Lower Göksu Archaeological Salvage Survey: The Fourth Season

The Lower Göksu Archaeological Salvage Survey Project (LGASSP) continued with a short season in 2016; aiming to document more archaeological sites and monuments in the valley before the construction of the Kayraktepe Dam (Mersin Province, Southern Turkey). The 2016 season focused mainly on the Kurtsuyu River Basin and the area surrounding the village of Evkafçiftliği, resulting in the discovery of several sites that had not been previously documented. Further investigations were conducted around the multi-period mound of Damtepe, and the Keben Çolakkız rock relief; in order to better understand the relationship of these archaeological sites with their immediate vicinity. This article presents a summary of the results of the field season, followed by discussion of settlement patterns in the valley in the light of these new data. LGASSP is jointly conducted by Bitlis Eren University and the University of Leicester, and is currently funded by the British Academy through a Newton Advanced Fellowship.