Kemalpaşa Ulucak Höyük (Mound)

Kemalpaşa District of Izmir is located in the eastern part of Bornova district. Kemalpaşa is known for its interesting villages as well as its historical and cultural sites. Ulucak Höyük, which is a serious tourist attraction in Kemalpaşa, is seven kms away from the district center. At the same time, the mound is located close to the NIF stream and is on a very fertile plain. Layers belonging to different periods are found in Ulucak Höyük. Of course, the most valuable of these are the Neolithic layers. The most serious research related to Ulucak Höyük begins in 1960 thanks to a British researcher who came to the region. It is known that official and systematic excavations on the mound began in 1995. In these studies, the Aegean University has as much influence as the Izmir Archaeological Museum. Systematic excavations that continued until 2012 indicate that the settlement in the mound began with the Akeramic Neolithic period. Altan Çilingiroglu presides over these excavations. This settlement continued actively until the late Roman Byzantine period. Excavations take place separately at both the mound and the cemetery site. As a result of these excavations, the oldest settlements here date back exactly 8 thousand years. Many vital figures stand as they are due to the abandonment of the residential area after the fire. Especially terracotta, bones, stones are easily removed from the surface. All unearthed finds are published together with a special monograph in 2004. Kemalpaşa Ulucak Höyük is approximately 220 meters high from the sea. To come to the mound Bornova-Turgutlu Ankara highway can be followed. In the northern part of Ulucak Höyük, the Spil mountain rises. The land dimensions of the mound are 120x140 meters. There is a culture filling in the mound which is approximately ten meters in length. The five-metre portion of this is above the lowland level.