Building Continuity in the Central Anatolian Neolithic

Abstract

The buildings of the Central Anatolian Neolithic, best known from the intensively excavated sites of Çatalhöyük and As?kl? Höyük, possess an impressive degree of continuity, allowing us to trace them through multiple phases of reconstruction and over the course of several centuries. This building continuity has commonly been interpreted as a functionally determined feature and a demonstration of the conservative nature of society, but beyond that it has been seen as a self-evident characteristic that does not warrant further consideration. By contrast this study explores the diachronic development of buildings in the Central Anatolian Neolithic, using evidence from deep sounding 4H/G at As?kl? Höyük and the South Area at Çatalhöyük in order to understand the meaning that building continuity may have had in prehistory. It will be established that functional parameters do not suffice to explain this phenomenon. Applying a biographical approach, two questions in particular are explored: first, whether these buildings have some form of identity that is reproduced through their phases of reconstruction; and, second, whether there is any kind of typical development of buildings over time. The answers to these questions allow us to gain a better understanding of why building continuity was fundamental to society in the Central Anatolian Neolithic.

1 Residential Burial in Global Perspective

“…Classic examples include the Great House burial rooms in pueblos of the U.S. Southwest (Akins 2003; Van Dyke 2004) and the subfloor burials of the ancient Near East (Kenyon 1981; Rollefson 1983, 1986). In past analyses of residential burial, “residential burial” or “intramural burial” has often been used to denote subfloor or other types of burials within residential structures, such as those within structure walls (e.g., Düring 2005; Kuijt 2000, 2008; Laneri 1999; Lull 2000). Burials designated as “residential” in this volume do not always adhere to the strict classification of burials that occur within the walls of a residential building.…”

Socio-Material Archaeological Networks at Çatalhöyük a Community Detection Approach

“…For instance, at the 9th millennium Central Anatolian (Cappadocia) site of Aşiklı Höyük buildings were organized in clearly defined neighborhoods divided by small alleys (Özbaşaran, 2011Özbaşaran and Duru, 2015). Aşiklı Höyük predates Çatalhöyük and in many ways anticipates same of the features that would appear later in the Konya Plain such as the clustered nature of habitations and the role of continuity in house construction reflecting a strong commitment to place (Düring, 2005(Düring, , 2011Özbaşaran, 2011.…”

New Approaches to Late Bronze Age Urban Landscapes on Cyprus: Investigations at Kalavasos-Ayios Dhimitrios, 2012–2016

“…The plaster floor of this space was renewed on a regular basis-11 times over the building's life history. Electromagnetic induction survey suggests that this space may have hosted activities associated with food consumption, and the ceramic and faunal assemblage 163 Kopytoff 1986; for applications to built environments, see, e.g., Hendon 2004, 276;Düring 2005. 164 E.g., Cowgill 2004 recovered to date from the adjoining room suggests this likely took the form of elite feasting.…”