Trash Talk: (Re)evaluating External Spaces at Çatalhöyük, Turkey

Summary

The Neolithic tell site of Çatalhöyük is composed of clusters of structures interspersed with open or external areas that contain extensive deposits of midden, as well as evidence for several other activities. James Mellaart (1967) initially identified these areas as courtyards while the current project has variously evaluated these spaces through frameworks of discard, food, and sharing practices. A general understanding of external spaces at Çatalhöyük sees them transformed from relatively informal and communal spaces into spaces that were used by individual houses or households as they became more autonomous and insulated, mirroring a wider social transformation noted elsewhere in the Near Eastern Neolithic. External spaces at Çatalhöyük, however, tend to be varied and complex and analyses often rely on comparisons between broad spatiotemporal categories. A multi-pronged approach including archaeological excavation, archival research, and spatial and statistical analyses has been deployed to provide a deeper understanding of these dynamic spaces and their long-term development. This paper will provide a brief synthesis of previous results, as well as present preliminary insights from recent research and the excavation of a large external space at Çatalhöyük in order to re-evaluate external spaces as integrated parts of the Neolithic social and architectural landscape.

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

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 17256