Presented by Salman Banani

1

Lithic Technology at Çatalhöyük

• Presented by Salman Banani
• Prepared by Caitlin Dailey and Syed (to the G)
  Rizvi
• Section 111

2
The Stone Age

• The Neolithic period is characterized by polished
  stone tools.
• Lithics (stone tools) are predominant in
  archaeological records because they are preserved
  for long periods of timestone decays extremely
  slowly.

3
Archaeological Techniques

• Ethnography is the study of systematic recordings
  in human culture
• Ethnographic analogy assumes that conclusions on
  the usage of tools can be reached by studying
  analogous tools in different cultures (that may
  have recorded documentations)

• ICP-MS (Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass
  Spectroscopy) allows for the identification of
  species absorbed on the surface of water and can
  be used to analyze obsidian only.

4
Çatalhöyük Materials used for lithics

• Flint, quartz, basalt.
• Obsidian was the primary material used to make
  stone tools from Level X onward.

5
Obsidian

• Cappadocian obsidian
• Gollu Dag East-Primary raw material used by
  virtually every household.
• Nenezi Dag-Level VI onward-pressure-flaked blade
  technology was used and the other techniques were
  no longer common.

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Tool Making Techniques And How They Were Used

• Several generic techniques in stone tool making
  were used at Catalhoyuk (majority are knap-stoned
  artifacts)
• flake production non-formal exhibits a wide
  range of shapes used
  for scraping purposes
• percussive blade production cutting purposes
  some used as projectiles
• Prismatic blade production made by pressing,
  rather than striking, the blades.

7
Some Examples
8
Change over Time
9
Change Over Time

• Over time, an increase of pressure blade and a
  decrease of flake tool production was seen
• Changes may be attributed to due to
• agricultural intensification
• increased dependence on domestic fauna
• specialization and localization of production of
  tools

10
Sources

• Renfrew, Colin and Bahn, Paul
• 2000 How Did They Make and Use Tools?
  Technology. In Archaeology Theories Methods and
  Practice. Pp 311-350. New York R.R. Donnelley
  and Sons Company.
• Carter, T., C.Bressy and G.Poupeau
• 2001 People and place New information on
  technical change at Çatalhöyük (abstract),
  American Journal of Archaeology 105(2) 280.
• Conolly, J.
• 1999 Technical strategies and technical change
  at Neolithic Çatalhöyük, Turkey. Antiquity 73,
  791-800.
• Balter, M.
• 1998 Why settle down? The mystery of
  communities. Science 282, No. 5393, pp 1442-1445.
• Ruzyllo, Jerzy
• 2001 Semiconductor Glossary. Electronic
  Document, http//semiconductorglossary.com/default
  .asp?searchtermICPMS, accessed October 25, 2003.