Arson or Accident? The Burning of a Neolithic House at Çatalhöyük, Turkey

• Published in: Journal of field archaeology 2008, Vol.33 (1), p.41-57
• Main Authors: Twiss, Katheryn C., Bogaard, Amy, Bogdan, Doru, Carter, Tristan, Charles, Michael P., Farid, Shahina, Russell, Nerissa, Stevanović, Mirjana, Nurcan Yalman, E., Yeomans, Lisa
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ancient civilizations of the near east; Art and archaeology; Asia; Brick buildings; Buildings; Field archaeology; Field Reports: Excavation and Survey; Fire damage; House fires; Houses; Mesopotamia and Near East; Minor Asia and Hittites; Near East; Neolithic and chalcolithic; Praehistorical epochs; Prehistory and protohistory; Residential buildings; Rooms; Structure fires; Wood buildings
• ISSN: 0093-4690; 2042-4582
• DOI: 10.1179/009346908791071358

This paper presents the results of interdisciplinary research on the recently excavated Building 52 at the Anatolian Neolithic site of Çatalhöyük. This building provides the richest combination of faunal, botanical, and lithic assemblages of all those uncovered since work at the site was renewed in 1995. Occupation of the building ended with a high-temperature fire, after which a portion of it was emptied and reoccupied. Our research synthesizes numerous data sets in order to describe the house and its sequence of incineration, modification, and reuse. Particular attention is paid to the intentionality of the burning and its interpretive implications. These data contribute to ongoing archaeological discussions of the nature of house abandonment and the intersection of ritual and domestic lift in early agricultural societies.