Çatalhöyük 1993 Archive Report

ÇATALHÖYÜK 1993 ARCHIVE REPORT

Preliminary report on the chipped stone artefacts

James Conolly

2,923 chipped stone artefacts were recovered during the 1993 field season at Çatalhöyük. To date, a sample of 1,874 pieces have been examined and described. This report presents in very general terms the nature of the Çatalhöyük lithic industry as represented by this sample. No definite conclusions have yet been made; considerably more analysis needs to be completed before any typological groupings or lithic chaînes operatoires can be constructed. Nonetheless, for the purposes of this report, some general comments on the nature of the industry are provided. Subsequent reports on the chipped stone industry of Çatalhöyük will be more comprehensive in scope.

RAW MATERIAL

The chipped stone industry of Çatalhöyük is overwhelmingly obsidian based. Of the sample of 1.516 lithic artefacts recovered from surface collection units almost 97% were obsidian. The second most frequently used raw material was flint, (n=59; 2.9%), varying in colour and grain structure from fine grained yellow varieties to more coarse reddish brown. Interestingly, if one examines the raw material of those lithic artefacts which have been retouched and/or exhibit signs of use-wear, approximately 14.6% of them are flint. As such, it appears that the chaîne operatoire for obsidian and flint differ from one another. This observation, clearly defined in Syrian Neolithic lithic assemblages where obsidian and flint cores are reduced in quite distinct ways and certain lithic tools are found solely on either obsidian or flint, is no doubt a function of both the differing properties obsidian and flint possess and the availability of raw material. Further analysis of the relationship between flint and obsidian, such as examining the preferences of specific raw materials for specific tool forms, will no doubt clarify this observation and define the differences more clearly.

The sources of raw material for the lithic industry come from various regions. The obsidian was more than likely obtained primarily from the Central Anatolian sources in the Çiflik-Acigöl-Nigde region and varies from opaque to translucent and grey to black in colour. It is anticipated that in future years a program of sourcing obsidian will be undertaken to clarity the specific geological sources of raw material. Very little is known about the sources of flint deposits and, as with obsidian, a geological survey and sourcing program will contribute to our understanding of the acquisition of this material.

Both obsidian and flint appear to have been imported into Çatalhöyük in a decortexed state. Crested blades are rare in the 1993 sample, suggesting that initial core shaping and preparation may have been conducted off site, presumably either at the raw material sources or at area near the quarries. It is, however, recognised that the both the total 1993 sample of lithic artefacts and the sub-sample of this examined is quite small which limits these preliminary observations.

DEBITAGE

Unworked Pieces

Approximately 40% of the surface collected lithic sample consists of chips and shatter, the manufacturing by-products of core reduction and tool manufacture. The second most frequent category of lithic artefact are finished blades and blade fragments, which constitute over a third of all unworked debitage. Flakes and flake fragments make up the bulk of the remainder, with cores and pièces esquillées ¹ poorly represented constituting less than 1% of the surface collection sample. No complete obsidian cores blade cores were located this season although the total sample did contain the fragment of an obsidian bullet core in addition to small irregular pieces of what appears to be exhausted obsidian flake cores.

Where proximal ends of blades and blade fragments are represented, punctiform and linear butts are common and trapezoidal cross-sections dominate. Nonetheless, some irregular blades are present in the assemblage exhibiting either plain or faceted butts and irregular or triangular cross-sections. Importantly, some unidirectional sears are present on the dorsal surface of these irregular blades. Whether these blades are the result of a different technique of core reduction, or are the products of a stage in the preparation sequence of unipolar pressure blade cores has yet to be determined.

The many flakes and flake fragments commonly have plain or faceted butts and multidirectional dorsal scar patterns. Again, whether or not these are the product of a separate flake core technology or are the products of a stage in the sequence of blade core preparation has vet to be established. Certainly, experimental work will clarify these questions and it is foreseen that this will occur as part of the Çatalhöyük lithic research program.

Worked Pieces

In addition to attempting to establish the place of individual pieces within lithic chaînes operatoires, the future analysis of retouched pieces will concentrate or. the detailed recording of retouch location and morphology on individual blanks. Until such time that a sufficient sample of pieces have been examined,, the worked pieces will be presented in very general descriptive terms.

Retouched blades are by far the most frequent category of worked lithic artefact at Çatalhöyük. For the time being, until a greater sample has been examined and trends and frequencies of specific morphological types of tools can be ascertained, the term retouched blade includes a range of different forms such as notched pieces, backed blades. uni- and bilaterally retouched blade fragments, denticulates and heavily worn obsidian blade fragments, and blades with retouched noses and tongues. Retouched flakes and flake fragments also are represented in the sample, although to a lesser extent than blades. A number of both blades and flakes exhibit direct abrupt retouch suggesting their use as scrapers,; the location of this retouch varies considerably although retouch on the lateral margins of flakes and distal ends of blades is common. Additionally, burins are also represented ranging from burins on truncation or transverse break to less formal varieties in which the removal spall occurs on irregular flakes and at the distal end of other tool forms.

Accompanying those pieces which fall into the category of retouched blades and flakes, there are a number of pieces made on large flakes which display characteristic abrupt retouch in the manner commonly associated with scrapers. Heavy well made scrapers on thick flakes, rectangular to oval in shape, are common although they are by no l-neans as abundant as the heavy flake scrapers observed at Asiklihöyük. Nonetheless it would appear that the tradition of heavy flakes scrapers continues into the ceramic Neolithic in Anatolia.

Projectile points

The projectile points recovered this season at Çatalhöyük are finely made tools of displaying high levels of craftsmanship. As a group they possess considerable variability in size, shape and manufacturing techniques. Several complete, near complete and fragmentary examples were found in the 1993 season, varying from tips of unifacial points, unifacial untanged varieties, bifacial untanged varieties and bifacial tanged and shouldered varieties, on both obsidian and flint. There have been suggestions in previous reports on the Çatalhöyük lithic industry that the various morphology types of projectile points changes over time and, as such. can be used as a chronological marker. These reports.. however, have conflicting views on the nature of the change and consequently, temporal variability in projectile point design is unclear at this early stage of analysis. It is hoped, however, that a thorough examination of the previously excavated material will alleviate these questions and contribute to questions regarding temporal situation in future fieldwork.

Other reworked pieces

Of note this season are four large thin obsidian flakes and one smaller blade with a thick triangular cross-section were found in what appears to be the corner of a room (Unit 292). Large pieces similar to this have been found at Çatalhöyük in past years and it is likely that these flakes functioned as large-animal butchery implements. These implements exhibit localised areas of retouch suggesting that they were utilised in the form they were found, rather than as cached obsidian blanks.

GENERAL COMMENTS AND COMPARISONS WITH OTHER LITHIC INDUSTRIES

Although only a small sample of chipped stone artefacts have been examined, it is possible to describe the Çatalhöyük industry as a blade based industry, with some larger and well made obsidian and flint tools being produced on large flakes and blade blanks. As such, the Çatalhöyük lithic industry is broadly comparable to other Neolithic industries elsewhere in the Near East and south-eastern Europe. Within Anatolia. comparable lithic manufacturing traditions exist at a range of sites spanning the Aceramic Neolithic to the Early Chalcolithic periods. For instance. the lithic artefacts of the Neolithic levels of Mersin display a remarkable similarity to those from Çatalhöyük. In particular, the well made large projectile points of the two sites are very similar in design and workmanship. Interestingly, however, the Lower Neolithic levels of Mersin contained a number of chert sickle blades which increase in frequency in the later levels. Chert sickle blades are extremely uncommon at Çatalhöyük, although a number of obsidian blade fragments exhibit heavily worn lateral edges. possibly from use as sickle elements.

At Can Hasan I the Late Neolithic to Late Chalcolithic mound, characteristic obsidian blade with punctiform butts and trapezoidal cross-sections are present, as at Çatalhöyük, indicating shared technological approaches to lithic core reduction. Similarly. there are denticulated blades in the Can Hasan I lithic assemblage as well as a leaf shaped projectile point. Nonetheless. Ataman (1990: 242) describes the lithic material of Can Hasan I as very different from Çatalhöyük, perhaps a function of the temporal gap between the two occupations.

The lithic industry of the aceramic occupation of Can Hasan III, however, shares some characteristics with Çatalhöyük. Bifacial proj'ectile points at Çatalhöyük are similar to those found at Can Hasan III, but are comparatively rare at the latter. The two sites do, however. share the presence of pièces esquillées. Nonetheless, Can Hasan III does not exhibit any of the fine prismatic blades or blade cores found at Çatalhöyük and Can Hasan I and, furthermore, at Can Hasan III the major category of flint tool are those pieces with gloss, or sickle sheen, while at Çatalhöyük there are no examples of this.

An additional Anatolian aceramic Neolithic site, Asiklihöyük, differs significantly from the Çatalhöyük material. Important differences include the method of core reduction; at Asiklihöyük blades are struck from bipolar cores, similar to the Navifonn cores seen in the PPNB of the Levant. Furthermore, there are very few projectile points in the Asiklihöyük assemblage, none of which are bifacial. One of the few similarities with Çatalhöyük, however, is the occurrence of large heavy flake scrapers, although this type of tool is far more prevalent at Asiklihöyük than at Çatalhöyük.

Generally, the lithic industry of Çatalhöyük resembles the material from Mersin most closely, although there are a number of sites in Anatolia which share specific individual elements. be they technological or typological, with Çatalhöyük. As a totality, however, close associations between Çatalhöyük and other prehistoric sites are difficult to establish and the Çatalhöyük lithic assemblage remains largely idiosyncratic. Much more comprehensive lithic research needs to be conducted, both at Çatalhöyük and other prehistoric sites in Anatolia, until any definite conclusions can be reached. Until such time, the relationship between Çatalhöyük and other sites cannot be fully ascertained.

Notes

1 Ataman (The Chipped Stone Assemblage from Can Hasan III, Unpublished PhD dissertation, University of London, 1990) has conducted a use-wear analysis of pièces esquilles from Can Hasan III the results of which suggest that they could have been exhausted bipolar cores As she notes, however, the action of bipolar reduction is similar to that of a wedging action; either action will produce both usable and unusable removals. The pièces esquillées from Çatalhöyük are similar; some of the scars were certainly large enough to function as tool blanks, others are so small that they could not be used. For the time being, as some of the scars could have functioned as blanks, the pièces esquillées from Çatalhöyük are considered as bipolar cores and not as tools.