Luminescence dating of prehistoric site of smintheion (Gulpinar) in NW Turkey

Abstract

This study aims to place the prehistoric settlement of Smintheion in northwestern Turkey in its temporal setting on the basis of the dating of the quartz from pottery and sediments collected from the site employing Optically Stimulated Luminescence and Thermoluminescence techniques. The site belongs to the problematic Middle Chalcolithic period in western Anatolia. This period represents a cultural upheaval in western Anatolia as it has a completely different material culture when compared to that of the preceding Early Chalcolithic period. The pottery and sediment samples were collected from two different locations of the Middle Chalcolithic settlement at Smintheion for dating study. The fact that this examined settlement is represented by a single cultural level provides an opportunity to obtain secure and reliable dates for the settlement. Results of this study show that the site can be dated to a period between 4800 and 4500 B.C.