Analyzing Domestic Contexts at Sagalassos

Developing a Methodology Using Ceramics and Macro-Botanical Remains

Abstract

There has been a renewed interest in the study of domestic space in antiquity, focusing upon the importance of small, (semi-)portable objects and their contexts in order to investigate human behavior. In these studies, the use of domestic space is examined by describing the contents of rooms and by linking these contents to specific activities. This article adds to the discussion by proposing a methodology for interpreting artifact distribution patterns in three steps. First, the architectural subdivision of the space is determined. Second, we assess to what degree the assemblage as found is representative of the original content of a room, by examining the formation processes of the archaeological record. Third, the presence or absence of certain functional categories within the archaeological assemblage is investigated. The application of this methodology to the ceramic and palaeobotanic material recovered from a large urban villa at Sagalassos (southwest Turkey) makes it possible to identify the function of spaces, the social status of the inhabitants and the eventual abandonment patterns on the site.