Sampling and Micromorphology 1998

ÇATALHÖYÜK 1998 ARCHIVE REPORT

Appendix 2

Micromorphological analysis of occupation sequences at the Aceramic Neolithic settlement of Asikli Höyük: an assessment, and comparison to depositional sequences at Çatalhöyük

Research supported by a grant from the British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara

Dr W. Matthews, Fellow, The McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3DZ

Aims

The aim of the project is to provide a preliminary assessment of the nature of depositional sequences within the Aceramic Neolithic settlement at Asikli Höyük, in order to investigate the potential of micromorphology for detecting and characterising traces of uses of space and sociocultural behaviour. Microscopic analysis of depositional sequences at other sites, including Çatalhöyük, is yielding new information on spatial and temporal variations in activities within settlements and sociocultural conceptual schemes and spatial conventions, as well as micro-environment (Matthews et al. 1996 and 1997).

Brief comparisons with depositional sequences at Çatalhöyük are also made. The two sites are of major importance for studies of early complex settlements and communities. They also enable comparison of depositional sequences in a predominantly igneous region, at Asikli Höyük, and calcareous region, at Çatalhöyük.

Methodology

Following analysis of microstratigraphic sequences in the field, nine large thin sections have been examined from a range of contexts including streets, open areas, and domestic and ritual buildings.

Preliminary micromorphological observations

Preliminary micromorphological observations of the types of floors, impact of activities on floors and deposit types are listed in Table A1. Some of the principal micromorphological observations of note are mentioned here:

The deep sequence of multiple layers of loamy sand and pebble deposits in the street at Asikli Höyük is remarkably devoid of anthropogenic refuse. This sequence is quite unlike street deposits at later sites in the Near East, which are rich in organic remains and building debris, including Abu Salabikh, in Iraq, and Tell Brak, in Syria.
In contrast to the street, the large open areas at Asikli Höyük are rich in a wide range of discarded material including plant remains, bone, amorphous organic aggregates, and sub-rounded aggregates of plaster floors, and are similar to open areas at Çatalhöyük.
One sequence within the open area sampled includes compacted accumulations of uncharred animal dung, which resemble possible stable deposits at Çatalhöyük (Matthews et al. 1996, 322-24). These deposits, however, require further sampling and chemical analysis before the presence of animal stabling or penning can be confirmed. This sequence of dung was sealed by thick packing and a possible coarsely plastered surface.
The floor plasters sampled within buildings were kept remarkably clean. Lenses of accumulated deposits are very thin, <0.3mm thick, and include charred plant flecks and ashes. Some surfaces appear to have been truncated before subsequent plaster flooring was laid.
The fuel remaining within one oven was extensively burnt to calcitic ashes, and includes less charred wood and siliceous plant remains than present in the extant fuel sampled at Çatalhöyük.
Thin lenses of red ochre occur on a series of floors in the possible ritual building in Area 4O, in association with thin lenses of ash. Lenses of red-ochre have been detected on floors at Çatalhöyük on burial platforms and in thresholds, and in fuel (Matthews et al. 1996, 319 and 1997, 303).
Thin lenses of red and yellow ochre occur on the solid floors within the ritual building in Area 3P. These floors are technologically distinct from other flooring sampled at Asikli Höyük and Çatalhöyük. These floors include calcined material, some of which is calcined bone. The presence and distribution of these materials within the floors suggests they were prepared by firing calcium carbonate rich materials to provide a binder which was mixed with mineral temper and rehydrated with water, before application and setting (Gourdin and Kingery 1975). Regrettably, no microscopic traces of activities occur on top of these floors, in the samples examined, to indicate use of this building. White plaster floors at Çatalhöyük, by contrast, were prepared from soft lime deposits which naturally occur within 5km of the site, and were mixed with water and vegetal stabilisers to form a mud plaster (Matthews et al. 1996, 304-6).

Post-depositional alterations of these deposits are often restricted in area and clearly definable. The principal post-depositional alterations observed include physical disturbance by burrowing insects and modern roots, organic staining associated with bone fragments and pseudomorphic voids of plants that have since decayed, and sparse reprecipitation of salts.

Conclusions

The thin section samples enable characterisation of marked spatial variation in the nature of depositional sequences within different areas of the settlement at Asikli Höyük. These variations correspond with the rigid demarcations and conceptions of space within the settlement and buildings and remarkable continuity in uses of different areas. More detailed analysis of the rich samples of discarded remains in open areas should enable detection of residues from specific sets of activities, which are not well attested by extant remains within buildings.

References

Gourdin, W.H. and Kingery, W.D. 1975. The beginnings of pyrotechnology: Neolithic and Egyptian lime plaster. Journal of Field Archaeology 2, 134-50.

Matthews, W., French, C.A.I., Lawrence, T., Cutler, D.F and Jones, M.K. 1996. Multiple surfaces: the micromorphology. In On the Surface: Çatalhöyük 1993-95 (ed. I. Hodder). Cambridge:

McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research and British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara, 301-42.

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. (High Definition Archaeology: Threads Through the Past).World Archaeology 29.2, 281-308.

Table A1. Preliminary micromorphological observations of depositional sequences at Asikli Höyük.

Context type	Site reference	Thin section sample	Floor types	Deposit type	Comparison to Çatalhöyük
Street	Area 3N	AH97 21	Alternating layers of 1) thick loamy sand with dense pebbles and 2) thinner layers of loamy sand.	Thin lenses, <7mm thick, of loamy sand with sparse flecks of charred plant remains and bone, <2% of deposit, <1.3mm in size, and sparse organic staining.	Streets are rare and have not been sampled at Çh. No pebble sequences observed at Çh.
Open area, outside buildings	Phase 2H Area 4H	AH97 25	No prepared surfaces.	Multiple layers, <1-15mm thick, of silt loam and sandy silt loam. Rich in micro-aggregates of floor plaster and organic remains, charred and siliceous plant remains, pseudomorphic voids of plants which have since decayed, ash, burnt bone and basalt ?grindstone fragments. Discontinuous ?wind laid lenses.	Absence of prepared surfaces and richness of anthropogenic debris is similar to many open area midden deposits at Çh.
Open area, outside buildings	Phase 2G Area 4H	AH97 26	1) thick layer of coarse sandy clay loam with pebbles <10mm in size and 2) poorly mixed silt loam aggregates in ?plaster floor/trample.	1) dung rich deposits (sealed below possible packing/floors types 1-2) 2) multiple layers of refuse similar AH97 25 3) lens of charred dicotyledonous wood fragments.	Deposits 2) and 3) are similar to many open area midden deposits at Çh. Deposit 1) resembles one area of possible stable deposits at Çh.
Domestic building - room	Phase 2G Area 4H RMS	AH97 23	1) foundation of compacted brownish sandy silt loam building materials 2) multiple layers of thin silty clay loam and silt loam plasters, <3-8mm thick with added vegetal stabilisers.	The surfaces of many plaster floors are irregular. Some appear to have been truncated prior to laying of subsequent plasters. Few intervening traces of occupation deposits survive, these comprise: 1) thin lens of charred plant remains, <0.07mm thick 2) thin layer of ash 0.3mm thick on top of latest floor.	Many plaster floors within buildings at Çh are also thin, and include vegetal stabilisers. Floor surfaces at AH are more irregular with perhaps more frequent indications of truncation.
Domestic building - oven	Phase 2G Area 4H RMS	AH97 24	Thick well-prepared silt loam base. Rubified by burning during use of oven.	Thick layer of calcitic plant ash and possible dung left in oven when building was abandoned and infilled. Plant pseudomorphs preserved in structure of ash. <2% charred plant remains, <0.5mm in size. Burnt aggregates in fuel..	Oven bases at Çh are made from sandier deposits. More charred wood and siliceous plant remains present in residual fuel at Çh.
?Ritual building - room	Phase 2F Area 4O 6-7/c-d RHV	AH97 16	1) foundation of compacted brownish sandy silt loam building materials 2) thin greyish and brownish grey plaster floors <2-7.5mm thick.	1) thin lenses of red ochre <0.4mm thick 2) thin lenses of calcitic ash <4mm thick 1 and 2 occur together in both this and the reverse order.	Thin lenses of red ochre occur on floors at Çh in contexts assoc. with burials and thresholds, and in ash in the top of one oven.
?Ritual building - room	Phase 2E Area 4O 6-7/c-d RHV	AH97 14	Multiple layers of thin orange silt loam plaster floors, 0.5-10 mm thick.	Sporadic lenses of 1) ash 0.3mm thick 2) compacted sediments assoc. with use of ?floor coverings Irregular floor surfaces directly below subsequent plaster suggest truncation of some floors.	Similar lenses of compacted sediments on some floors at Çh also suggest use of ?floor coverings.
Ritual building - room	Area 3P 6-7/k	AH97 18	1) hard-core base of aggregates of earlier solid floor with red pigmented surface 2) solid floor with calcined materials and yellow pigmented surface.	Discontinuous lens of compacted silt loam <0.4mm thick overlain by bioturbated deposits.	No solid floors of this type have yet been identified by WM at Çh. White plaster floors are prepared from naturally occuring soft lime at Çh.

Back to Micromorphology Report