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The medieval fortress and church of Taşkun Kale were partially excavated in 1970 and 1971. No excavations took place in 1972, as the Aşvan Project's endeavours were concentrated elsewhere.
Earlier reports in this journal (AS XXI (1971), 6–8, and XXII (1972), 14–15) concentrated on the architectural finds. This article consists of a more detailed account of the site and the remains, followed by some thoughts on Taşkun Kale's historical significance. It is an interim report in traditional style. A full and systematic use of the data gathered by Wagstaff, Payne, Hillman, etc., must await the completion of their studies.
The Site (Figs. 1 and 2)
Taşkun Kale lies about 4 km. SSE of the village of Aşvan on the edge of a rolling plain (“undulating upland basin” – Wagstaff p. 210). Eastwards it over looks a small valley at a point where the valley sides fall steeply to rushy flats, through which a perennial stream, the Kuru Çay, flows north towards the Murat.
The terrain is uneven. North and south of the site tributary wadis break the valley sides. The highest point is the kale proper, a flat topped höyük formed of occupational débris, below which there may well be a natural eminence which attracted the first settlers.
1 The name Kuru Çay is found on the 1:25,000 map. I have never heard the name used locally.
2 The “intensive cultivation” areas of the Aşvan district are discussed by Hillman p. 219 (see his Fig. 1). “It is possible that the irrigable area near Taşkun Kale has decreased over the centuries. This might be due to slumping of material or aggradation, but I think that the real change has probably been brought about by downcutting, which has taken the stream way down below the feasible level for flow irrigation.” (Wagstaff, in a letter of 7th March, 1973.)
3 See Wagstaff's comments, above, note 2.
4 It is possible that the site at Taşkun is comprised of two or more contiguous medieval settlements of different periods. However, because the vantage point, the kale, was only occupied once, I consider this hypothesis unlikely.
5 Two inscriptions attest to this. A decree in Ani tells how the last Ilkhanid ruler of any note, Abū Sa'īd (1316–35), tried to ameliorate the lot of the inhabitants ( Lynch, H. B. F., Armenia I, 377 Google Scholar). At Ankara another decree of Abū Sa'īd records his regulations concerning taxation ( Wittek, P., Zur Geschichte Angoras im Mittelalter, 347–8Google Scholar).
6 Taylor, J. G., in JRGS 38 (1868), 315 Google Scholar. The reference was given to me by Malcolm Wagstaff.
7 Çemişgezek is a small town N of Aşvan in the foothills of the Munzur Mts.
