Özet:

Obsidian has been distributed to long distances with various exchange models since the earliest periods. Thus, obsidian is one of the most ideal archaeological materials in determining the interregional relations and the social structure in the prehistoric times. During the excavations carried out in China-Tepecik Höyük within the borders of China district of Aydin province, a total of 10,070 chipped stone artefacts were found and 6113 of them are made of obsidian. It is understood that the use of obsidian in tool making has been more frequent than the other types of rock in the Chinese since the Chalcolithic Age. In this article, the general structure of the obsidian artefacts obtained from the Chalcolithic, Early, Middle and Late Bronze Age layers of China-Tepecik High and its place in the obsidian procurement and exchange network are explained. XRF analysis was performed in order to understand the source of these obsidian artefacts. In addition, techno-typological investigations were carried out on the artefacts in order to understand the general structure of the obsidian industry. The data were used to determine China-Tepecik Höyük's role in obsidian distribution and it was understood that obsidian was supplied in different ways from Melos and Giali Islands and Nenezi, Göllüdağ and Acıgöl sources in Central Anatolia. It appears that obsidian that was obtained from more than one source was transported to the settlement with different exchange models. Due to its strategic position, China-Tepecik Höyük through the Menderes River Valley is thought to have been an important settlement for obsidian distribution since the Chalcolithic period. From this perspective, China-Tepecik Höyük has an important place among the contemporary settlements in Western Anatolia.

Anahtar Kelimeler: