mound: An Ancient City on the Tohma River
The Arslantepe Mound, officially recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021, is a significant archaeological tell situated in the Malatya plain, approximately 15 kilometers south-west of the Euphrates River. This ancient city, historically known as Melid, is now identified with the modern archaeological site of Arslantepe near Malatya, Turkey.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
Arslantepe Mound is a 30-metre-tall archaeological tell located in the Malatya plain, 15 km south-west of the Euphrates River. Archaeological evidence from the site testifies to its occupation from at least the 6th millennium BCE up until the Medieval period. The earliest layers belong to the Late Chalcolithic 1-2 periods, contemporary to Early Uruk in Southern Mesopotamia (4300-3900 BCE) and are characterized by adobe houses. The most prominent and flourishing period of the site was in the Late Chalcolithic 5 period, during which the so-called palace complex was constructed. Considerable evidence also testifies to the Early Bronze Age period, most prominently identified by the Royal Tomb complex. The archaeological stratigraphy then extends to the Middle and Late Bronze Ages and Hittite periods, including Neo-Hittite levels. The site illustrates the processes which led to the emergence of a State society in the Near East and a sophisticated bureaucratic system that predates writing. Exceptional metal objects and weapons have been excavated at the site, among them the earliest swords so far known in the world, which suggests the beginning of forms of organized combat as the prerogative of an elite, who -at Arslantepe- exhibited them as instruments of their new political power.
Encyclopedia Record: Arslantepe
Arslantepe, also known as Melid, was an ancient city on the Tohma River, a tributary of the upper Euphrates rising in the Taurus Mountains. It has been identified with the modern archaeological site of Arslantepe near Malatya, Turkey.Additional Site Details
Area: 4.85 hectares
Coordinates: 38.3822 , 38.3610916667
Image
© Klaus-Peter Simon, CC BY-SA 3.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)
