ÇATALHÖYÜK 1998 ARCHIVE REPORT

Public Presentation at Çatalhöyük

Orrin Shane and Mine Küçük

In 1994 we developed a long range plan for public programming for the Çatalhöyük research project. As a first step we identified the stakeholders of the project --- those individuals, groups and governmental entities worldwide with major interest in the work at Çatalhöyük. Then we identified target audiences ---either major potential visitors of the site as inferred from current visitation or from broader patterns of tourism in Turkey, or local audiences we hoped to build through inviting and engaging programs, including locally derived community exhibits. At the beginning of the project we envisioned a Visitor Center as a part of the dig house that would both orient visitors to the excavations and provide information about past excavations and the current research project. In addition to the Visitor Center, we envisioned on-site interpretation at excavation areas, a full-length television program about Çatalhöyük, an educational World Wide Web site, and ---ultimately--- an international traveling exhibition featuring the finds, discoveries and interpretations of the project.
Design and construction of the Visitor Center was funded by KocBank and Visa International, and the building was completed July 20, 1998. Lighting, internal display facilities, and the first exhibits were completed and installed by September, 1998. The facility will be finished in 1999.

The Çatalhöyük Visitor Center has been designed to serve a variety of visitor needs:

Because the Çatalhöyük Research Project is envisioned to be at least a 25 year project, we have designed the visitor center to accommodate future exhibit changes. A flexible track lighting system allows focused and accent lighting to be moved from place to place and to illuminate in many directions. For example, wall painting reproductions can be changed or relocated easily.

Beginning in 1994, as part of the plan to develop the Visitor Center, we initiated a program to create prototype interpretive panels and other exhibit components. Our plan was to bring Mine Küçük to the Science Museum in St. Paul to work with museum staff to plan and produce preliminary panel prototypes. These plans were then to be taken to Turkey and given over to a Turkish production team for fabrication. In 1994 we interviewed several potential design and fabrication contractors before selecting Ida Ajans of Ankara for the work. This highly successful collaboration continues, with formal opening of the Visitor Center planned for 1999, to be followed by periodic exhibit component updates in subsequent years.

Between 1994 and 1997 we tested a variety of materials and production methods before settling on computer-generated graphics and text mounted on framed plastic laminate (Forex). Other materials and methods, such as silk-screening on foam core and photomounting, were neither durable, stable nor cost effective. We have been satisfied with computer-generated graphic panels protected by plastic laminated coverings.

Interpretive panels focused on the history of the site and findings from the Mellaart excavations, interpretation of modern archaeological methods and techniques, the current research project, and community exhibits developed with local people. We were greatly aided in this work by the continued cooperation and assistance of Ilhan Temiszoy, Director of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. Director Temiszoy provided permission to use color transparencies for making large photo murals.

Our visitor research of tour groups visiting the site since 1994 revealed strong interest in the wall paintings of Çatalhöyük. Many visitors came to the site specifically to see wall paintings and were disappointed to find none available for viewing or study. For this reason, and because James Mellaart collected precise 1:1 transcriptions of the major murals he recovered, we chose a hunting scene from the north and east walls of Shrine FV1 excavated by Mellaart in 1965. In 1998, working with James Mellaart and Stewart Laidlow of the Photographic Laboratory of the Institute for Archaeology, University of London, we made large format (120 mm) transparencies of the Shrine FV1 murals. These were later taken to Turkey, where Mutlu Gundiler created a full-size mural reproduction after prototyping different methods. The finished mural reproduction was installed in the Visitor Center in September, 1998.

To provide a place for secure display of artifact reproductions, display niches were designed for the west wall of the Visitor Center. These niches take their inspiration from the niches in rooms of Çatalhöyük. In 1998 we chose to reproduce for display in the niches the famous seated Goddess figure, two pottery vessels, and ceramic pot stands. Other artifacts reproduced as architectural adornments were two bulls heads (bucrania) and a pair of painted leopards. The leopards were installed above the west wall niches and the bull heads were placed above corner niches for audio/visual equipment.

Two audiovisual components, an interactive CD-ROM and a twenty minute video about the site, were developed by a team from the State Hochscule for art and design-Karlsruhe. These were installed as temporary components in 1998, and will be permanently installed in 1999. We know from our research that many visitors will come by bus in tour groups of 25-30 people. Therefore, our CD-ROM and video presentations will be projected for larger groups to enjoy.

An important site studied as part of a regional survey of the Konya Plain is Pinarbasi, situated on the shore of Hotamis Lake about 35 km SW of Çatalhöyük. Based on findings made by Douglas Baird and Trevor Watkins in 1994 and 1995, we produced one interpretive panel about Pinarbasi and the regional survey and three panels about the Pinarbasi site for Karaman Museum. We were aided in this work by Cengiz Topal, acting Director of the Karaman Museum and Dr. Trevor Watkins. In 1997 we returned to Pinarbasi to take panoramic photographs for a quick-time virtual reality (QTVR) overview of the locality.

The number of radio channels has been increased in the last few years in Turkey. Therefore, communicating, entertaining, informing etc. with radio channels became more popular and necessary than before. Along this line, High Schools and universities established their own radio station to speak to their audiences. ÖZEL DOGUS KOLEJI ( a private high school in Istanbul) requested a program both on Çatalhöyük itself and archaeology education in general, using Çatalhöyük as an example. The program was very well received by the students, and the school made a second request for those students who missed the program.

The program emphasized several points about archaeology and Çatalhöyük:

There is a growing awareness among Turkish tourist guides the necessity of preserving the past of Anatolia and introducing this valuable heritage to the national and international audience. It is also realized that public presentation is based on museology, or museum studies as it is known in some places, which is a brand new discipline to many people. The society of tourist guides suggested a lecture given by Mine Küçük on Museology using Çatalhöyük as an example with a preceding article to be published in their journal. Both attempts were very successful; more importantly the guides were given notice that there is a tremendous amount of work going on at Çatalhöyük and it is almost ready to be presented to the public.

In 1997 we prepared "The World's First City," an article announcing the reopening of Çatalhöyük and describing major finds from the first four seasons. The article appeared in the March/April, 1998 issue of Archaeology. We contributed also to a short article about Çatalhöyük appearing in Illustreret Videnskab, (Nr. 14/98, pg. 23) briefly describing the project and noting the potential for DNA analysis of human skeletal remains. Illustrations of burial in Building 1 were provided by the Science Museum of Minnesota.

On June 30, 1998, the Science Museum launched Mysteries of Çatalhöyük, a prototype educational web site (http://www.smm.org/catal) designed for American middle school and high school teachers and students. Mysteries is the public version of Çatalhöyük On-Line (CHOL), an educational web site project funded through the Teaching with Technology Program of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The project is a collaboration with the Learning Technologies department at the Science Museum, and is co-directed with Natalie Rusk. To gather media for CHOL, team members Don Pohlman, Keith Braafladt and Leslie Kratz joined the Çatalhöyük excavation team for one week in August, 1997. In August, 1998 Don Pohlman, Leslie Kratz and Joshua Seaver returned to Çatalhöyük to gather media for further development of Mysteries and to discuss the prototype web site with researchers.

Using a friendly and entertaining cartoon format, the web site emphasizes an enquiry-based approach and interaction with Çatalhöyük researchers to engage students in learning about Çatalhöyük. Mysteries was developed after extensive interviews and discussion with students and their teachers, the users of the product we were working to produce. A major recommendation of teachers was to focus on involving students in problem-solving activities rather than just providing information.

The project development team prototyped the home page featuring five questions and a framework for navigation, using photographs integrated into a comic book style. The prototype also includes student activities for questions on the meaning of murals and the function of clayballs. Teacher advisors tested the prototype and found the questions inviting and appreciated the diverse perspectives conveyed by the researchers within student activities and questions. We were surprised that teachers not only liked the comic book style, but also recommended its use for all of the most important text. They explained that some students do not like to read but will read text in comic style, while others will read anything regardless of style.

On November 9, 1998 the National Science Foundation approved funding for the Science Museum of Minnesota to develop Window on Çatalhöyük: An Archaeological Work in Progress. Window on Çatalhöyük will consist of four integrated public programs on the research process at Çatalhöyük: an exhibit; an exhibit "cookbook" of new components marketable to other museums, a school outreach program; and an expansion of Mysteries of Çatalhöyük with regular updates through 2002.

In September, 1998 the Visitor Center was toured by Prof. and Mrs. James Mellaart, Turkish and international journalists, and many of our colleagues from around the world. Mysteries of Çatalhöyük was launched June 30, 1998, and has been reviewed by several journals and on-line users. What we have completed so far has been well received, and we have been given a number of useful suggestions for future exhibits and programs. We plan to make future additions and changes according to reviewers comments and as new information becomes available.