Yanik Tepe

 ( Archaeological Sites In The Central Anatolia Region ) 

Yanik Tepe () is a Chalcolithic and Bronze Age archaeological site in East Azerbaijan province, Iran.

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Site description The site is located in Tabriz, Iran, east of Lake Urmia and about 30 kilometers southwest of the city of Tabriz.C. A. Burney, 1961. “Excavations at Yanik Tepe, North-west Iran,” Iran 23, pp. 138–153.

Yanik Tepe is a relatively large tell (8 hectares) that rises 16.6 meters above the surrounding plain. It is one of the main protohistoric sites excavated in the region after the Second World War, along with Geoy Tepe and Haftavan Tepe. Excavations at Yanik Tepe were conducted by Charles A. Burney from 1960 to 1962.Burney, C. A. (1964). "The excavations at Yanik Tepe, Azerbaijan, 1962: third preliminary report". Iraq, 26(1), 54–61. His excavations revealed a sequence spanning the Chalcolithic (4th millennium BC) to the Early Bronze Age (3rd millennium BC).

The Early Transcaucasian II–III (Kura–Araxes) culture flourished around the northern half of the Lake Urmia basin during the 3rd millennium BC. Yanik Tepe is one of the sites that yield clear evidence for this culture.C. A. Burney, 1962. “Excavation at Yanik Tepe, iran, 1961,” Iran 24, 1962, pp. 134–152.

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Bone object A bone object found in the Bronze Age layers of the site was originally interpreted by Burney as an amulet. In 2011, ophthalmologist Sahihi Oskooei claimed that it was instead the world's oldest eyewear, made to correct optical problems.Oskooei et al 2011. "An Ophthalmological Study of Fourth Millennium BC eye wears from Iranian and World Museums", Pazhoohandeh 7(85): 356–367. Similar objects have been found in excavations at Çatalhöyük, where they may have been used as belt hooks.Russell, N. (1995). "Çatalhöyük worked bone. Changing materialities at Çatalhöyük: Reports from the22, 1999, 339–368.

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