Çatalhöyük 2003 Archive Report

ÇATALHÖYÜK 2003 ARCHIVE REPORT

HUMAN REMAINS

Basak Boz and Lori Hager

Contributions by Jon Sygrave

Introduction

The 4040 Area produced 34 burial features with at least 60 individuals in the 2003 field season. Of these 34 burial features, 18 are late (Hellenistic, Roman or Byzantine), 11 of them are Neolithic and 5 are indeterminate. Five of the Neolithic burial features represent multiple burials which contained 2 to 11 individuals. Most of the burials excavated this season were in poor condition due to their occurrence in the top soil near the surface of the mound and thus having been subjected to heavy weathering and disturbance.

Late Burials

Eighteen burials of the late period were excavated in 2003. These were mostly in poor condition. Orientation was in a west to east direction. The majority of individuals were placed in the grave with the body on the back in an extended position. Some individuals had grave goods associated with them.

F.1200 Skeleton (7518)

A partial adult skeleton. This individual was in extended supine position, oriented west to east. Only part of the upper body survived. Most of the body parts were missing due to erosion.

F.1203 Skeleton (8711) (same as F.1215)

An adult skeleton extended west to east in supine position. Most of the body parts were eroded away. The bones are poorly preserved.

F.1205 Skeleton (7528)

1.5-2 year old child burial. Only some skull parts and some teeth survived. The bones are very fragmented. There was a vessel associated with the burial.

F.1209 Skeleton (8712)

A child skeleton partially preserved. The skull and lower legs were completely missing. Left part of the body is mostly preserved. The body was extended west to east. The bones are fragmented.

F.1210 Skeleton (8702)

An adult skeleton. The body was extended with the head oriented west to east and facing to the north. Some parts of the body were missing. The bones are in poor condition. Some shell beads were scattered in the soil of the grave.

F.1225 Skeleton (8725)

An old male skeleton. The body was extended west to east. Although the bones are generally very fragmented, some of the bones show good preservation. The face, feet and the right humerus were absent.

F.1226 Skeleton (8742)

An adult skeleton. This individual was badly disturbed such that only a few skeletal parts survived. The head was placed to the south of the cut. The orientation and the position of the skeleton were not clear.

F.1227 Skeleton (8738)

An adult skeleton. This individual was lying on its back with the legs spread to the sides and the lower legs bent at the knees. The body was oriented west to east. The right arm was bent at the elbow and the hand was under the chin. The left arm was bent 90 degrees at the elbow and the hand was on the abdomen. The bones are very fragmented with some parts eroded and some parts missing.

F.1228 Skeleton (8753)

An adult female skeleton extended west to east. The legs were extended, the right hand was on the chest, and the left hand was on the right shoulder. The bones are fragmented and some elements are missing.

F.1232 Skeleton (8733)

An adult skeleton lying on its back. The body was oriented west to east. The skeleton is in poor condition and is incomplete. There was evidence of animal disturbance and erosion of the grave.

F.1233 Skeleton (8703)

An adult skeleton. Only parts of the torso and fragments of the left humerus survived. The rest of the body was missing.

F.1236 Skeleton (8764)

An adult female skeleton. This individual was placed in a supine position, slightly twisted to the left. The skeleton was oriented west to east, facing north. The legs and the arms were slightly flexed. The unusual position of the skeleton may be related to post-depositional movement in the coffin. The preservation of the bones is very good.

F.1237 Skeleton (8766)

An adult skeleton. Most of the body was missing. Only a few ribs and the scapula parts survived. The body was originally oriented west to east. The preservation of the bones is poor.

F.1238 Skeleton (8781)

An adult skeleton. The position of this partially preserved skeleton was not clear since most of the body was missing. Fragments of the skull and the right side of the torso survived.

F.1240 Skeleton (8797)

An adult skeleton. This individual was extended in a west to east direction. The incomplete skeleton is in very poor condition. Animal and root disturbance was clear. There were numerous corroded iron nail fragments found in the grave.

F.1243 Skeleton (8810)

3-4 year old child skeleton. Although the bones are incomplete and in poor condition, the body appears to have been placed in an extended position.

F.1400 Skeleton (8825)

An adult female skeleton. This skeleton was placed in an extended position in a west to east direction. The bones are in extremely poor condition. Within the grave, there was a copper coin by the mouth, a bead by the pelvis, and a complete jug with two handles near the feet.

F.1401 Skeleton (8829)

An adult skeleton. The body was extended and oriented west to east. The eastern part of the grave was truncated by a later cut which removed the legs. Most of the body parts, especially the head, were eroded. The preservation of the bones is poor.

Neolithic Burials

At least 11 Neolithic burial features were uncovered in the 4040 Area. Five of these burial features are in a multiple burial context and represent additional individuals. Orientation and position were variable. Preservation was generally poor although some individuals were in good condition. Grave goods were found with several individuals.

F.1201 Skeleton (7523)

A flexed or crouched adult burial. The body was lying on its right side, oriented west to east. The skeleton was very near the surface such that much of the body was eroded away, including most of the skull, the pelvis and both legs. The right hand was well preserved and placed under the incomplete left hand. Both arms were flexed.

F.1202 Skeletons (7541), (7542), (7543), (7544), (7545), (7576), (7577), (7578), (7579), (7580), (7581), (7557), (8776), (8777), (8778), (8800)

This burial feature is a multiple burial located on the north-east corner of the 4040 Area on the East mound. Ten layers of skeletal parts were lifted from this burial pit in the 2003 field season. Additional individuals are present but were not excavated during the 2003 field season. This burial pit has proved to be very rich in grave goods, yielding items such as a finely worked copper armband, a stone (alabaster) armband and many bone, shell, stone and copper beads and pendants. In this respect, the grave goods are different from previous grave goods and may be suggestive of either the late Neolithic or early Chalcolithic period.

Due to the occurrence of this multiple burial near the surface of the mound and the loss of the upper layers of deposits by heavy erosion, the context of the burials is unclear at this point in the excavation. Further excavation in this area during the upcoming field seasons will help clarify the context in which these burials were placed.

Sixteen separate unit numbers were given to the skeletal elements as follows: 1) a full skeleton, 2) a partially articulated skeleton, and 3) a skull. Since a full analysis of these skeletons was not possible during the 2003 field season, these separate numbers do not necessarily indicate a single individual except where the complete skeleton was evident. The burial fill was given two unit numbers: one for the upper fill material and one for the lower fill material.

As a result of preliminary analysis, there are 11 individuals in this multiple burial pit thus far. This figure does not include the bones left in the ground. The remains of 5 adults, 2 adolescents, and 4 juveniles were recovered. Among these, there were 3 females and 2 males.

There was significant animal disturbance in several areas of the burial pit causing displacement of some bones within the grave.

Skeleton (7541)

A flexed or crouched adolescent male skeleton located on the northern part of the pit. The skeleton was partially disturbed. The individual was placed on its left side. The skull was crushed completely and missing some parts, especially the facial bones. The arms and legs were tightly flexed. Although most parts of the body were articulated, the legs were not and the left foot was located on top of the legs. A necklace made of shell beads was found around the legs and a green pendant was found by the neck. A small possible grinding stone was found by the head. The preservation of the long bones is poor due to heavy weathering.

Skeleton (7542)

An articulated adult right arm. This arm was fully articulated with a bead bracelet, possibly of red carnelian, at its wrist. The arm was disarticulated from the rest of its body and was located on top of the skull of skeleton (7543). These arm bones were the highest bones in the burial pit. The bones are in poor condition.

Skeleton (7543)

An articulated adult male skeleton. Although the foot bones were partially disturbed, this nearly complete individual was possibly the latest burial in the sequence. The body was facing west, oriented north-east to southwest. The body was on its back, slightly leaning backwards, almost in a sitting position. The arms were on the abdomen crossing each other with the left hand almost holding the right hand. The legs were bent at the knee very tightly and pushed towards right. The skull is completely crushed and was found under skeleton (7542) (an articulated arm). The rest of the body parts are in different stages of preservation.

Figure 20: Claw-shaped bead 7543.X2

There were four grave goods associated with this individual: a green pendant found under the chin and three beads found on the abdomen, probably originally on the left arm. The beads are unusual. One of them is made of a light green stone, round and flattish with two perforations on one side. The bead resembles a button. The second bead is probably made of carnelian and is cylinder shaped. The third bead is claw shaped with four digits and a perforation at the wrist area of the claw (Fig. 20).

Skeleton (7544)

An adult skull. The skull is in fragments and the facial bones were missing. The skull was located in the southern part of the grave pit. No other skeletal elements were associated with this individual.

Skeleton (7545)

An adult skull and several cervical vertebrae. The skull and vertebrae were located on the north-west part of the cut next to the skull of skeleton (7541).

Skeleton (7576)

A disarticulated skull of a 7-8 years old child. The skull was located on the south-west part of the cut. The skull was facing east and completely crushed. There was also an articulated arm underneath the skull, about the same age, probably belonging to this same individual. The skull was on top of the femur of skeleton (7577).

Skeleton (7577)

An adult female. This individual was represented by the pelvis, both femurs and lumbar vertebrae in articulation. The body was in a prone position. The upper body and the lower part of the legs were missing.

Skeleton (7578)

A juvenile pelvis and upper legs. The pelvis and upper legs were in articulation and in prone position. No other body parts were associated with this individual. This individual was on top of skeleton (7581) which was another juvenile pelvis and upper legs. The bones are fragmentary.

Skeleton (7579)

A skull of a 4-5 year old child in the eastern side of the burial. The skull was on its right side and facing south-west. The skull was completely crushed.

Skeleton (7580)

A partially disturbed adult female skeleton. The body was placed on its right, slightly pushed backwards. It was facing west and oriented north-west to south-east. The skull was completely crushed. The upper arms were stretched towards the west. The lower arms and hands were disarticulated and missing. The vertebral column and the pelvis were present, but both legs were missing. The bones are in poor condition.

There were several grave goods associated with this individual. A stone armband was found on the left humerus. An unidentified wooden object, a lump of malachite, and a string of beads were found under the chin. A sheep/goat astragalus was found under the head and was probably associated with this individual.

Skeleton (7581)

Juvenile hipbones and two femurs found next to each other. The bones were scattered and the femurs were out of acetabulum and twisted towards the west. No clear position could be determined. These bones were located in the southern area of the pit.

Skeleton (7557)

An adult female. This partial skeleton had a left partial torso articulated with the left hipbone and the left upper arm and proximal parts of the lower arm in articulation with the body. The individual was located on the eastern part of the burial cut. The rest of the body parts were missing. The bones are very fragmented.
A copper armband was found around the left humerus.

Skeleton (8776)

An adult female. This partial skeleton had been placed in the southern area of the burial pit. Only the lower part of the body was present. Although the left leg was disturbed and most parts were missing, the position was clear. The body was on its left side and oriented north-east to west. Both legs were bent at the knee at a 45 degree angle. The bones are fragmented.

Skeleton (8777)

An adult torso. The partial skeleton was placed on its stomach, oriented east to west. The bones are very fragmentary.

Skeleton (8778)

An adult articulated leg. This lower limb was placed in northern part of the cut. The legs bent at the knee. The bones are very fragmented.

Skeleton (8800)

An adult articulated lower leg. The knee cap was in place. Shell beads were associated with this individual.

F.1204 Skeleton (7537)

An adult primary burial. The body was placed on its left side in crouched or flexed position and oriented in a north-west to south-east direction. The arms and legs were tightly flexed. Only a small portion of skull survived. The upper layer of the bones were extremely weathered and turned into powder. Root activities were extreme. A stone ball object was found near the pelvis.

F.1206 Skeleton (7531)

An adult primary skeleton. The body was on its left side, twisted slightly backwards. The head was missing. The arms were along the body, bent at the elbow with the lower arms crossing the torso. The legs were tightly flexed, the feet and the left lower leg were missing. The bones are in poor condition. There was a plaster layer on top of the burial which could either be the top of a platform or fallen wall plaster.

F.1208 Skeletons (7598), (8718), (8729)

This is a multiple burial. Three individuals could be distinguished from the skeletal elements. Although the female individual (skeleton (7598)) seemed to be last burial, it was also disturbed and incomplete. It seems that this individual was either disturbed by later activities or the bones simply eroded away. The burial pit was close to the surface and no grave cut could be determined. The bones are in very poor condition partly because the grave was under a path which crossed the mound. There was a blue pigment cluster in the grave although its direct association with a single individual was not clear. There were some beads also found within the burial pit

Skeleton (7598)

An adult female skeleton. The body was on its left side. It was oriented west to east and the head was facing east. The body was loosely flexed. The arms were in front of the body and the hands were under the legs. The legs were bent at the knee at a 45 degree angle. Not all the body parts were represented and the bones are very fragmented.

Skeleton (8718)

An adolescent mandible placed on the eastern side of the grave.

Skeleton (8729)

A child of 5 years represented by a few teeth. The teeth were scattered near skeleton (8718).

F.1234 Skeleton (8757)

A crouched or flexed adult burial. The body was on its left side. The legs were tightly flexed, the feet were missing. The right hand was on the body, bent at the elbow with the hand was on the chest. The left arm was alongside the body, bent at the elbow with the lower arm under the right leg. The hand bones were scattered. The bones are very fragmented.

F.1241 Skeletons (8802), (8802), (8817), (8844), (8845)

This is a multiple burial. There were bones of 4 incomplete individuals. Most of the bones were lost by erosion. There were some beads scattered in the grave.

Skeleton (8802)

An adult female skeleton. This skeleton was located in the north area of the grave. The skeleton was oriented in a north-south direction. Although this was the last burial in the grave, it was incomplete. Some parts of the body, including the most of the skull, were eroded away. The body was on its back with its right arm alongside the body, bent at the elbow at a 90 degree angle. The right hand was on the left arm. The left arm was extended alongside the body. The legs were flexed and pushed to the left. The bones are fragmented.

Skeleton (8817)

An adult female skeleton partially preserved. The body was oriented south-north and was on its right side. The skull was missing as was the left side of the torso. The skeleton was loosely flexed. The right arm was stretched in front of the body. The left arm was missing. The legs were bent at the knee at a 45 degree angle and pushed to the right towards the east. Although the right femur was missing, the right lower leg was in place. The bones are fragmented. Some stone beads were found around this skeleton and may be directly associated with it.

Skeleton (8844)

An adult skeleton represented by only an ischium and a femoral head fragment. These bones were found at the southern part of the grave as a cluster.

Skeleton (8845)

An articulated adult knee exposed in the pit. This individual was not fully excavated in 2003.

F.1242 Skeleton (8807)

A disturbed adult skeleton. The bones were mixed up and incomplete. It seems that this individual was disturbed during another burial event (F.1402 skeleton (8821)), which truncated a Neolithic multiple burial (F.1244). The bones of F.1242 could be part of the multiple burial F.1244. There were several scattered and unusual beads found with this skeleton. Root activity was noted. There is a strong possibility that the burial is Neolithic.

F.1244 Skeletons (8813), (8836), (8837), (8838), (8841), (8842), (8843), (8848)

This is a multiple burial. There are at least 7 individuals recognised in this burial feature. The burial feature was cut by a later burial (F.1402), therefore the original southern side of the cut was lost. The northern side was a plastered wall. The shape of the cut appears to have been long, narrow, and rectangular. The depth of the burial cut varied from 5cm to 10cm. During the later disturbance, the bones of F.1244 appear to have floated onto F.1402. The bones were close to the surface of the mound due to erosion and later disturbance. The bones are in poor condition. In most cases, the bones were unidentifiable as to elements and often fragmented into powder.

This burial feature was quite interesting in terms of burial practices. There were two stamp seals found within the grave that are very rare in the history of Çatalhöyük. There were also other grave goods found in this grave such as unusual stone beads and stone objects. Also found in this burial feature were shells, two bear teeth, a fork shaped tool made of bone and many other beads. A limestone object which was naturally shaped like an animal and painted in red was also found.

Skeleton (8813)

An adolescent femur and tibia located in the center of the pit. A stamp seal was found by the distal end of the femur.

Skeleton (8836)

An adult skull with cervical vertebrae attached to the skull. This skull was placed in the western area of the cut.

Skeleton (8837)

A disarticulated maxilla fragment with teeth attached. This was an adult. No other bones were associated with it.

Skeleton (8838)

A right half of an upper jaw (maxilla) from 1 year old baby. There was also a parietal bone nearby which does not appear to be the same individual.

Skeleton (8841)

Upper and lower dentition together with jaw bones disintegrated. The teeth belong to a child around 5-6 years old. These bones were located west of skeleton (8813).

Skeleton (8842)

An adult disarticulated mandible found under skeleton (8843).

Skeleton (8843)

A skull of 4-5 year old child found in the cut of skeleton (8821), (F.1402). It was upside down so that the base of the skull was the first part of the skull showing during excavation. The maxilla was intact.

Skeleton (8848)

An adolescent mandible found in the wall of the later burial pit of F.1402.

F.1249 Skeletons (8822), (8840)

This is a multiple burial feature with mixed bones belonging to three individuals. One individual is represented by a single tooth and does not have a unit number.

Skeleton (8822)

7-8 year old child skeleton. The bones are fragmented and incomplete. The position of the body could not be determined.

Skeleton (8840)

Skeleton parts of a 7-8 year old child. The bones are fragmented and incomplete. The bones were completely mixed up with skeleton (8822).

F.1402 Skeleton (8821)

An adult female skeleton. The body was on its left side, facing north. The body was on a mat and yellow pigment covered almost the entire surface underneath the body. The skull was completely smashed and its pieces moved about by animals. The right arm was on the body, bent at the elbow at a 90 degree angle with the hand bent underneath the arm. The left upper arm was missing and the lower arm was bent backwards next to the chin. The legs were slightly flexed. The right leg was missing. The left femur was in articulation but the distal femur was missing. The lower left leg was in place but the distal end of it and the both feet were missing. The eastern part of the grave shows evidence of extreme animal activities, causing the misplacement of some bones and the absence of other bones. During its interment, this individual disturbed an earlier multiple burial (F.1244).

Undetermined Burials

There were five burials that were not clearly dated due to heavy erosion. Most of the burials were damaged by either later human activities or by heavy weathering.

F.1207 Skeleton (7517)

A partial neonate skeleton. The bones were disturbed and mixed up. The position of the skeleton was not determined.

F.1235 Skeleton (8769)

A disturbed female skeleton. The body was in a prone position. The body was partially crouched or flexed and was facing down. The right arm was under the body and bent at the elbow. The hand would have been near the face but it was missing. The left arm was laid next to the body and bent at the elbow. The left hand was missing. The right femur was articulated with the pelvis. This femur was pulled upwards but the lower leg was misplaced and put next to the body on the left side with the foot near the face. The left leg was missing. The bones are fragmented. There were some carbonised textile remains around the body. It is possible that this individual could be Neolithic although the textile seems to be very well made which could make it from a later age.

F.1230 Skeleton (7591)

A skeleton of a child. The body was on its back side, twisted to the right. Most of the body was missing and the rest of the skeleton is fragmented.

F.1231 Skeleton (8700)

Skull fragments from a child. These juvenile skull fragments were in the same area as F.1230 and could well be the same individual. There was nothing to date these two clusters of bones.

F.1229 Skeleton (8785)

An infant disturbed burial. Only skull pieces survived. No grave cut could be determined.