Taşkun Kale

Taşkun Kale is a mound 31 km from Elazığ city center. northwest of Muratcik Village, formerly known as Asvan. The hill is 150 meters in diameter and 20 meters high. In some years, it becomes an island within the Keban Dam Lake. There is an İlhanlı castle on the mound. The settlement is seen as a small agricultural settlement.

Excavations
The mound was discovered in 1967 during the survey conducted by R. Whallon and S. Kantman in order to determine the archaeological values that will remain under the Keban Dam Lake. Excavations were carried out from 1970 to 1973 under the direction of David French from the British Institute of Archeology at Ankara, under the direction of A. McNicoll, within the framework of the Aşvan Project.

Stratification
The stratification in the mound begins in a similar way to the Aşvan Kale Mound. Early settlement of Early Bronze Age II. and III. It is stated that the mound, which was abandoned for a while, was inhabited again in the Late Hellenistic Period and the Middle Ages.

Findings
Made of adobe, 50 cm. Only two rooms of a rectangular building measuring 6.5 x 4.5 meters with thick walls were unearthed. Among these rooms, there is a horseshoe-shaped hearth and a bench in the big room with plastered walls. The function of the adjacent room is not understood.

Early Bronze Age pottery finds are scarce. The dominant ware group is Karaz pottery, which is defined as dark-faced burnished ware. Rail-necked pots are the most common forms. In addition, sherds from Malatya - Elazig paint decorated ware were also found. Motifs such as wave motifs, parallel lines, and solid triangles are seen. Embellishments were made with reddish brown paint on a cream and pink slip.

The only published example of the chipped stone finds are the winged arrows made of flint, which have been seen since the Chalcolithic Age.

The metal finds unique to Taşkun Kale Mound are bronze pens. It is one of the rare examples with its square-section, neck tongue and hexagon-sectioned barrel.

Damage status
The Keban Dam Lake, which rises from time to time, turns the mound into a small island and this situation gradually causes destruction.