Çavuştepe — Upper Citadel Store Room (Urartu)
Çavuştepe Store
Iron Age to Classical (700 BCE–300 CE)·Iron Age fortified culture·🇹🇷 Van, Gürpınar, Çavuştepe, Turkey
About
About Çavuştepe — Upper Citadel Store Room (Urartu)
Çavuştepe — Upper Citadel Store Room (Urartu) in Van, Gürpınar, Çavuştepe, Turkey is a Iron Age to Classical (700 BCE–300 CE) fortress attributed to Iron Age fortified culture. Systematic survey and photogrammetry document stratified deposits. The site includes a principal necropolis and domestic quarter. Dimensions 174m × 185m; area unmeasured ha. Excavation unexcavated; condition submerged. Peer-reviewed reports and georeferenced plans available.
Why it mattersKey Iron Age fortified culture fortress with stratified sequence and landscape setting at 1850 m elevation.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Function and labor organization
- 02Relation to regional network
Theories
- 01Ceremonial centre
- 02Territorial marker
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 600 BCE
- Period
- Iron Age to Classical (700 BCE–300 CE)
- Culture
- Iron Age fortified culture
- Purpose
- Fortified citadel and control point
- Excavation
- Unexcavated
c. 600 BCE
Initial construction / foundation
c. 1140 BCE
Major refurbishment / second phase
1955
Antiquarian record, modern excavation from 1960s
c. 1587 CE
Abandonment
On the ground
Structures & features
38.3600° N · 43.4500° E · 1850 m · 4 mapped features
- Principal MonumentstructurePrincipal Monument at Çavuştepe — Upper Citadel Store Room (Urartu) — structure with stratified deposits38.3581° N · 43.4511° E
- Ancillary ComplexcomplexAncillary Complex at Çavuştepe — Upper Citadel Store Room (Urartu) — complex with stratified deposits38.3622° N · 43.4522° E
- Outlier FeatureoutlierOutlier Feature at Çavuştepe — Upper Citadel Store Room (Urartu) — outlier with stratified deposits38.3595° N · 43.4525° E
- Reservoir/CisternhydraulicReservoir/Cistern at Çavuştepe — Upper Citadel Store Room (Urartu) — hydraulic with stratified deposits38.3623° N · 43.4477° E