Archaeological works at Hirbemerdon Tepe (Turkey). A preliminary report on the first three Seasons.

The increased numbers of archaeological activities underway as a result of the project- ed construction of the Ilisu Dam, to be built along the Tigris River in Southeastern Ana- tolia, have brought to light numerous structures associated with the material culture from late 3rd to mid-2nd Millennium BC. These assemblages consistently feature a characterizing local ceramic production, the so-called Red Brown Wash Ware, usually found in contexts associated with materials similar to those available form contemporaneous periods in Upper Mesopotamia as the Khabur Ware. Moreover, several elements of this local pro- duction recall examples available from late 3rd millennium contexts in central and north- eastern Anatolia, such as the presence of decorated portable hearths. This paper will investigate the apparent cultural interactions which took place between the Mesopotami- an and Anatolia regions during the above-mentioned period drawing on recent data obtained at the site of Hirbemerdon Tepe.