Building Continuity in the Central Anatolian Neolithic

Exploring the Meaning of Buildings at As?kl? Höyük and Çatalhöyük

Abstract

The buildings of the Central Anatolian Neolithic, best known from the intensively excavated sites of Çatalhöyük and As?kl? Höyük, possess an impressive degree of continuity, allowing us to trace them through multiple phases of reconstruction and over the course of several centuries. This building continuity has commonly been interpreted as a functionally determined feature and a demonstration of the conservative nature of society, but beyond that it has been seen as a self-evident characteristic that does not warrant further consideration. By contrast this study explores the diachronic development of buildings in the Central Anatolian Neolithic, using evidence from deep sounding 4H/G at As?kl? Höyük and the South Area at Çatalhöyük in order to understand the meaning that building continuity may have had in prehistory. It will be established that functional parameters do not suffice to explain this phenomenon. Applying a biographical approach, two questions in particular are explored: first, whether these buildings have some form of identity that is reproduced through their phases of reconstruction; and, second, whether there is any kind of typical development of buildings over time. The answers to these questions allow us to gain a better understanding of why building continuity was fundamental to society in the Central Anatolian Neolithic.