RESEARCH PROJECT SUMMARIES
The Children Of Neolithic Çatalhöyük: Burial Symbolism And Social Metaphor The burials of Çatalhöyük have received a great deal of attention since Mellaart first began excavations in the early 1960s. His initial publications regarding beneath-floor and platform burials have piqued interest in this Neolithic community, and raised questions surrounding their cosmological beliefs. The focus of my Ph.D dissertation through Cornell University examines the differential mortuary treatment between children and adults and what influences children, their social roles, and individual agency may have had upon ritual, concepts of sacred space, and traditions regarding death.
The Emergence of Dairying in Early Farming Practices of the Fertile Crescent and the Balkans A Leverhulme Trust funded project is aiming to determine the timing of the emergence of dairying in early farming practices through analyses of milk fat residues in pottery using a compound-specific stable isotope method developed by the Bristol group ( Science 1998) and previously applied to the study of the importance of dairying in prehistoric Britain ( Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences USA 2003). This new project will be the largest regional study ever undertaken using organic residues to answer an archaeological question. Since we will be drawing on pottery from sites across a wide geographic and temporal range, we have sought the cooperation of a large number of archaeologists, which includes the site of Çatalhöyük.
Isotope Studies This first year of fieldwork focused on beginning collection of modern fauna skeletal material with different diets and forage ranges to establish a picture of the natural isotopic variation in the geology of the Konya Plain, the Taurus to the south of Çatalhöyük, and Cappadocia. These isotopic reference values will eventually be used in a study of prehistoric mobility patterns at the site, beginning with caprines and an examination of herding systems. Samples were obtained with the help of individuals from Türkmencamili, Süleymanhacı , and Küçükköy as well as forays by the author. The key requirement for potential fauna was that their entire diet was of local origin to reflect local isotopic values. The modern geologic isotopic variation is useful as a reference for prehistoric values (and thus a potential measure of past mobility) because the geology of southern Turkey has not changed substantially in the intervening millennia since Çatalhöyük was inhabited. For instance, while the alluvial fan on which the site was constructed has continued to aggrade, the sediments are derived from the same sources in the Taurus. Thus their geological composition is ultimately similar. And there has not been volcanic activity in central Anatolia sufficient to transform the landscape from that used by the occupants of the site. Animals are preferable to soil or other ‘environmental' samples because they average, to differing degrees, the variations based on soil type and composition. These variations, however, stem from common bedrock geology and research has shown that in a geologically defined region they form a biologically available average.
Off-Site Investigation of Natural Resources The aim of this project is to understand the geological depositional contexts that may have been used by the ancient settlers of Çatalhöyük. Mud and clay are essential materials modified and transformed in Çatalhöyük, used in the construction of houses to the production of figurines, clay balls, and pottery. Preliminary analyses conducted on pottery show that there is at least two different clay resources used in the production of pottery, both which have not been identified. Investigations carried on mud brick show different recipes used by different households. This information is points to the existence of different mud/clay resources used in the settlement. Understanding the extent of access and control over these resources is an important step towards revealing the complex relationships amongst the different households that have been uncovered at the site.
Fire and Burning at Çatalhöyük: Integrating Forensic Practise Whilst the traces of structural burning at Çatalhöyük arguably form one of the most vivid and dramatic images of the site, there would appear to have been comparatively little close analysis of the preserved material, from the point of view of the burning event itself. This season's work has attempted to begin the process of integrating techniques from the fields of forensic fire investigation and fire engineering. It is hoped that a methodology integrating this practise, together with experimentation and observation in the field might be developed. This would assist in analysing traces of structural burning and consequently with the formulation of hypotheses regarding the character and origin of these burning events.
Çatalhöyük Animal Figurines: Emphasis on Use or Creation? This study focused on animal figurines from the site of Çatalhöyük, to determine if the primary purpose of the clay animal figurines was in the moulding of the clay and its symbolic value or if the figurines were created specifically for a certain use or purpose. There are several possible purposes for the small clay figurines of Çatalhöyük. It is likely that types of figurines were created for different purposes (Ucko 1968: 443). These purposes include use in domestic rituals as vehicle of magic figurines (followed by immediate disposal), games pieces, teaching purposes, or toys. Some may have been created specifically as toys or for teaching purposes (Hamilton, Forthcoming: 35; Hamilton 1996: 225; Ucko 1968: 421; 444). Some may reveal the specific role of different species. This includes distinguishing wild species from domesticated. The figurines depicted as sitting or lying down may be related to domestication (Braidwood et al. 1983: 376; Hamilton, Forthcoming: 31; Hamilton 1996: 225). These theories concerning the variety of uses were supported through fieldwork and the sources of data used in this study.
Auditory archaeology at Çatalhöyük: preliminary research The aim of this research was to develop an auditory archaeology at Çatalhöyük during the 2004 field season. Auditory archaeology aims to foster a dialogue and instigate a research agenda acknowledging the important influence and significance of the sound environment in past daily life. Research at Çatalhöyük is a site specific application and concerns sounds associated with the built environment involving studies within and between surviving and reconstructed buildings at the site. The aim is to represent the prehistoric aural environment at Çatalhöyük and assess its potential social significance. In particular, research aims to contextualise past sounds and ground them in the web of material evidence at Çatalhöyük.
Shared Endeavors Across Disciplinary Boundaries: Exploring Collaboration Between Archaeologists and Conservators Archaeologists and conservators have long shared common goals -both work toward preserving the past and contributing new knowledge of past cultures. Professionals are increasingly being called upon to work together in various circumstances to make decisions, solve problems and train others. Notwithstanding the expectation that archaeologists and conservators form effective alliances, little is known about the extent to which there is common ground between them. My research at Çatalhöyük and other projects addresses this need through an analysis of written and verbal texts of archaeologists and conservators engaged in joint activities. This work is based on the propositions that:
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