Kortik Tepe is located at the hamlet of Aşağı Sazlık, near Bismil, in the province of Diyarbakır. The excavations carried out at the site since 2000 have shown similarities between Kortik Tepe and contemporary settlements such as Hallan Çemi, Demirköy and Çayönü; the findings at Kortik Tepe, however, point to a more developed culture.

 

The preliminary results of the excavation have not yet produced a clear picture of the Neolithic architecture, although stone paved areas of a circular plan discovered in trench A6 in the 2002 season have to some extent broadened our knowledge of the building traditions of this settlement. However, the archaeological data uncovered so far has elucidated the burial traditions of the period. In the areas excavated, the deceased were generally buried intramurally beneath compacted earthen floors, similar to the tradition observed at Demirköy, another Neolithic site on the Batman Su, indicating that this was also a Neolithic settlement with intramural burials. All of the ten skeletons discovered during three seasons of excavation at Kortik Tepe were of individuals buried in the hocker position.

The burial gifts found in the graves generally share the same characteristics. The first group of burial gifts, in terms of number, manufacturing techniques and variety of types, is represented by beads. Most of the beads are worked from dark red coloured stones, with some made from white, yellow and black stones. The materials used and the cylindrical forms show similarities with the beads found at other Neolithic sites in the region.

Noteworthy in terms of number and diversity are the implements produced by grinding. Besides tools for various uses, such as axes, pestles, grinding tools and mortars, an important group comprises the stone vessels that had a religious function. These vessels, all made in the same way, from a chloride stone, display differences in shape and decoration. The engraved decoration includes simple and geometric motifs, and there are a few examples with figural decoration. A large quantity of chipped stone tools manufactured for everyday use were found, the material used showing a preference for local flint.