The Long Life of the Transient: investigating Painted plasters at Çatalhöyük

Summary

During the two decades of the Çatalhöyük Research Project, painted plasters have been investigated using a wide array of methodologies and theoretical perspectives, spanning from contextual to experimental approaches, and from iconographic classification to archaeometric analyses. While the transient character of Çatalhöyük paintings has often been discussed, the longer life-cycles of entire plaster sequences have rarely been investigated. Using a mixed methodology that combines block sampling, excavation tests, photogrammetric techniques (3D modeling and Reflectance Transformation Imaging) and archival research, a new dissertation project has started to investigate how painted surfaces at Çatalhöyük changed over time. For instance, how often were walls painted and where are painted layers placed in the sequence of plasters? How do earlier painted layers relate to later ones? Were paintings always covered by successive plaster layers or were they preserved and repaired in some cases? Preliminary research shows a remarkable variability in plaster sequences across the site and suggests that some paintings were less "transient" than others, being retouched and repaired after the first painting event. This paper will discuss these preliminary results and their implications on previous interpretations and research practices at Çatalhöyük.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Continuity and Change, Two Decades of Excavation and Research at Çatalhöyük

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 14682