CONSIDERING THE RE-USE OF LATE BRONZE AGE BUILDINGS IN LIGHT OF CONTEXTUAL INFORMATION AND HUMAN REMAINS AT BEYCESULTAN

Abstract

Beycesultan was an important city located in Western Anatolia during the 2 nd millennium BC. The com- plex political situation in the area caused conflicts between the Arzawan political entity and the Hitites in central Anatolia. Several episodes of destruction by fire at the settlement are thought to be results of these conflicts and the human remains found within the settlement were the victims. The site was resettled after these large fire destructions, believed to be by original settlers. The aim of this work to understand the na- ture of the deposition of the human remains within the settlement and whether these people were killed in the attacks and/or by the fires. The study of human remains from one building reveals that the human bones within this space were de- posited secondarily, which raises more questions about the identity of the new settlers.