CaSEs-Department of Humanities, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain.
School of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom.
PLoS One. 2021 Jun 10;16(6):e0252312. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0252312. eCollection 2021.
Çatalhöyük is a renowned archaeological site in central Anatolia, best known for its Neolithic occupation dated from 7100 to 6000 cal BC. The site received worldwide attention early on for its large size, well-preserved mudbrick architecture, and elaborate wall paintings. Excavations at the site over almost three decades have unearthed rich archaeobotanical remains and a diverse ground stone assemblage produced by what once was a vibrant farming community. The study presented here adds to our understanding of crops and plant processing at Çatalhöyük by integrating phytoliths and starch analyses on grinding implements found at three domestic contexts attributed to the Middle (6700-6500 cal BC) and Late (6500-6300 cal BC) period of occupation. Our results reveal a rich microbotanical assemblage that testifies the use of a wide range of geophytes and wild seasonal resources previously unknown at the site. Moreover, by comparing results from the microbotanical proxies and microscopic wear patterns on artefacts, we are also able to discern various plant processing practices the analysed artefacts were employed for. In sum, this work further expands our understanding of plants and crop processing activities performed by the inhabitants of Neolithic Çatalhöyük.
恰塔霍裕克是位于安纳托利亚中部的一个著名考古遗址，以其新石器时代的居住历史而闻名，其年代可追溯到公元前 7100 年至 6000 年。该遗址因面积大、保存完好的泥砖建筑和精美的壁画而早在早期就引起了全世界的关注。在该遗址进行了近三十年的发掘，出土了丰富的考古植物学遗存和大量的石器，这些石器是由曾经生机勃勃的农业社区生产的。本研究通过对三个属于中石器时代（公元前 6700-6500 年）和晚石器时代（公元前 6500-6300 年）的家庭环境中发现的研磨工具进行植硅体和淀粉分析，为我们理解恰塔霍裕克的农作物和植物加工提供了新的认识。我们的研究结果揭示了一个丰富的微植物组合，证明了该遗址曾经使用过广泛的地下块茎和野生季节性资源。此外，通过比较微植物分析结果和微观磨损模式，我们还能够辨别分析工具所采用的各种植物加工技术。总之，这项工作进一步扩展了我们对新石器时代恰塔霍裕克居民所进行的植物和作物加工活动的理解。
