Taşkun Kale

The medieval fortress and church of Taşkun Kale were partially excavated in 1970 and 1971. No excavations took place in 1972, as the Aşvan Project's endeavours were concentrated elsewhere.Earlier reports in this journal (AS XXI (1971), 6–8, and XXII (1972), 14–15) concentrated on the architectural finds. This article consists of a more detailed account of the site and the remains, followed by some thoughts on Taşkun Kale's historical significance. It is an interim report in traditional style. A full and systematic use of the data gathered by Wagstaff, Payne, Hillman, etc., must await the completion of their studies.The Site (Figs. 1 and 2)Taşkun Kale lies about 4 km. SSE of the village of Aşvan on the edge of a rolling plain (“undulating upland basin” – Wagstaff p. 210). Eastwards it over looks a small valley at a point where the valley sides fall steeply to rushy flats, through which a perennial stream, the Kuru Çay, flows north towards the Murat.The terrain is uneven. North and south of the site tributary wadis break the valley sides. The highest point is the kale proper, a flat topped höyük formed of occupational débris, below which there may well be a natural eminence which attracted the first settlers.