©The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project

Çatalhöyük (West)

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Çatalhöyük (Batı)
Type:
 Mound
Altitude:
 903 m
Region:
 Central Anatolia
Province:
 Konya
District:
 Çumra
Village:
 Küçükköy
Investigation Method:
 Excavation
Period:
 Early

     

Location: The site lies 52 km southeast of the city of Konya; approximately 11 km north of Çumra District; approximately 2 km south of Küçükköy; 2 km north of the town of Hayiroglu. Of the two mounds; the one at the east was settled in Neolithic Age; the other one at the west was settled in the Chalcolithic Age [Harmankaya et al. 1997:Çatalhöyük East].
Geography and Environment: The highest point of Western Çatalhöyük; which was settled after people left the Neolithic Age settlement at the Eastern Çatalhöyük; is 6 m above the level of the plain that is 1004 m above the sea level. Its diameter is approximately 300 m. The northwestern part of the mound is cut by a road; and the northeastern part by an old river bed replaced by a channel. Another reason why its dimensions cannot be exactly understood is that the mound is partly surrounded by alluvium like in Eastern Çatalhöyük. According to the researches; Western Çatalhöyük covers an area of 6.9 hectares. This is 8.5 hectares when the find distribution at the level of the alluvium is considered [ Pollard et al. 1996:61-63; 71].
History:
Research and Excavation: The site was discovered by J. Mellaart in 1958 during the Konya Plain Survey. Two soundings; one on top of the mound; other at the southern slope; were made in 1961 [Mellaart 1965:135]. With the new researches at Eastern Çatalhöyük conducted by I. Hodder in 1993 [Harmankaya et al. 1997]; surface survey and surface scraping were conducted at Western Çatalhöyük [Matthews 1996a; 1996b]. The excavations are focused on the Chalcolithic building (Building 25) during 1998-2003; which locates at the area worked by Mellaart formerly [Gibson-Last 2003]. It takes place in the registered archaeological sites list prepared by Ministry of Culture and Tourism. In 2006, B. Erdogu from Trakya University and P. Biehl from University at Buffalo initiated excavation studies in the southeast of West Mound.
Stratigraphy: According to the 1961 soundings at Western Çatalhöyük; the Early Chalcolithic Age settlement consists of two phases due to the characteristics of pottery. The Western Çatalhöyük ware dates back to the Early Chalcolithic Age I; according to J. Mellaart; and the Early Chalcolithic Age I ware group develops into the Early Chalcolithic Age II ware. In addition; ware II is interrelated with Can Hasan 2B; and belongs to an older settlement [Mellaart 1965:154]. Hellenistic and Byzantine potsherds were collected on and east of the mound [Last 1996:153; 162]. The grave pits; revealed during the surface scraping in 1994; are observed to be dating back to the Byzantine Period [Matthews 1996b:99]. Three phases of Chalcolithic architecture and Byzantine burials discovered at the Building 25 [Gibson-Last 2003].
Small Finds: Architecture: A building dating back to the Early Chalcolithic Age I was revealed in the trench (No:2) at the southern slope during the 1961 researches leaded by J. Mellaart. Surface scraping was conducted at three different places on the mound in 1993; but no architecture could be found. The building revealed during the 1961 sounding is rectangular in plan; and consists of mudbrick walls. There are bastions inside the eastern wall; and platforms between the bastions. The space at the southern wall may be a doorway. The walls are greenish yellow plastered. Two hearths built on top of each other were revealed on the clay floor. Incised decorated potstands were recovered near the hearths. There is a rectangular planned structure at the southwestern corner; which is thought to be used as a honeycomb wall or a storage. However; it is empty [Mellaart 1965:136]. Superimposed floors; one hearth; and potstands just near the hearth were revealed at the area; which is thought to be an open area or a courtyard; in the trench No:1 at the center of the mound [Mellaart 1965:135; 136; Matthews 1996b:99]. The Early Chalcolithic Age II is represented with the pits that cut the Early Chalcolithic Age I structure at the top. The second season excavations showed that the Early Chalcolithic buildings comprise relatively large and well-constructed central rooms flanked by ranges of small cell-like spaces. However; the overall building plan gives an impression of irregularity and organic development unlike; say; the more regular Chalcolithic houses at Can Hasan. The general lack of features and doorways/crawlholes in most of the smaller spaces; as well as the double or triple walls surrounding them; may indicate that these can be considered as basements or cellars and that another storey lay above them. These small rooms and the divisions within Space 194 suggest a radically different concept of space from the Neolithic; with its largely open one or two-roomed houses. Because of this irregular development it remains difficult to identify the limits of Building 25. In the northwest corner of the trench the presence of between-wall Space 220 and the fact that Space 218 continues beyond the line of the northern wall of Space 194 might suggest that this is the corner of a separate building [Gibson-Last 2003]. During the studies carried out in 2007-2008 by B. Erdogu, a building (B.78), the walls and floor of which are red painted, was exposed in Trench 8. This building is named "Red Building". It is in square plan and its interior section measures 6x6 m. It contains internal buttresses. It is revealed that the building was two storied and both floors and walls were painted in red. Three buttresses were found inside the building. The east buttress measures 1.00x1.30 m. During the excavations carried out by P. Biehl in Trench 5, rooms with buttresses were exposed. These rooms were built with mudbrick blocks [Biehl et al. 2006; Biehl-Rosenstock 2006; Erdogu 2007; Erdogu 2008; Yilankaya 2010]. Pottery: According to Mellaart; the Early Chalcolithic Age pottery of Çatalhöyük can be grouped in two: Early Chalcolithic Age I and Early Chalcolithic Age II ware. The painted Early Chalcolithic Age I ware is earlier than the ware II. It is buff or reddish pasted; grit and mica tempered. Red; pale red; and light brown paints are used. Slip is usually not applied. Burnishing was made after painting. Slip is rarely applied on the vessels that were made with particular care. Paint decorations consist of lines; zigzags; punctuated decorations; parallel and wavy lines; and concentric circles. The decorations on jars are usually separated with a line; and the lower part of the vessel is nonpainted. Decorations are on the interior surface of the carinated bowls; and shallow bowls. Bowls and jars are the two main vessel types. Vessels with basketĞhandles; vessels with interiorly thickened rims (named "anti splash"); and vessels with a row of "V" decoration on them resemble baskets. Coarse wares that make up the second group consist of cooking-pots. Chaff-temper is observed. Double crescent handled vessels are also existent. Forms are usually closed vessels and deep bowls. Some of them are incised decorated [Mellaart 1965:136 Ğ 152]. Ware group I was developed into ware group II. Some forms like carinated and simple bowls; small; medium; and bigĞsized jars with flaring rims are still existent at this period. However; shallow vessels; deep bowls; basketĞhandles disappear. The variety of forms of this ware is poor compared to ware I; but decoration has been developed. Motifs resembling textile decorations; thin and complex lines; and hatching are very common. The paste color is pinkish red or buff; and it is grit and micaĞtempered. Band-slip is observed on both faces of the bowls; and on the exterior face and interior rims of the jars. Dark colored paint decorations over white slip are typical for this period. Burnishing after painting is still observed; but the paint colors have changed: Light brown; dark brown; and matt-black is new; while red and pink paint is still used. Plain and coarse wares are not different from the previous ware group. However; many incised decorated potstands are observed [Mellaart 1965:152 Ğ 154]. The most exciting individual find in 2003 was the head of an anthropomorphic vessel; comparable to (though of a rather different style from) those from Hacilar. It is clear that this head had been broken and then reused in the context in which it was found [Gibson-Last:2003]. Clay: The potstands; recovered during the soundings of Mellaart and surface collection; date back to the Early Chalcolithic Age II. In addition; 17 clay lumps and figurine pieces were found [Hamilton 1996:231; 242]. Chipped Stone: The major raw material of the chipped stone industry products that were collected after 1993 at Western Çatalhöyük is obsidian (89.7%). A big; white obsidian flake that looks like glass is interesting. An exact distribution or description cannot be reported about the mound; because the collected flakes; blades; cores; and the wastes are not numerous [Conolly 1996:176Ğ185]. Ground Stone: Pieces of stone beads; and pieces of flat axe were recovered during the surface collection [Hamilton 1996:242]. Bone / Antler: Three treated bone finds were recovered during surface scraping at Western Çatalhöyük [Martin Ğ Russell 1996:213]. Fauna: The fauna recovered during the surface collections are intense at the northern and eastern sections of the mound. Bones of sheep; goats; and herbivorous animals are observed to be abundant. There are also bones of cattle; pig; horse and deer [MartinĞRussell 1996:207Ğ210].
Remains:
Interpretation and Dating: There are no 14C dates from the Early Chalcolithic Age I settlement of Western Çatalhöyük. However; Mellaart suggests a date between 5600 Ğ4900 BC for the Early Chalcolithic Age of Central Anatolia due to the characteristics of the pottery and the relationship between Çatalhöyük and Can Hasan 2B [Mellaart 1965:154Ğ156]. If true; this means that the structures are not rectangular in plan; but fit together in a more haphazard way. Ultimately; only excavation in a larger area will confirm this and show whether Building 25 is indeed typical of Early Chalcolithic buildings on the West Mound. A further unanswered question concerns the spaces between buildings; and the presence or extent of external courtyards; lanes and middens.


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