ÇATALHÖYÜK 2004 ARCHIVE REPORT

RESEARCH PROJECTS

Isotope Studies

 

David Meiggs

University of Wisconsin

Introduction

This first year of fieldwork focused on beginning collection of modern fauna skeletal material with different diets and forage ranges to establish a picture of the natural isotopic variation in the geology of the Konya Plain, the Taurus to the south of Çatalhöyük, and Cappadocia. These isotopic reference values will eventually be used in a study of prehistoric mobility patterns at the site, beginning with caprines and an examination of herding systems. Samples were obtained with the help of individuals from Türkmencamili, Süleymanhacı , and Küçükköy as well as forays by the author. The key requirement for potential fauna was that their entire diet was of local origin to reflect local isotopic values. It was not clear at the beginning of the season how much this might restrict sampling—that is, how many varieties of relatively easily obtainable fauna might have had access to food grown elsewhere in Turkey or the world. It was also not clear what fauna might constitute “easily obtainable”.  

 

Özet

Bu seneki arazi çalışması, farklı diyetleri ve yiyecek çeşitlemesini gösterecek olan modern hayvan iskeletlerinin toplanması ile, Konya Ovası, Çatalhöyük'ün güneyindeki Toroslar ve Kapadokya bölgesi jeolojisinde gözlemlenen doğal izotopik çeşitlenmenin resmini ortaya koymak üzerine yoğunlaşmıştır. Bu izotopik referanslar, hayvancılıktaki sistemleri anlamada, başta koyun/keçi olmak üzere hayvanların hareketliliklerindeki dokuyu çalışmada kullanılacaktır. Toplanan örnekler, Türkmencamili, Süleymanhacı, ve Küçükköy'ün yardımları ile toplanmıştır. Toplanan bu hayvan örneklerinden beklenen, bu bölgede mevcut olan yiyecek kaynaklarından beslenen hayvanların, bölgenin izotopik değerlerini yanıtacağı düşüncesidir. Bu sezonun başında akla gelen, bu durumun toplanan örnekleri ne kadar etkileceği sorusuydu- bu kolayca elde edile fauna Türkiye'nin başka yerlerinden veya dünyanın başka yerlerinden başka çeşit yemlerle besleniyorlarmıydı? Bununla beraber çok kesin olmayan başka bir nokta ise bu hayvanların gerçekten ‘kolayca elde edilebilir' olup olmadığı sorusu idi.

The modern geologic isotopic variation is useful as a reference for prehistoric values (and thus a potential measure of past mobility) because the geology southern Turkey has not changed substantially in the intervening millennia since Çatalhöyük was inhabited. For instance, while the alluvial fan on which the site was constructed has continued to aggrade, the sediments are derived from the same sources in the Taurus. Thus their geological composition is ultimately similar. And there has not been volcanic activity in central Anatolia sufficient to transform the landscape from that used by the occupants of the site. The isotope system of particular interest in this survey is strontium ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr). Although other isotope systems will be used in the prehistoric study (e.g. carbon and oxygen), their modern environmental variation cannot be used for direct comparison with prehistoric values, although the modern patterns may be heuristic. Animals are preferable to soil or other ‘environmental' samples because they average, to differing degrees, the variations based on soil type and composition. These variations, however, stem from common bedrock geology and research has shown that in a geologically defined region they form a biologically available average.

Samples collected were of three kinds: shells of land snails, surface skeletal remains found on survey, and animals that required processing in order to get bone samples (i.e. road kill). The set of samples obtained in 2004 represents a cross section of dietary habit and range. Obviously, land snails have the smallest range and can be considered herbivores which means their isotope values will be the least ‘averaged' of the samples. The authour collected snails eroding out of the sides of irrigation ditches in five localities in the Konya Plain surrounding the site as well as several areas around the mound proper. Shells were also collected during an day-long expedition to Su ğla Gölü following the course of the Çar şamba Çay (as closely as possible) with A. Baysal, A. Bogaard, M. Charles, W. Matthews, D. Milosevic, and N. Russell. These samples will reflect the environment of the Taurus and help determine any difference in the isotope geologic signature between the alluvial fan around the site and the mountains themselves. Shells were also collected from a garden above Sille, northwest of Konya. The mountains lining the western edge of the Konya Plain are volcanic, unlike the Taurus to the south. Shells were also collected from a field northwest of Acıgöl in Cappadocia.

A selection of other herbivorous fauna samples were collected, all with varying mobility patterns. Of particular interest are a group of equids collected from the summit of Karadağ as the mountain is a sharp geologic contrast with the floor of the Konya Plain. Discussion with local individuals indicates that these feral horses move between the mountain summit and the plain on a regular basis. The way the isotopic difference in their grazing areas is represented in the skeletal remains will give significant insight into possible prehistoric patterning. Smaller mammals collected both around the Konya Plain and Cappadocia, like souslik and hare, will provide an isotopic ‘average' a scale larger than the snails but smaller than the larger herbivores or carnivores. Several bovid and caprid samples were collected but because their life circumstances are unknown (they were all gathered as surface remains) there is concern about what sort of range they may represent. It could potentially be quite large—and of reduced utility representing a local signature—depending on how an individual family obtains or deals with their stock.

Finally a group of carnivore remains (all fox) were collected for analysis. Although the actual range of fox may be relatively small compared with the horses, for instance, their signature will average the isotopic composition of the meat they eat. The potential then is that carnivores will display the best biologically available average for a particular region. Five fox samples were obtained: 1) just north of the mound, east of Küçükköy; 2) just outside Türk mencamili; 3) from the summit of Karadağ ; 4) a field near Kisecik, west of Karadağ ; and 5) from the abandoned village near K ızılkaya . In comparison with the other samples taken from Cappadocia and the Konya Plain, it should be possible to get an excellent initial impression of the variation in background isotope composition in this area of south-central Anatolia.

A significant portion of the total collected samples of modern fauna collected during the 2004 season are currently being analyzed for strontium isotopes. A preliminary set of caprine teeth from the site (courtesy of N. Russell) will also be analyzed to demonstrate the intended method to investigate prehistoric patterning. In addition to strontium, these archaeological teeth will also be analyzed for carbonate carbon (δ 13 C) and oxygen (δ 18 O) isotopes to investigate patterning in these systems as well.