Characterization of Late Chalcolithic Micro‐beads From Çamlibel Tarlasi, North‐central Anatolia

Abstract

Micro‐bead manufacture is geographically widespread from the fifth millennium bc. Previous studies of comparable micro‐beads from sites in the Indus Valley region and the Near East suggest that many of these beads were formed from synthetic enstatite. Characterization of micro‐beads from the Late Chalcolithic site of Çamlıbel Tarlası was carried out by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and microanalysis with energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDS), and X‐ray diffraction analysis (XRD). The chemical composition of the micro‐beads analysed indicated that they were made from three distinctive materials; namely, bulk talc (i.e., synthetic enstatite precursor), apatite and mineral‐rich clay pastes.

Techniques of Blue, Green, and White Faience Bead Production Used at the Early Bronze Age Central Anatolian Site of RESULOĞLU (Turkey)

“…The specialized and most probable seasonal production pattern is not new to Central Anatolia. Similar production models and specialized seasonal settlements, related to metallurgical activities, have been suggested as existing in the Late Chalcolithic (Pickard and Schoop 2013) and the EBA in the region (Yener 2000; Lehner and Yener 2014; Yener et al . 2015).…”

“…The final tubular paste must have been cut into short pieces before firing while it was still soft. The spherical shapes and the lack of stress fractures around the edges of the beads favor this interpretation (Pickard and Schoop 2013; Damick and Woodworth 2015).…”

“…Although a metal workshop dated to the latter half of the EBA could not have been identified in confidence, chemical and isotopic research on the metals artifacts, along with some metallic ores from the region, confirm the use of local resources (cf. Yener 2000; Pickard and Schoop 2013; Yalçın and İpek 2016). Some scattered finds (mostly out of context) related to metallurgy, such as slags, molds, tuyerès promote local production.…”

“…For example, the Late Chalcolithic (3590–3570 BC) Çamlıbel Tarlası, which is about 60 km southeast of Resuloğlu, provided insights into small‐scale communities involved in seasonal metallurgical activities, such as the production of arsenical copper (Schoop 2008, 2009, 2010; Pickard and Schoop 2013). Microbead manufacture has also been deduced, in association with the extractive copper metallurgy at the site, from the local resources available in the Central Anatolian plateau, Çankırı–Çorum–Yozgat (Davarcıoğlu and Çiftçi 2010), and the Sivas basins (Yalçın and Bozkaya 2006; Pickard and Schoop 2013: 29). The study of the microbeads of Çamlıbel Tarlası has demonstrated that local bead production was a known practice in the region.…”

“…Compared to Resuloğlu, the limited evidence at the other EBA sites might be due to the harsh environmental conditions that have affected the preservation. The lack of adequate screening of the excavated deposits in early excavations such as Alaca Höyük should also be taken into account (Pickard and Schoop 2013: 31).…”