Chamber Tombs of Çerçili Necropolis and the Cult Area
İbrahim ÜngörThe district of İslâhiye is located in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Region, at the eastern foothills of the Amanos Mountains. This region, which is highly significant in terms of natural resources and strategically important, has hosted different cultures since ancient times. Settlements that began in the Paleolithic Age intensified after the Chalcolithic Age. This density continued throughout the Bronze Age, Iron Age, Middle Ages, and up to the present day. Some of the roads and passes that connect Syria and Anatolia, and are of great importance, pass through this region.
The Çerçili Necropolis, which is the subject of this study, was first identified during surface surveys in 2009. The necropolis area was created by carving into the rocky slope at the eastern foothills of the Amanos Mountains, at the western end of the Çerçili district, located 5 km west of the İslâhiye district. The necropolis site contains chamber tombs with arcosolia, cult niches, and a levelled area within the burial area, which is believed to be a cult space, measuring 24 square meters. The investigation of the Çerçili Necropolis, as part of the surface surveys, aims to contribute to the research on the Roman period, burial typologies, and funeral traditions in the region.
Çerçili Nekropolü Oda Mezarları ve Kült Alanı
İbrahim Üngörİslâhiye ilçesi, Akdeniz Bölgesi’nin doğusunda, Amanos Dağları’nın doğu eteklerinde yer almaktadır. Doğal kaynaklar ve stratejik açıdan oldukça önemli bir konumda bulunan bölge, tarihin en eski dönemlerinden itibaren farklı kültürlere ev sahipliği yapmıştır. Paleolitik Çağ’da başlayan yerleşimler, Kalkolitik Çağ’dan sonra yoğunlaşmıştır. Bu yoğunluk Tunç Çağ, Demir Çağ, Orta Çağ boyunca ve günümüze kadar devam etmiştir. Suriye ve Anadolu’yu birbirine bağlayan ve son derece önemli olan yollar ve geçitlerin bazıları da bu bölgededir.
Bu çalışmaya konu olan Çerçili Nekropolü ilk kez 2009 yılı yüzey araştırmaları sırasında tespit edilmiştir. Nekropol alanı, İslâhiye ilçesinin 5 km batısında yer alan Çerçili mahallesinin batı ucunda, Amanos Dağları’nın doğu eteklerinde bulunan kayalık yamaca oyularak oluşturulmuştur. Nekropol sahasında arcosoliumlu oda mezarlar, kült nişleri ve mezar sahasının içinde kült alanı olabileceği düşünülen 24 m2 genişlikte düzleştirilmiş bir alan bulunmaktadır. Yüzey araştırmaları kapsamında incelenen Çerçili Nekropolü ile bölgenin Roma dönemi, mezar tipolojileri ve ölü gömme gelenekleri araştırmalarına katkı verilmesi amaçlanmaktadır.
İslahiye and its surrounding areas are one of the regions of Anatolia with a large amount of historical and archaeological studies. Nevertheless, there remains a little research related to Roman artifacts and no comprehensive studies that cover the Roman period. In 2009 we conducted surface surveys and khamosorion-style graves were discovered in the area called Leçe, located in the northern part of İslahiye. These findings were published in 2016. The tombs are dated to the 5th or 6th centuries AD. The existence of a very complex network of Roman roads has also been identified in the same place. In 2021 our surveys concluded that the road network extends to Örtülü Castle, the Beyler district of İslahiye and Nikopolis Castle in the center of the district. Also, a settlement at the foot of the Amanos Mountains and a necropolis consisting of a Tepeobası rock chamber tomb and various khamosorion tombs were identified and the related studies were published by our team in 2016. In addition, many archaeological sites of various types that date to the Roman Period have been identified. All these discoveries indicate an active Roman presence in the region and, therefore, demonstrate a need to increase the number of surveys and studies in this area. More detailed studies in 2021 were conducted in the framed chamber tombs and the area used for burial rituals by using surveys. This was a site that our team had previously been aware of when conducting the surveys. It is located on the western end of the Çerçili district about 5 km west of the town of İslahiye at the eastern base of the Amanos Mountains. It is also located about 1 km north of the Tepeobası Necropolis and it is close to the mound where the settlement from the Roman period was discovered. The chamber tombs, sacrificial niches and the area for burial rituals were made by carving out rock blocks from the southern slope of this large rocky area. The sacrificial niche is located at the western of the necropolis site. It is understood that there are two sacrificial niches here. The first niche was made by carving a rock block 1 meter above ground level. The front side of the niche faces south. The lower part of the niche has been destroyed due to road construction. The width of the base is 1,20 m and the height is 0,90 m. The second sacrificial niche is located on the north side of the same rock block. The front side of this niche faces east. An important place that we have also identified at this site is the area used for burial rituals. This area is 6x4 meters and it is in front of the entrance of Rock Chamber Tomb 5 just east of the sacrificial niches. During our examination, it was understood that this place was created specifically to facilitate the final rituals necessary before the burial of the dead. In addition, one of the important sets of tomb structures we have identified in this area is 21 rock tombs. When naming these tombs, it was necessary to use some abbreviations, starting from the west. The Çerçili Necropolis Area West is abbreviated as ÇB. The tombs located eastward from the Çerçili Necropolis Site are referred to as Çerçili Middle West, abbreviated as ÇOB, indicating the tombs located between Çerçili West and East. The necropolises to the north of this area are referred to as ÇOB-N, and the tombs located to the north and at a higher elevation of this site are referred to as Çerçili North, abbreviated as ÇK. The tomb located in the easternmost part is abbreviated as Çerçili East or ÇD. Most of them are chamber tombs with arcosolium and klinai. Some of them are quite well preserved, while some are scarcely intact, and some are almost destroyed. Chamber tombs were created by carving out blocks of rock. In most of the graves, the entrance is narrow but long. All these entrances, however, are in a Dromos-style shape with openings on the top. The length of the dromos entrances, which are more clearly visible in the western chamber tombs, is about 2 meters. The main entrance doors of the rooms have dimensions ranging from 0,80-1 m wide and 0,60-1 m high. The width of the burial chambers varies between 6 m2 and 20 m2 . There are 3 arcosolium carved on the east, west and north walls of the rooms. An aesthetic connection is formed within the architecture of the arcosolium in the form of an inverted triangle. The entrances of some of the burial chambers are completely closed. It was seen that they were covered with soil and olive tree saplings were planted over them. It is understood that some of the rooms have been used as storage by the villagers in the district.
Similar examples of these types of chamber tombs and areas used for burial rituals are found in Pirin/Perre in Adıyaman, Besni Yukarı Söğütlü, Gaziantep Doliche/ Dülük, the Zeugma/Belkıs tombs in the districts of Oğuzeli, Yavuzeli and Araban. The framed necropolis, which we think was created to reflect aspects of the local pagan belief, cannot be dated later than the 1st or 2nd centuries AD. We believe that the chamber tombs and the site used for burial rituals discussed in this study will form a very important foundation for further studies of Roman period artifacts in the region.
