Micromorphology: investigation of Neolithic social and ecological strategies at seasonal, annual and life-cycle timescales

Wendy Matthews 1 , Lisa-Marie Shillito 1+2 and Matthew Almond 2

• Department of Archaeology, School of Human and Environmental Sciences, The University of Reading

• School of Chemistry, The University of Reading

Abstract

The aim in the new five-year phase of micromorphological research is to investigate seasonal, annual and longer-term cycles and changes in social and ecological strategies at Çatalhöyük, through analysis of the remarkably finely stratified sequences of sediments and biological and micro-artefactual remains in buildings and middens. This will contribute to the study of intra and inter-household relationships and specialisation in different ‘neighbourhoods' of a large early agricultural community during more than 1000 years of sustainable occupation from 7,400 BC to 6,200 BC. To these ends, in 2004, more than 50 micromorphological samples were collected from key oven and hearth areas and platforms within buildings, and one of the first streets and open areas at the site. Sequences in Middens were studied by Lisa-Marie Shillito in conjunction with phytolith analysis.

A new programme of microanalytical research in collaboration with the School of Chemistry, will enable high-precision analysis of the elemental and mineralogical composition of the fine plasters and and micro-residues, and study of their social and palaeocological significance. The change to use of more oxidised coarser sediments for many plasters and mud bricks in later levels, particularly from Level VII and V, raises significant questions about palaeoenvironmental and climatic change, with the possibility of periodic sudden and heavy droughts from 6,500-100 BC (Kuzucuoğlu 2002, 36), as well as access to specific materials and areas of the landscape by different sectors of the community and households. Access is likely to have been related to wider social and economic networks.

Özet

Önümüzdeki beş yılı kapsayacak olan miromorfoloji araştırma projesinin amacı; bina içlerinden ve çöplük dolgularından alınan ve biyolojik ve mikro malzemenin gözlemlendiği, ince tabakalar halinde dizilmiş toprak örneklerinin analizi yoluyla, Çatalhöyük'ün sosyal ve ekolojik stratejilerindeki mevsimlik, yıllık ve uzun dönem devinimlerin ve değişimlerin araştırılmasıdır. Bu çalışma, yaklaşık bin yıllık bir süreç içinde (M.Ö. 7400 ile M.Ö. 6200 yılları arasında) ev içi ve evlerarası ilişkileri ve geniş erken tarım topluluklarındaki farklı ‘komşuluklar' arasındaki uzmanlaşmayı anlamamıza katkıda bulunacaktır. Bu amaca yönelik olarak 2004 yılında, 50'den fazla mikromorfoloji örneği ocak ve ateş yakılan alanlardan ve bina içlerindeki platformlardan, ve ilk sokak alanlarından birinden ve yerleşimdeki diğer açık alanlardan alınmıştır. Çöplük tabakaları, fitolit analizleri yoluyla Lisa-Marie Shilito tarafından çalışılmıştır.

Issues and aims

Çatalhöyük is remarkable not only for the complexity of its art and architecture, but also for the high-resolution history of individual households that is documented by the frequency with which buildings were re-plastered. Many floors were replastered more than 30-50 times, and walls more than 50-450 times during the 50-100 year life-time of the buildings at Çatalöyük. Micro-residues from activities and soot sealed between these layers have been separated into much finer resolutions of time than those preserved in buildings at many other sites, where there may be only c.1-3, and more rarely 20, layers of plasters on floors. The remarkable frequency of floors and lenses of activity residues is enabling study of continuity and change in social and ecological practices at c. monthly, seasonal, annual and longer-term cycles during the life-time of individual households (Matthews 1998; Matthews in press). It also enables comparative study of the changing specialisations within individual households and of relationships in the extensive ‘neighbourhoods' investigated in the new phase of excavations.

The first phase of excavations and palaeocological research from 1995-9 raised a series of questions relating to how individual households coped not only with the wide range of tasks in the summer months as the harvest of cereals and wild fruits and nuts ripened, but with the possibility of sudden and heavy droughts from 6,500 BC (Fairbairn (b) et al in press; Kuzucuoğlu 2002, 36). The nature and timing of precipitation and human scheduling and inter-relationships would have been critical in the Neolithic settlement of Çatalhöyük, as in many hunter-gatherer and agricultural and pastoral communities (Kuzuçuoğlu 2002 and following discussion).

One of the principal aims in the new phase of micromorphological investigations is to study the social and ecological strategies of individual households and neighbourhoods and the intersection of these strategies with ritual practice and cycles of burials, plastering and paintings and sculpture, in the high-resolution microstratigraphic sequences within buildings. The sequence of discard in adjacent middens and streets will also be studied, in particular by Lisa-Marie Shillito as part of her PhD at The University of Reading. Experimental and ethnoarchaeological research is also being conducted as part of these overall aims.

2004 Season

There were three objectives within this overall aim in the micromorphological investigations in 2004. In summary these were to analyse:

microstratigraphic sequences within the buildings in the extensive North Area 4040, adjacent to Buildings 1,3, and 5 already studied, to examine c. seasonal to annual and longer term variation in resources used for plaster, food, fuel, specialist craft activities and ritual, within individual households in a whole ‘neighbourhood' natural and human deposition in streets and open areas, as well as middens adjacent to these buildings to study discard patterns and to investigate seasonality and microenvironment the deep sequence of buildings and middens in the South Area to study long term sustainability and continuity and change in use of resources, social organisation and elaborate art and ritual in one of the largest Neolithic settlements in the world.

Micromorphological samples are also being analysed from the contemporary and earlier rockshelter site of Pinarbaşı and later Chalcolithic settlement on the West Mound at Çatalhöyük in the Konya Plain, and from the earlier large Aceramic-Ceramic Neolithic settlements at Aşıklı Hoyuk and Musular and the obsidian workshop site at Kaletepe 100km to the east in the foothills of Cappadocia, with the kind permission of the Project Directors. These samples are enabling investigation of local, regional and temporal variation in social and ecological strategies and ritual practice.

Methodology

Micromorphology

Many of the plasters and lenses of occupation residues at Çatalhöyük are less than 1-5 mm thick, and in some cases less than 0.012-0.2 mm thick. The sequence and composition of these layers are identifiable microscopically in large resin-impregnated thin-sections, 14 x 6.7 cm, 30 microns thick. The technique of micromorphology was first developed in Soil Science, and has been adapted to the study of archaeological sediments and soils since the late 1970's (Courty et al 1989). In 2004, more than 50 small blocks of sediment were cut from field sections. These will be impregnated with resin and cut, ground and polished into large thin-sections in the new Micromorphology Laboratory at The School of Human and Environmental Sciences, The University of Reading, using a new Brot fixed-diamond oil-cooled grinder-polisher. They will be analysed using a range of light and analytical microscopy techniques including infra-red microscopy, SEM EDX and Image Analysis, by a team which includes Matthew Almond (Chemistry), Karl Harrison (Archaeology; Harrison this web-site), Wendy Matthews (Archaeology), Lisa-Marie Shillito and Joanne Wiles (Chemistry and Archaeology).

Field analysis and sampling

This year, in 2004, microstratigraphic sequences were analysed and sampled using a range of strategies that were aligned with the new Project excavation strategies for variable intensity and speed in excavation, sampling and recording procedures. ‘Fast-track' strategies were applied to buildings or open areas that lie close to the surface of the mound or were partially excavated by Mellaart, for example. Intensive strategies were targeted at complete, well-preserved buildings.

Micromorphological sampling proved well-suited to ‘fast-track' excavation strategies. It was possible to extract rapidly samples from a range of exposed stratigraphic sequences, for targeted issues. The opportunities for rapid sampling included:major field-sections at the edge of the excavation area, including the open area and midden sequences in the western field section of Space 226, North Area 4040.

temporary section faces exposed routinely during the progress of ongoing excavation, including burnt room fill in Building 45, and building debris surrounding the horn cores in Space 100, North Area 4040.

field-sections at the edge of investigative soundings, as in Area TP microstratigraphic sequences exposed at the edge of Byzantine graves, as in the study of the floors in Building 45 and street deposits in North Area 4040 sequences of floors within buildings exposed prior to excavation at the edge of Neolithic graves, post-retrieval pits, and other features or truncations that had been cut during the dismantling or closure of buildings at the end of their life-cycle, as well as animal burrows, particularly in buildings close to the surface. There are a remarkable number of these ‘windows' in almost all buildings at Çatalhöyük, often at less than 1-2 metre intervals across the floors, within the major spatial areas and boundaries in buildings. Examples of this sampling in 2004 included Building 45 Space 228; Space 100 and Space 229.

All of these exposed sequences provide a wealth of detail on microstratigraphic histories and of opportunities for sampling. Considerable contextual knowledge is available at the time of sampling in the field, from the overall plan of the building and the location of ovens, platforms etc evident at these particular points in the excavation process. A considerable integrated field and microscopic digital databank and reference collection on types of floor and deposits is also available from the first five year's of excavation. This is currently being updated and upgraded.

In each of these areas, microstratigraphic sequences were quickly cleaned with a sharp artist's triangular palette ‘knife' to enhance the number of layers and details of components visible. The sequences were then digitally photographed, in a level plane where possible, and the sample three-dimensionally recorded. Major field sections were drawn as part of the excavation recording process, and sample locations marked onto these. Small blocks of sediment 14 x 7. x 8 cm were cut from these sections, for resin-impregnation and preparation of large-format thin-sections, as discussed above.

Immediate feedback to the excavators and other specialists was provided in the field and in discussion of digital photomicrographs from comparative sequences from the first two phases of the Çatalhöyük research Project. Preliminary microscopic analysis of sediments was conducted at magnifications of up to x80, using a large-field transmitted light adaptor on a Leica MZ8 stereo-binocular microscope. Higher magnification, however, is urgently needed for future seasons for analysis of sediments and biological and microartefactual remains in smears on glass slides in all future seasons, as in previous seasons. A transmitted light polarising microscope with magnifications of x 20, 40, 100, 200, 400, and 1000 would be of great benefit to a range of analysts including those studying conservation of materials, phytoliths, pollen, and rock, ceramic and soil thin-sections, as many of these are simply not visible at lower magnifications.

Social and ecological cycles in the ‘neighbourhood' of the North Area 4040.