Salvage Excavations of a Stone Cist Grave at Açıkköy, Mardin: An Archaeological and Archaeometric Evaluation

In 2015, Mardin Museum conducted salvage excavations at the site of a stone-cist grave, found by illicit diggers in Açıkköy village of Nusaybin district in modern Mardin province. This study presents an archaeological evaluation of the grave structure and its contents, and the results of archaeometic analyses conducted on the ceramic and metal objects deposited as grave goods. In terms of its structure and burial customs, the grave displays characteristics known from cist graves found within the upper Tigris basin. Ceramics belong to Ninevite 5 incised-excised ware and simple ware. Other significant finds in the grave are metal objects including an awl, ornamental pins, and a seal. Comparable examples of the awl and the pin types are attested to in the region and neighboring regions, and the seal is engraved in Jemdet Nasr style. Elemental composition analysis of the metal objects demonstrate that they were made of copper (Cu) with arsenic (As) content in high enough proportions to indicate intentional alloying. In the light of its archaeological assemblage, we may conclude that this cist grave is dateable to Early Bronze Age I (3200-3000 BC) and it must have belonged to a high-status individual of the local elite.