Before the Middle Bronze Age Re-Urbanization at the Hinterland Site of Toprakhi̇sar Höyük (Hatay, Türki̇ye)

This article explores the Early Bronze Age IVB (ca. 2300-2100 BC) and Middle Bronze Age I (ca. 2100-1800 BC) levels encountered during the research-rescue excavations conducted at Toprakhisar Höyük, a peripheral site located in the hilly landscape of the Altınözü district of Hatay. The archaeological remains exposed provided the possibility to explore research questions regarding the Early Bronze Age collapse and Middle Bronze Age re-urbanization from the stand point of the highland periphery in relation to the city centers of Tell Tayinat and Tell Atchana in the Amuq Valley of Hatay. The mixed corpus of the ephemeral Early Bronze IVB assemblage that includes elements from the Early Transcaucasian to North Syrian cultural horizon was followed by the appearance of a new local material culture in the early phases of the Middle Bronze Age. This allows us to contribute to current debates, including the expansion of the Amorites and Hurrians, and brings forward a hypothesis developed around climate change induced long distance mobility patterns and cultural hybridization. The functional role of the site as an olive oil and wine producer has been suggested to be a strong economic aspect of the site in terms of its levels that witnessed environmental and anthropogenic stress followed by the subsequent urban expansion period.