ÇATALHÖYÜK 1999 ARCHIVE REPORT

Lithic Assemblage from the Bach Area

Bach Alanındaki Taş Toplulukları

Heidi Underbjerg

Abstract

Özeti

During this season a total of 2927 pieces of knapped stone have been registrered in the main lithic database. The material came from a total number of 279 excavated units in the Building 3 and the adjacent spaces 87, 88 and 89. Of the total assemblage 494 pieces were found either in the drysieve or in situ, the rest (2433 pieces) came from the heavy fraction screening. Obsidian dominates the assemblage only 1.81% is made in various kinds of flint.

The lithic assemblage from the drysieve consists of a total number of 378 modified pieces. The total weight of the material is 283.1 grams with a mean weight of 0.573g. The few retouched pieces are small scale scrapers. Only two of the blades are prismatic which means these blades must have been produced outside the household because non of the excavated cores show any evidence of a prismatic blade production.

and the two debitage groups:

Cores

During this season 5 small cores of obsidian were found within the periphery of building 3. These are the first evidence of knapping procedures taking place in this area. Three of these were blade cores; two of obsidian and one of light grey flint which was very fragmented. One of the obsidian cores can be determined as a pyramidical non prismatic blade core. It came from the southeast corner of space 86 just below the platform (feature 167) in the upper floor level. Both the blade and flake cores are exhausted.

Distribution

The general distribution of debitage in space 86, the main room in Building 3, shows a difference between dirty and clean floors. Most of the debitage from the heavy residue was found within or close to the oven facilities on the floors. Even though much of the assemblage came from the floor levels and the fill between them there does not seem to be any specialized knapping areas within the building, but one possible area could be the southeast corner of space 86 near the platform (feature 167) and the entrance of the building. If any of the platforms have been used for knapping it is not visible in the preliminary assemblage, the platforms seem to have been kept clean. In a couple of the units just above the upper floor level small debitage pieces seems to have been stuck up against the platform walls.

The assemblage has until now showed a variety of different knapping techniques, some of which are produced within the household and some outside and then brought into the house for a finer modification.