This July, Dr Charlotte Diffey spent two weeks at the site of Kaymakҫı in Western Türkiye processing archaeobotanical samples as part of the Kaymakҫı Archaeological Project (KAP) in collaboration with Koҫ University, Istanbul. The site itself is a Middle and Late Bronze Age fortified citadel, located on the western shore of Lake Marmara. In recent years, the lake has dried up, but due to heavy rains in the winter of 2025-2026, some parts of the lake have returned along with flamingos and other wetland wildlife species. Currently, Kaymakҫı is the largest known 2nd-millenium BCE citadel in Western Anatolia and is thought to have been a significant regional capital of the Seha River land. The site, however, was completely abandoned at the end of the Late Bronze Age with evidence from ceramics suggesting that it was never resettled.
An understanding of the local environment, agricultural practices and plant use along with human and livestock diet, is an important research strand at the site and soil samples for archaeobotanical samples are taken from every excavated context to maximise ancient plant item recovery. These are processed using a flotation machine before both the light fraction (flot) and heavy residue are sorted at the dig house. During this season Dr Diffey was able to process all archaeobotanical samples from the current excavation season, and identified a number of plant species that correspond well with current understandings of plant use and agriculture at the site (Shin et al. 2021). This included typical cereal and pulse crops, with some examples of grape.
The KAP project is highly collaborative, and Dr Diffey benefitted greatly from many interesting discussions with other specialists also present at the site. Archaeobotanical analysis of the Kaymakҫı material will continue in the next academic year with visits to the Koҫ University Research Center for Anatolian Civilizations in Istanbul, before further excavation in 2027.
For more information see:
Shin, N., Marston, J. M., Luke C., Roosevelt, C. H. & Riehl, S. 2021. ‘Agricultural practices at Bronze Age Kaymakci, western Anatolia’, Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 36 102800.
