Topaklı Höyük (1969-1972) Appliqué Animal Head Ceramics

During excavations at Topaklı Höyük between 1969 and 1972, appliqué animal-head ceramics were unearthed at various levels. These ceramics include round-mouthed jugs, pots, and bath vessels. Compared to similar ones, a spool was added to the handle of the round-mouthed jug, which dates back to 10-9th BCE, and an animal head shape was given to it. This animal head-shaped protrusion is highlighted with paint. In the Late Iron Age, appliqué animal heads were added to the rim of pot and bath vessels. The horizontal handles of other ceramics recovered from the layer dating to the same period are in the shape of animal heads. In these ceramics recovered from the Iron Age layers of Topaklı Höyük, appliqué animal heads appear on the ceramics as handles and on the rim after the spool protrusion on the handles in the early examples. We can also see such use of appliqué animal heads in Topaklı Höyük in many settlements in the Kızılırmak Basin. This study examines the changes in appliqué animal head ceramics during the Iron Age. The use of appliqué animal heads on ceramics increased in the Late Iron Age. This paper discusses this increase in the Late Iron Age and dwells upon the origin of these ceramics, which were widely used in the Kızılırmak Basin.