Animal penning and open area activity at Neolithic Çatalhöyük, Turkey

Abstract

Over the last few decades a variety of geoarchaeological methods and ethnoarchaeological and experimental approaches have demonstrated the fundamental importance of animal dung deposits for reconstructing past human life-ways. Through simultaneous examination in micromorphological thin-section and integrated phytolith and faecal spherulite analyses, this study provides direct evidence for animal management and organisation of space at Neolithic Çatalhöyük by examining livestock penning deposits across the settlement. The identification of new extensive areas of penning distributed within the boundaries of the early occupation of the site suggests greater proximity to and management of herds immediately prior to a phase of settlement expansion, access to wider networks and resources, and increased exploitation of the wider landscape. Phytolith assemblages from in situ dung accumulations also provide new insights into foddering/grazing practices showing highly variable herbivorous regimes, including both dicotyledonous and grass-based HighlightsAnimal dung is a valuable archaeological resource for reconstructing human activity.An integrated geoarchaeological approach identifies new penning areas at Çatalhöyük.Results suggest proximity to and management of herds preceding site expansion.Foddering/grazing practices display highly variable regimes among herd animals.Results show patterns of co-habitation of humans with animals, their food and dung.

Livestock faecal indicators for animal management, penning, foddering and dung use in early agricultural built environments in the Konya Plain, Central Anatolia

“…Matthews 1999Matthews , 2005aMatthews and Portillo 2017). In situ penning at Neolithic Çatalhöyük was identified firstly in the field by a distinctive laminar microstructure of trampled herbivore dung with parallel oriented articulated phytoliths, and confirmed in the field laboratory by microscopic spot smear slide identification of abundant spherulites (Matthews and Portillo 2017;Portillo et al 2019). This high-resolution spot sampling was conducted for suspected coprolitic materials collected during fieldwork at all three sites (e.g.…”

“…3 in Matthews and Portillo 2017). In the North Area, a penning sequence was also discovered in this last field season (Matthews and Portillo 2017;García-Suárez et al accepted-a;Portillo et al 2019). These new penning areas provide direct evidence for the management of herds in enclosures within the boundaries of the site immediately prior to a period of settlement expansion in the South Area, and increased exploitation of the wider landscape (Pearson et al 2007(Pearson et al , 2015Pearson 2013;Russell et al 2013;Larsen et al 2013;Matthews 2018;Middleton 2018).…”

“…At Boncuklu and Pınarbaşı micro-contextual studies have not identified in situ penning locations, although herbivore dung remains have been documented at both sites associated with firerelated activities. Thin-section micromorphology detected direct evidence of in situ penning in the early and middle occupation levels at Çatalhöyük (Matthews et al 1996(Matthews et al , 2014Matthews 2005a;Cessford 2007;Matthews and Portillo 2017;García-Suárez et al accepted-a;Portillo et al 2019). These deposits were identified by their distinctive laminar microstructure oriented parallel to the pen surface, caused by physical compaction as a result of intense animal trampling and from the presence of fodder and animal faeces (Macphail et al 2004; Shahack-Gross 2017; Portillo and Matthews accepted).…”

“…Dung remains have been found to represent important archaeological materials at Çatalhöyük, particularly in open areas including midden and penning deposits, as identified through the micromorphological observation of their depositional contexts and composition by microfossil and biomarker signatures (Matthews et al 1996;Matthews 2005a;Rosen 2005;Shillito 2011Shillito , 2017Shillito et al 2008Shillito et al , 2011Shillito and Matthews 2013;García-Suárez et al 2018, accepted-a;Portillo et al 2019). Faecal remains have been more recently investigated in middens at the earlier settlement of Boncuklu and the Late Neolithic occupation of the Pınarbaşı rockshelter by applying similar integrated micromorphological and microfossil methodological approaches (García-Suárez et al 2018, accepted-b).…”

“…At Çatalhöyük, the identification of penning areas distributed in the South and North Areas of the East mound provides direct evidence of animal management within the settlement (Matthews et al 1996;Matthews 2005a;Cessford 2007;Matthews and Portillo 2017;García-Suárez et al accepted-a;Portillo et al 2019). In the early occupation of the South Area, two penning areas were identified, the first one in the deep sounding excavated in the late 1990s, and the second one during the last field season of the Stanford project in 2017 (Fig.…”