Çatalhöyük 1997 Archive Report

ÇATALHÖYÜK 1997 ARCHIVE REPORT

Report on sampling strategies, and analyses of the microstratigraphy and micromorphology of depositional sequences at Çatalhöyük, 1997

Wendy Matthews

Objectives

The principal objective in studying depositional sequences is to contribute to interpretation of human activities and uses of space at Çatalhöyük in collaboration with analyses of architectural layout and internal features, burials, and the distribution of artefacts and bioarchaeological remains, as in previous studies at this and other sites (Middleton and price 1996; Matthews 1997). The type, thickness and frequency of floors and occupation deposits within buildings at Çatalhöyük can vary both spatially in different areas within rooms, and through time during the life-history of each building.

In the 1997 field season we studied and sampled occupational sequences in buildings and midden areas in the Mellaart, Summit and North areas on site, and palaeoecological sequences in KOPAL Trench 2, to the north of the East Mound.

Sampling strategies

In order to study spatial and temporal variation in floor sequences, samples for organic and inorganic analyses and archive were collected at 50 cm intervals from each unit of excavation. Sections through floor sequences were studied in strategic baulks set at 1-2 metre intervals. All sequences for microstratigraphic analysis were photographed, drawn at a scale of 1:5 and described in detail.

Sampling strategies were designed to enable study of deposits at a range of different scales of analytical focus and sample size (Table 1).

The following types of samples were collected and are listed for each area of excavation in Table 2:

archive samples of c. 250-500 grams of deposit from each excavation unit for future reference and sub-sampling
block samples for botanical analysis, including charred and siliceous plant remains (phytoliths) and associated salts
small block samples c. 8-10 cm3 for sub-sampling in specialist analytical laboratories for organic and inorganic analyses. These experiments in sub-sampling are vital for accurate sampling and analyses of specific floors and occupation deposits, which are often less than 5 mm thick, and difficult and time-consuming to sample in the field.
small block samples for micromorphological analysis in large resin impregnated thin sections
50 g of deposit for organic residue (GC/MS) and elemental (ICP AES) analyses
small spot samples of deposit for microscopic analysis in the field, mounted in clove oil on glass thin sections
Samples collected for analyses of materials and technology include:
pottery and clay ball fragments for
i) thin section and mineralogical analyses of composition and technology
ii) organic residue analysis (GC/MS) for indications of use. The number of samples collected this year was a little low.
obsidian for source analysis
microarchaeolgical sieving of deposits surrounding obsidian hoards in Space 113, in sieves with mesh sizes 4 mm, 2mm, 1mm, 0.5mm, 0.25mm.

Charred plant remains were selected for C-14 AMS dating and for dendrochronolgy.

In addition samples of human and animal bone were collected by the faunal and anthropological teams for DNA analyses. Lists of all of these samples were submitted to the Konya Museum, Directorate General of Antiquities and Heritage, and are summarised in Table 2. The analysts which are currently examining samples are listed in Appendix 1. Discussions are in progress to extend collaboration with Turkish University laboratories, in particular with the Department of Archaeometry, Middle East Technical University, Ankara.

Organic materials

Excavations in a range of contexts this year uncovered an increasing number of whitish remains in the form of organic materials, all of which were sampled, usually as intact block samples. During microscopic analysis of these remains in the field laboratory at magnifications of x5-80, whitish translucent fibres c. 12 µm in diameter, frequently associated with salts, were identified in a number of samples including:

'braid' in Units 2729 and 2732 in a burial of an adult and a child in Building 1, North Area
'basket' in Unit 2352, in room fill in Space 113.
a reddish deposit (Unit 2323) in room fill in Space 116 (see below).
Other examples of whitish remains in the form of organic materials include:
traces of a wooden lintel above the crawl hole in the west of Space 117
long 'strips' of probably siliceous plant remains ('phytoliths'), c. 50 cm in length, in midden deposits in Space 108

These remains require specialist analysis in order to identify the organic materials and taphonomic processes.

Traces of organic residues have been identifed in samples collected in previous seasons. The results are currently being analysed and will be discussed in a report by Dr R.P.Evershed, University of Bristol, early in 1998.

Microstratigraphic field observations and micromorphological sample contexts

The principal focuses of microstratigraphic analysis and micromorphological sampling in 1997 were: floors and occupation deposits, room fills, possible collapsed roofing, and palaeoecological sequences.

Floors and occupation deposits

In the Mellaart Area sequences of floors and fire-installations were sampled in Spaces 109, 112 and 113. Many of the floors were well plastered. These sequences correlate with Mellaart's Level VII, and had been partially excavated by Mellaart in 1960's.

Detailed horizontal sampling of floors was initiated in Building 2 and Space 151, and will be continued next season during further excavation. Microstratigraphic sequences in both of these buildings vary within distances of 1-2 metres, and range from lenses of ash and charred remains around fire-installations to thick layers of white plaster on top of platforms. Internal divisions of space within these buildings were delineated by low plastered ridges on floors, retaining ash from the oven in Space 151 for example; thin plastered dividing 'walls', and a series of low platforms. The microstratigraphy within both buildings is complex, and has been subject to a series of truncations.

In the Summit Area, in Building 10, an unusually deep accumulation of at least three phases of thick white plaster floors was studied and sampled for micromorphological and microchemical analyses, from an exposure in the edge of a Byzantine pit.

All floor areas in Building 1 in the North Area had been sampled in 1996, and were not sampled for micromorphological analysis during final stages of excavation of this building in 1997. No floors were reached during the first season of excavations in the large building, Building 3, in the Summit Area, but room fill and possible collapsed roofing were studied and sampled (see below).

Room fills

A range of different room fills was encountered during excavation in the Mellaart area in 1997. Interpretation of these fills was one of the focuses of priority tours in order to examine differences in composition and rates of accumulation, and the activities represented, particularly in the midden-like deposits which infilled some buildings. These midden-like deposits are rich in bioarchaeological and artefactual remains which were often discarded in descrete discernable episodes and layers.

Variation in the types of room fill observed in the field include:

Space 151. Well sorted sediments with few inclusions from anthopogenic refuse
Space 116. Building material aggregates
Space 117. Accumulations of 'midden-like' deposits

Three particularly unusual types of deposit were excavated and sampled in room fills in the Mellaart Area in 1997:

Building 2, Space 117. Unit 2024. An unusual yellowish deposit interbedded with fragments of white plaster overlay truncated floor sequences. Large fragments of bone were associated with this deposit. This yellowish layer was covered by midden deposits which subsequently infilled the room, but was distinct from both these overlying deposits, and the underlying truncated floors. It was sampled for micromorphological, chemical and mineralogical analyses to determine whether it is of organic (possibly coprolitic), or inorganic origin.
Building 2, Space 116. Unit 2323. A dark reddish brown deposit c. 1-2 cm thick overlay a number of broken moulded and plastered ?sculptural fragments. Small block and spot samples of the reddish deposit were examined under the microscope in the field, in both reflected and transmitted light at magnifications of x 5-80. Irregularly oriented and distributed white translucent fibres c. 12 µm in diameter were observed in the dark reddish matrix and photographed. These deposits were extensively sampled during excavation for specialist optical, chemical, mineralogical and SEM analyses. This deposit was only exposed in the central western half of the room, and extends into as yet unexcavated sections in all directions.
Building 2, Spaces 116 and 117. A concentration of digested microfauna and phytoliths in a yellowish orange deposit (Unit 2091) was identified by Dr Peter Andrews as an accumulation of owl pellets. This layer was sampled for microarchaeological sieving on a 10cm grid to study concentrations and associations of microfauna. This deposit overlay the reddish deposit in Space116, and coarse aggregate infill in Space 117 close to a crawl hole between both spaces. If this proves to be an accumulation of owl pellets, it would suggest that Building 2 was abandoned for a period of time, after deposition of moulded plaster fragments and the reddish deposit in Space 116, prior to further in filling.

Micromorphological samples of building fill in the Bach and North Areas included:

dark grey ashy deposits which infilled the north eastern area of Building 3, Bach Area, Unit 2229
foundation layers of Building 1, North Area (Units 1335, 1180 and 2517)
infill of the building underlying Building 1, North Area (Unit 1225)
multiple layers of soot covered plaster which had fallen from the walls of the building underlying Building 1, North Area (Unit 2558). There are marked differences in the character of wall plasters on either side of the two internal dividing walls of this building below Building 1. The wall surfaces which face the inside of the central internal space are coated with many multiple layers of thin white plaster and lenses of soot. The wall surfaces of these same walls, which face into the two smaller spaces either side of the central space, to the west and east of the building, are coated with far fewer layers of plaster, which are much thicker and are predominantly made from orange sediment, rather than white silty clay. These marked differences in the nature of wall plasters may suggest that uses of the outer rooms may have been less elaborate than uses of the central space.

Possible collapsed roofing

Large steeply sloping blocks of multiple layers of plaster and ash were uncovered in room fill in Building 3, in the Bach Area. Both the steepness of the angle at which these blocks are sloping, and their discontinuous distribution, suggest these layers of plaster are not from in-situ floors, but from collapsed surfaces. The considerable size of these blocks, c. 1 metre in length and 25 cm thick, suggests these sequences could not have been dug-up from another building or area. The most likely explanation is that they represent collapsed roofing, as suggested by Dr Gavin Lucas. Dr Henry Wright observed, during his visit to Çatalhöyük, that these layers resemble sequences of collapsed roofing found during excavations of pueblo settlements in the American South West.

At least one of the plaster layers in the largest block has a scorched surface which clearly indicates that the block has fallen with activity surfaces uppermost. Sequences of plaster and ash from opposing northern and southern areas of this block were sampled for micromorphological analysis, prior to excavation next year.

If these sequences prove to be roofing, they offer an exciting opportunity for study of the range of activities conducted on the roofs at Çatalhöyük which has been the subject of considerable speculation. If roofing, the samples would provide an important comparison to those from internal floors, and will enable study of the relationships between activities inside and outside buildings.

Palaeoecological sequences

In the KOPAL Trench 2 seven samples were collected for micromorphological analysis in order to study the composition, deposition and post-depositional alterations of : natural deposits of sand interbedded with marl at the base of the sequence, dark possible ditch fill, backswamp clays, an organic lens, several buried soil horizons, and orange ?colluvial/leached lenses.

Micromorphological analysis of Building 1, North Area

More than forty thin section samples from 1996 season were studied during the 1997 season at Çatalhöyük using a Wild Leica MZ8 stereo-binocular microscope with a transmitted polarising light base, at magnifications of x5-80. This microscope was bought with funds allocated from the European Union. The preliminary results from these analyses are summarised in Table 3, and were discussed during the seminar on Building 1, held at Çatalhöyük in September. These results may be revised during further detailed analyses at higher magnifications, but are presented here to enable collaborative interdisciplinary discussion at all stages of analysis and interpretation.

Spatial and temporal variation in microstratigraphic sequences, human burials and the distribution of artefacts and plant and animal bone was graphically illustrated during the seminar on Building 1 by collectively laying out the thin sections, finds and graphs of data on a 1:5 scale plan of Building 1, Phases 1-2 and 3.

Some of the micromorphological observations and questions raised in Table 3 are listed below:

· The initial concept and laying out of the internal plan and three-dimensional form of Building 1 was physically constructed with the use of a distinctive orange sandy silt loam with silty clay aggregates, for all of the platforms and raised areas, and the plaster mouldings on the walls. This alluvially derived deposit had both silty clay sediments which would have provided plasticity during formation of mouldings and features, and sand grains which would have provided rigidity and have prevented cracking during drying.

There is evidence to suggest variation in use of fuel in the small hearth FI33 in Space 70, Phase 1. Charred wood, particularly oak wood, is predominant in earlier rake-out adjacent to the hearth, whilst charred sheep/goat dung is predominant in the last fuel burnt in the hearth.
The only floor area in Space 70 which was consistently plastered with white plaster finishing coats is located in front of the crawl hole which leads into the larger and more elaborate room Space 71.
The SW platform in Space 71, adjacent to the crawl hole from Space 70, was not as well plastered nor kept as clean as the NW and E platforms in Space 71, and did not contain any burials. This sequence is more similar to floors and deposits on the other side of the crawl hole in Space 70, and suggests that both of these areas are transitional zones.
Both the NW and the E platforms in Space 71 were plastered with thick layers of white plaster.
The number of layers of packing and coarse mud plasters (n=8) on the E platform approximately correlates with the number of burial episodes (please see Human remains chapter, this report). The variation in the number of white plasters between each of these layers of packing/mud plaster (n ranges between 1-13) may represent variation in the period of time between each burial episode.
The 5th layer of packing on the E platform is made up entirely of aggregates of crushed wall plaster. The maximum number of layers of wall plaster couplets in any single aggregate is 20. The number of applications of wall plaster on the E wall above this platform is surprisingly low in comparison to the number of layers on adjacent walls (Archive report 1996, Hodder, Figure 10: E wall n < 5; adjacent walls n > 25). One of the questions arising is whether there is any stratigraphic proof to suggest that the aggregates of wall plaster in the platform packing may have originally derived from the E wall above the platform, and if so whether for practical or symbolic reasons, for example?
Coarse sand size particles accumulated below the E platform, at the eastern edge of the central low space, and may indicate a zone where coaser particles were kicked or swept to, along the margins of different activity areas and spaces.
The NE corner of Space 71, originally interpreted in the field as perhaps a clean area with multiple layers of orange, grey and yellow ?plasters (Matthews 1996, Table 3), in fact, under the microscope, comprises a series of pale brown and orange plasters with overlying lenses of yellowish orange organic staining with siliceous plant remains ('phytoliths') and 'midden-like' deposits, each lens of which is 1-3 mm thick. Pending analysis at higher magnifications, and organic and inorganic chemical analyses of these deposits, current evidence suggests this area may have been possibly a latrine and refuse area, or a storage area for organic materials.
The absence of plastered floors and the presence of thick accumulations of oven rake-out in Space 70 during the final use of this building in Phase 3, contrast with the microstratigraphic sequences of Phases 1-2, and suggests a deterioration in domestic habits.

Correlation of the complex microstratigraphic sequences in different areas and phases of Buiding 1 is being studied by analysis of the intersecting 1:5 section drawings and photographs, and the excavation unit Harris matrices.

The microstratigraphy and micromorphology of occupational sequences at Çatalhöyük is being compared to depositional sequences at other sites in Anatolia including the Aceramic Neolithic site of Asikli Höyük in foothills to the east of the Konya Plain, c. 8,000 BC, directed by Professor Ufuk Esin; the Bronze and Iron Age site of Kilise Tepe in southern Anatolia, third-first millennium BC, directed by Professor Nicholas Postgate, and the Iron Age site of Kerkenes Dag in north central Anatolia, c. 550 BC, directed by Dr Geoffrey Summers, with the support of the British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara, and the Leverhulme Trust Project in separate micromorphological studies.

Acknowledgements

We wish to thank the Directorate General of Monuments and Museums in Turkey for their kind permission to export samples for scientific analysis. We would like to acknowledge the very welcome and kind assistance of: Anne Marie Vandendriesch with collection of micromorphological samples both on site an in Palaeoecological trenches and microarchaeological sieving of deposits surrounding obsidian hoard; Anne Marie Vandendriesch, Ayse Hortacsu , and Lucy Hawkes with ensuring drying, storage and archive recording of samples; Ayse Hortacsu for translation of deposit descriptions into Turkish, and the excavators for collecting many of the samples. We wish to thank Dr Charly French and Julie Boast for their help in storing samples and preparing thin sections at the Geoarchaeology Laboratory, Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, and the Sir Isaac Newton Trust, Trinity College, Cambridge for supporting the costs of manufacture of the thin sections.

References

Matthews, W., French, C.A.I., Lawrence, T., and Cutler, D.F. (1996). Multiple surfaces: the micrormorphology. In Hodder, I. (ed.). Çatalhöyük excavations 1993-1995, Volume 1, 301-42. Cambridge, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research and British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara.

Matthews, W., French, C.A.I., Lawrence, T., Cutler, D.F. and Jones, M.K. (1997). Microstratigraphic traces of site formation processes and human activities. Threads through the past: high definition archaeology. World Archaeology 29:2, 281-308.

Middleton, W.D. and Price, D. 1996. Identification of activity areas by multi-element characterization of sediments from modern and archaeological floors using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy. Journal of Archaeological Science 23, 673-687.