Çatalhöyük 1996 Archive Report

ÇATALHÖYÜK 1996 ARCHIVE REPORT

Conclusion

Ian Hodder

North Area, Building 1

Within Building 1, the main characteristic is frequent change of use. The initial phase of use is very similar to that found by Mellaart in Shrine 10 Levels VIA and VIB. There is then minor modification of hearth and storage locations. A major phase of reuse occurs after a fire (or series of fires) and involves abandonment of the southern half of the building, and construction of E-W walls across the middle of both the western and central rooms. There is then a final cutting of a pit through the fill of the building against the face of the western wall of the main room (Space 71).

The first phase in Building 1 (see figure) has evidence of red paint on the plaster in the southwest corner of the westernmost room (Space 70). An entrance at the southern end led into the main room. In the main room brick 'columns' occur in the centre of the north and south walls. There is an 'oven' in the south wall near what was probably the ladder entrance from the roof, and a hearth near the oven. An obsidian cache occurred by this hearth. A main platform occurred in the centre of the east wall, with benches on its north and south sides. Along the north wall a step occurred and the main platform was in the northwest corner surrounded in red paint. In the centre of the west wall there were traces of sculpture within a well-defined panel. Nearby, a later collapsed 'arch' may have been in place from this phase. Burials began under the north and east platforms. But none occurred under a platform in the southwest corner. In this phase the building was very like the'shrines' found in the 1960s.

How was the building used in Phase 1? Did it have only ritual purposes? The distribution of macro-artifacts on the floors (see Figure 1) indicates a very sparse spread. Bearing in mind that multiple floors are involved in any one 'phase' the finds densities are very low. There is a concentration in the north-east of the larger room. But there are many indications from later in the use of the building that the macro-artifacts relate to foundation and abandonment deposits rather than to use. For example, a human long bone is placed beneath a floor in Phase 1, a grinding stone is turned upside down in the grinding feature at the abandonment of Phase 2, and a cattle scapula is placed over a round hearth in the abandonment of Phase 3. It is possible that most of the macro-artifact distributions result from such 'special' activities.

Such a notion is supported by the contrast between the distributions of macro- and m1cro-artifacts. For Phase 1 (Figure 2) the micro-artifacts (all those below 4mm grouped here) indicate a concentration in the western room with some spread onto adjacent platforms. The larger room has been kept remarkably free of accidental loss. Within the western room (Space 70) there are interesting details such as the occurrence of plant remains largely along the eastern side of the room.

In a restructuring (Phase 2), the 'oven' in the south wall was blocked up, and a new oven constructed in the western room. The central 'pillar' on the south wall was cut back and a bin, used at least in its final phase for storing lentils, was built with a grinding area in front of the bin. A niche on the west wall of the main room may also have been blocked at this stage and a wild cow horn set in it. A bucranium found on the floor may have fallen off the adjacent eastern platform. Burials continued in the northern and eastern platforms and the platforms and steps gradually increased in height.

The distribution of macro-artifacts concentrates in the southern and western parts of the building (Figure 3). Many of these artifacts are again special deposits such as the lentils in the bin, the almost complete pot nearby, the concentrations of acorns near the oven in the western room, and the obsidian points in the fill of the oven. The micro-artifacts (Figure 4) again show a distinction between the western and eastern rooms. There is also a concentration of bones in the northern part of the eastern room - but these may well be fragments of human bone churned up from the burials and further investigation is needed of this patterning.

At the end of the second phase, a severe fire damaged the southern half of the building. In the subsequent rebuilding (Phase 3, see Figure), the rubble was held back by an E-W wall, plastered only on its northern side. A similar wall was built in the western room. The southern part of the building was then probably abandoned except for the reuse of the oven in the southwest corner of the western room. In the northern part of the western room a cattle bone was set in the southern wall and later an antler set in plaster fell off the eastern wall. At a late stage a hearth may also have been placed in this small western room. In the main room, the eastern central platform was remodelled into a small room. A small hearth was constructed by the northwestern platform which was itself used for processing or depositing small fish. A cattle bone was set into the southern wall. Burials continued under the platforms and by the end of the use of the buildings over 37 people, mostly children and juveniles, had been buried beneath the floors. There were few grave goods except necklaces and pendants. Older individuals were buried to the east of the room, younger to the west. There is also a tendency at this stage of the analysis for males to occur towards the east.

The macro-artifacts indicate a very sparse distribution again in Phase 3 (Figure 5). Obsidian points occur in the otherwise very clean eastern room and a scapula is placed over the circular hearth on abandonment. The micro-artifacts (Figure 6) again show a concentration towards the west in the main room (the later floors in the western room had been truncated). This western tendency for concentrations of artifacts repeats an overall pattern for food production and storage and higher densities of accidental loss to be in the westerly and southerly parts of the building.

After the building had filled up, a pit was dug against the western wall of the main room (Phase 4, see Figure). The aim of this was probably to remove whatever relief sculpture had occurred at this point of the wall. This removal was associated with the deposition of bone points and obsidian.

Overall, the excavation of Building 1 demonstrates the existence of an elaborate 'shrine' building well outside the area excavated in the 1960s. It also indicates clearly the coexistence of ritual, burial and domestic functions in the same building at all phases. It suggests the location of food preparation and storage functions in the southern or western parts. The north and east parts of the building are the locations of burials. The difference between west and east rooms in Building 1 is reinforced by the study of layers of plaster on the walls. Samples of wall plaster were taken, polished and studied in the field. The numbers of layers could be counted as well as the presence of paint and soot. Figure 7 shows clearly that fewer layers of plaster occurred in the western room. This evidence correlates with that from the floors - that thicker layers of white plaster with little evidence of 'dirt' occur towards the east of the building.

The maximum number of wall and floor replasterings seems to be between 40 and 50. If these represent annual replasterings it is of interest to consider the relationship to burials. Recutting and truncation had erased many stratigraphic relationships. The initial impression is that burials occurred throughout the life of the building but in concentrated episodes. Further, there are too many burials (around 40) for a small group over a 40-50 year period. This suggests that burials were placed preferentially in this building and that the burials do not indicate a separate household unit.

The ceramics and lithics indicate a date for Building 1 comparable to Levels V or VI in the 1960s sequence.

The Mellaart area

In removing the walls between these buildings, blocked entrances were discovered between Spaces 107 and 108, and a small opening between 106 and 107. In cleaning the west wall of Shrine 14 again a large blocked entrance was observed, and another blocking was seen in the south wall of Shrine 8. All this suggests that at least at these lower levels, roof entry was not the sole means of access.

Also in these lower levels (VII and VIII) many of the walls appear to have 'bricks' made in situ on the walls (as in the pise construction at Asikli Hoyuk). There was evidence of much recutting of walls in complex sequences. Most of the Level VII walls in this area lay on or had been cut into Level VIII midden, sometimes with a clay fill beneath them. There was also evidence of deposition of large bones and clay balls beneath walls prior to their construction. Other walls did not fit into the Level VII, Level VIII sequence. Under the midden in Space 105 was found a building with walls containing much white marl. The fill of the two rooms (Spaces 117 and 116) is very homogeneous and would appear to be several metres in depth. The walls so far uncovered are plastered but there is not as yet evidence of painting. A small eastern room in this building contains a large bin.

Cleaning began in House 7 (Space 113), where a deposit of obsidian blades was found by the hearth near the south wall. This is a pattern also found in Building 1 and in the 1960s excavations.

The Summit area

Being very near the surface of the mound, the upper floors of Building 10 were very badly preserved. The eastern wall of the building is very substantial and may have acted as a 'terrace' edge in this area. A well preserved oven was found against the south wall of Building 10. In the centre of the east wall there is a substantial platform with a bench along its southern edge and horns deposited by its west side. A large and low platform was found in the southwest corner of the room, with a hearth placed on a small extension towards the centre of the room. Traces of red paint were found on this western platform.

Overall, the plan of Building 10 conforms to the typical plan identified in the 1960s and exemplified also by Building 1 on the North mound.