Micromorphology at Çatalhöyük, 1997 by Wendy Matthews

Tables and Appendices

Table 1: Sampling strategy: scales of analytical focus and sample size.

Sample type Sample size Sample nature
Excavation Unit of excavation Intact > disaggregated
Micro-excavation: field laboratory Large block c. 50 cm3 Intact > disaggregated
Micro-excavation and sub-sampling: specialist analytical laboratory Small block c. 10 cm3 Intact > disaggregated
Micromorphology Slice 13.5 x 6.5 cm, 25-30 µm Intact
Flotation 30 litres Disaggregated
Archive 250-500 g "
Specific samples for organic, inorganic and microscopic analyses 500 g - 0.5 g "

Table 2: Types of sample collected for each excavation area

Analysis Total no. samples exported for analysis Area No. samples exported from each area
14C Accelerator Mass Spectrometry 22 Bach 5
    North 5 (+ other samples to be extracted from charred plant remains)
    Mellaart 11 (+ other samples to be extracted from charred plant remains)
    Summit to be extracted from charred plant remains samples
    Kopal 2 (1 plus other samples to be extracted from monolith, KOPAL this report)
Dendrochronology   Summit 8
Palaeoecological analyses: sediment monoliths (see KOPAL this report) 7 KOPAL 1 2
    KOPAL 2 5
Palaeoecological analyses: bulk sediment samples (see KOPAL this report) 27 KOPAL 1 1
    KOPAL 2 7
    Çarsamba 4
    May 4
    Torundede 11

Table 3:

in-situ fuel in a shallow hearth comprising burnt sheep/goat dung and ?floor sweepings
Space Phase Sample no. Location & adjacent features Floors Impact on floors Occupation deposits Post-depositional alterations Interpretation
Space 70 Phases 1-2  
70 1-2 1437.07 N, adjacent to wooden ?bin thick sandy silt loam packing with orange silty clay aggregates dislodged aggregates lens of chared lentils with linear plant frags food storage area, which included lentils ?prior to processing
70 1-2 1416.22 NW corner silt loam plaster floors   organic deposits with fragments of cracked and burnt bone Burnt at end Phase 2. Extensive bioturbation and salts food preparation area
70 1-2 95 S286 (=Unit 1209) W centre silt loam plaster floors. Last surviving floor plaster includes aggregates of reworked wall plaster. dark brown organic stained plant remains and organic aggregates bioturbation and salts food preparation area with matting/loose leaflets on floor and accumulations of organic rich deposits
70 2 1436.04 Platform 16 thick white silty clay plasters smooth, slightly compacted/finely levigated, surfaces Very sparse microscopic accumulations on white plaster surfaces. One thin lens of charred remains below a layer of packing, probably represents a hiatus in use, prior to modification. small white plastered platform. Associated activities have left few microscopic traces of use.
70 1 1416.24 Fire installation (FI) 33 Mixed burnt organic and mineral deposits burnt charred fuel: predom. herbivore dung, with sparse wood + stem frags. Burnt bone frags., organic staining + plaster aggregates.
70 1 1416.23 adjacent to FI 33 thin orange plaster floor with fragments of white finishing coat dislodged fragments of plaster 20% charred plant remains including 10% oak wood; sparse organic aggregates and water-laid crust fragment. Fuel rake-out, and residues from organic and water related activities on a trampled plaster floor
70 2 1444.05 FI 11 4 thick sandy silt loam oven plaster linings. 2nd plaster lining has a thin finishing coat of white plaster. All plasters, except 2nd, have burnt oxidised surfaces. The 2nd plaster was never burnt or used. thin lens <0.7mm thick, with 30-50% charred plant remains on top of 1st plaster. 'Soot' on top of 3rd + 4th plasters. No traces of use of top of 2nd. Oven with oxidised burning conditions. Cleaned out before each replastering. Hiatus in use after 2nd replastering which had a thin finishing coat of white plaster. Re-used after 3rd replastering.
Space Phase Sample no. Location & adjacent features Floors Impact on floors Occupation deposits Post-depositional alterations Interpretation
70 2 1437.08 SW corner adjacent to crawl hole into Space 71 orange silt loam plaster floors with irregular white plaster finishing coats. some plasters had aggregates dislodged from surface, suggesting heavy trampling some plasters were kept clean, others have overlying lenses with fragmented charred plant remains or dense orange organic aggregates well plastered area near crawl hole between dirtier areas in Space 70 and cleaner areas in 71. Some trampling and accumulation of domestic debris. This is the only floor area in Space 70 which was consistently plastered with white finishing coats.
Space 71 Phases 1-2  
71 2 1443.06 SE platform and ladder area Multiple layers of thin plaster floors. Some slightly sandy plasters. thin ?damp/compacted brown lenses, 50-100um thick, with strong parallel orientation and distribution and finely fragmented charred plant remains lenses of ?moist deposits near ladder area
71 2 1914.03 SE platform and ladder area Multiple layers of thin plaster floors, some with white finishing coats occasional ?mat impressions thin lenses with finely fragmented charred plant remains, occasionally compacted when ?damp. One lens includes orange organic remains. lenses of ?moist deposits near ladder area
71 1 1348.11 S centre, adjacent to FI in S wall silt loam plasters with one thick white plaster reddened by burning at end Phase 2 charred plant remains, including wood, and burnt bone salt disturbed charred wood food cooking area adjacent to oven in S wall
71 1 1910.02 FI in S wall thick sandy silt loam plaster linings oxidised surfaces no surviving traces of in-situ fuel extensive bioturbation earliest oven, oxidised burning. Cleaned out before each replastering.
71 2 1344.11 S centre, 'lentil bin' plaster floors impressions of lentils charred lentils, and stem and epidermal fragments storage of lentils, ?prior to processing
71 2 1423.06 S centre 'grindstone' basin silt loam plaster with white finishing coats remains on last floor: loose charred and siliceous plant remains, including grasses, with aggregates of white plaster and burnt bone unusual concentration of charred plant remains and grass phytoliths with ?sweepings of white plaster and burnt bone on latest plaster in shallow 'basin'
71 2 1431.13 centre S silt loam plasters, curved in upper sequence extensive reddening deposits include orange ?organic/clay lenses moist organic/clay rich deposits
71 2 1460.01 S centre, small pit no plasters   ?water/liquid laid lenses. Unusual preservation of wood and ?fibres. Lens of charred remains in top of deposits. small ?ritual pit
71 1-2 1429.04 SW platform adjacent to crawl hole into Space 70 Multiple layers of silt loam plasters. Fewer white plasters than on NW and E platforms. thin lenses with finely fragmented charred plant remains and dark brown spheres c. 40-50um in size SW platform adjacent to crawl-hole into Space 70. Dirtier than NW and SE platforms, with fewer layers of white plaster and packing.
71 2 1365.08 Centre west multiple layers of assorted mud plaster floors. 2 plasters include reworked aggregates of white wall plaster with soot lines. thin lenses with finely fragmented charred remains, sparse burnt bone and subrounded aggregates of white plaster area in front of west wall with multiple layers of mud plaster and lenses of finely fragmented charred plant remains + floor sweepings. Two plasters include reworked aggregates of white wall plaster with soot lines.
71 1 to 2 1441.08 Centre silt loam and sandy silt loam plasters with one thin white finishing coat thin lenses with finely fragmented charred plant remains truncated area in central low space with few surviving floors and thin lenses with charred remains.
71 2 1449.07 Centre east, adjacent to E platform sandy silt loam plaster floors with only one discontinuous layer of white plaster unusually coarse sandy particles, and comparatively thick layers of finely fragmented charred plant remains with strong parallel orientation and distribution periodic accumulation of coarse sand particles and charred plant remains remains in eastern area of central low space, below the edge of E platform
71 1-2 1459.09 1454.02 1358.09 E platform 8 layers of packing or thick silt loam mud plasters. 5th packing layer comprises crushed wall plaster. Each packing or mud plaster layer is overlain by a series of thick and thin white plasters, which number from base: 2,4,1,5,4,2,3,c. 10-13 upper floors rubified sparse thin lenses of finely fragmented charred remains very sparse organic staining and black ?spores/ microbiological components Burial and sleeping/sitting platform. Number of layers of packing/ mud plasters approx. correlates with number of burial episodes. Variation in number of white plasters in each series (n =1-13) may represent variation in time between each burial episode.
71 1 and 2 1357.07 NE corner, sperated from rest of room by a step Initial orange packing. Brown and orange silt loam plaster floors, 6-15 mm thick. strongly oriented lenses of orange organic staining, 1-3mm thick, interbedded w. siliceous plant remains, subrounded plaster floor aggregates and lenses of 'midden-like' deposits entire sequence disturbed by extensive reprecipitation of gypsum salts and sub horizontal cracks Highly organic deposits mixed with ?floor sweepings and midden-like deposits. ?Latrine and refuse area or ?organic storage area.
71 1 and 2 1488.02 NW platform Initial orange packing + one later layer of orange brown packing. Multiple layers of thick and thin white plaster (c.30) very thin lenses of 'soot'   Burial and sitting/sleeping platform. Multiple layers of white plaster which were kept clean, and probably covered. Only accumulations are very thin lenses of soot'.
Space 70 Phase 3  
70 3 95 S273 (=Unit 1108) SW, adjacent to FI 11 heterogeneous aggregates from collapse/levelling of Phase 2. No prepared floors. irregular surfaces irregular layers of : grey ash with angular fragments of quartz and ?obsidian; dense charred plant remains with burnt bone frags, and burnt plaster extensive bioturbation and reprecipitation of lenticular gypsum salts area adjacent to oven. No prepared surfaces. Thick accumulations of fuel rake-out. Almost 'squatter-like' occupation.
70 3 95 S257 (=Unit 1221) N thick packing with burnt and unburnt aggregates diverse charred plant remains including cereals, seeds, wood and uncharred dung with calcareous spherules and digested bone storage/collapse debris which includes diverse aggregates, plants and dung
Space 71 Phase 3  
71 3 1365.08 SW, adjacent to FI 33 multiple layers of orange and pale brown plaster with sparse thin white plaster finishing coats thin lenses with charred plant remains and burnt aggregates moderately well plastered area with lenses of charred plant remains and burnt aggregates from hearth rake-out
71 3 1359.24 step near entrance to Space 111 well prepared silt loam and sandy silt loam plasters with sparse thin white plaster finishing coats very thin lenses of occupation deposits with charred flecks and brown silty clay sediments well plastered floors near entrance to Space 110
71 3 1363.07 NW platform multiple series of thick and thin white plaster floors separated by 7 lenses of brown deposits. The numbers of white plasters are clustered as follows: 7/10, 5/7, 3,1,1, 3, 1 7 lenses of brown silt with charred flecks uppermost plaster has yellow staining burial and sitting/sleeping room with multiple layers of white plaster and 7 thin accumulations of brown deposits
110 3 1364.04 centre N of small room thick white plaster   no microscopic accumulations of occupation deposits. Underlying grave fill includes aggregates of wall plaster with multiple accumulations of soot. Uppermost grave fill comprises layer with dense aggregates of white ?soft lime/plaster. burial and ?sitting/sleeping room. The thick white plaster floors were kept clean and probably covered. Uppermost grave fill below floors includes a layer with dense aggregates of white ?soft lime/plaster, perhaps laid as an ?'insecticide'.
110 3 1252.04 centre of small room thick white plaster with finishing coat ? compacted dark lens visible in field, discontiuous in thin section burial and ?sitting/sleeping room. Thick white plaster floors and thin discontinuous lens of sediments on latest floor.
111 3 1290.07 NE room silt loam plaster floors with some white plaster finishing coats burnt layer with charred and siliceous plant remains. Overlying deposits include contorted white plaster, yellowish organic aggregates and bone fragments This small area has better prepared plaster floors and less organic rich debris in Phase 3 than in Phases 1-2, but still includes yellowish organic aggregates.
73   1347.09/03 outside E wall, between two building walls no prepared floors   massive deposits with a wide range of building material and midden-like aggregates, charred wood, ?omnivore coprolites with digested bone, herbivore dung and burnt bone frags extensive reddening by burning + disturbance by salts + roots. The burning may have originated from the fire in south of Building 1, at end of Phase 2, as the mudbrick in the S stretch of the E wall had also been extensively reddened. heterogeneous dumped deposits including building material and midden-like aggregates, charred wood and dung. Probably burnt in-situ by heat from fire at end Phase 2 against E wall.


Appendix 1. List of analyses and researchers studying material from 1997 season at Çatalhöyük.

Analysis Analyst
C-14 Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Dr Hale Göktürk, Department of Physics, Middle East Technical University, 06531 Ankara, Turkey, and Purdue, USA
Dendrochronology Prof Peter Kuniholm, Aegean Dendrochronology Project, B-48 Goldwin Smith Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-3201, USA
Elemental analysis of floors and occupation deposits: Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP AES) Prof. Douglas Price and William Middleton, Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin, 1180 Observatory Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA
Micromorphology Dr Wendy Matthews, Geoarchaeology Laboratory, Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3DZ, UK
SEM with EDXRA Dr D.A. Jenkins, Soil Science and Biochemistry, Department of Biological and Basic Science, University of Wales, Deiniol Road, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 1UW
Obsidian Dr Jim Blackman at the Smithsonian Institute, USA
Organic residue: pottery, clay balls and sediments Dr R.P. Evershed, Environmental and Analytical Chemistry Section, Organic Geochemistry Unit, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock's Close, Bristol, BS8 1TS, UK
Phytoliths Dr Arlene Miller Rosen, Department of Bible and Ancient Near East, Ben Gurion University, P.O.B. 653 Beer Sheva, Israel 84105
Pottery thin sections and mineralogy Evangelia Kyriatzi, British School at Athens, Fitch Laboratory, Souidias 52, 106 76 Athens, Greece

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