ÇATALHÖYÜK 1998 ARCHIVE REPORT

Clay Ball Archive Report 1998

Sonya Suponcic

Below is an inventory of the units in which clay balls were found during the 1998 excavations. This inventory and the weights listed are based only on the clay balls excavated before Sept 27, 1998. Information on the clay balls excavated after this date will be included in a future report. Further volume, density and context information will be added as the on-line database is updated with further information from the 1998 season's excavations. 

During the 1998 season clay balls were found in all of the three areas of excavation (Mellaart, North, and Bach). The balls found vary in size from approximately 1cm - 9cm in diameter. The balls vary in exact shape but most are solid and spherical - several 'balls' were found this season that have are not spherical but are ovoid, egg shaped, or seemed to have been a flattened sphere. 

Balls 3cm or smaller are generally not fired but seemed to have been only sundried - these are referred to as mini-balls. Those over 3cm are much harder and have been exposed to higher temperatures. However, it is not certain if they were intentionally fired as part of their production or if their fired appearance is a product of exposure (possibly repeatedly) to heat during use. While there are cases of clay balls being found whole, the majority of the balls found were broken 3/4, 1/2 balls or smaller fragments. The mini-balls, however were often found whole. Both baked mini-balls and larger 'fired' balls occurred in all three areas of excavation. 

A small percentage (10%) of the clay balls found this season have surface marks of some sort. "Marks' include basket or matting impressions, circular incisions (3 circular marks on one ball), finger nail impressions, and a variety of what appear to be plant impressions (possibly grains or seeds). Some balls also have finger or hand prints probably left (unintentionally) during production. All of these marks appear to have been made prior to heat exposure or firing. Balls with markings on the surface occurred in all three areas of excavation and there seems to have been no pattern to the contexts in which these balls occur. 

Clay balls occur in many units excavated and in a variety of contexts at Çatalhöyük. Balls found during the 1998 season were weighed and volumes of sieved and floated soil were used to obtain the density of clay balls for each unit. Every unit in which clay balls were found is listed below along with total clay ball weight and soil volumes for each unit. The units are listed in the chart below first by 'area' (Mellaart, North, and Bach) then by clay ball density. Units with the greatest density are listed first. 

These results show the area with the highest density of clay balls to be the North (64 grams/litre) followed closely by the Mellaart area (63 grams/litre). The density of clay balls in the Bach area was considerably lower (23 grams/litre). However, clay balls found in previous seasons do not follow this trend. In the 1996 and 1997 seasons the Mellaart area had much higher density of clay balls then either the North area (excavated in 1996 and 1997) or the Bach area (excavated in 1997). The increased density of clay balls found this season in the North area may be a factor of reaching lower (earlier) levels in that area. This follows the general trend found during excavation of the Mellaart area where, in previous seasons, clay ball density increased in lower levels. 

In looking at the distribution of clay balls throughout the site it is apparent that they occur in a variety of contexts - in building fill, middens, dumps, pits, burial fill and bricks/mortar. The one context where balls were rarely found was on floor or platform surfaces which are generally quite clean and free of any artifacts. Not only do the balls occur in a variety of contexts, but there is a relatively high density of clay balls in most of these contexts. It is therefore not the case that clay balls are most dense in any one context. The data from the 1998 season do however suggest that clay balls are frequently found in midden or accumulation deposits or in dumps and that they frequently occur with ashy layers and/or with organic debris (materials). The high density of clay ball fragments in bricks and mortar suggest that, after breaking, the balls may have been used as source material for mudbricks. 

Inventory of the units in which clay balls were found during the 1998 excavations .

Figure 54 Reconstruction drawing showing possible use of clay balls during cooking activities.