The Catalhoyuk obsidian industry: A study of technology, typology and context.

This thesis presents an analysis of a body of knapped-stone from Çatalhoyuk, the largest known Neolithic site both in Turkey and the Near East. The study contributes to an increasing trend in lithic studies towards more contextual analyses, in which the wider social framework of knapped-stone production, use and deposition is a focus of discussion. The first chapter of the thesis outlines the archaeological background of Çatalhöyük and the Anatolian Neolithic. This is followed by an extended theoretical discussion, where it is argued that social and symbolic factors play a fundamental role in shaping technological behaviour. The introductory chapters finish with a review of conventional methods used for knapped-stone analyses in the Near East, and an outline of the methodology used in this thesis. The central chapters of this thesis present a comprehensive account of the technological characteristics of the Çatalhöyük knapped-stone assemblage, focusing on techniques of production and the typology and technology of retouched tools. This is assisted by attribute analysis and multivariate statistical methods. The results of this analysis show that several different methods and techniques were used for core reduction and tool production at Çatalhöyük. Later chapters examine the temporal and spatial patterning of the assemblage, and its wider regional relationships within the Neolithic of Anatolia. The results of this show that, in addition to some changes in tool typology, Çatalhöyük underwent a significant technological transformation from a flake based to a blade based industry. The observations made here are an important contribution to our understanding of the archaeology both of Çatalhöyük and the Anatolian Neolithic. In the final part of the thesis, patterning between knapped-stone and domestic structural features is discussed, the depositional context of obsidian and flint artefacts is examined, and the symbolic importance of some obsidian and flint objects such as projectile points, cores and prismatic blades are considered in detail. Several significant patterns are identified, largely relating to the differential use of space within, and between, individual buildings. Finally, in the concluding chapter, the technological and typological characteristics of the knapped-stone are discussed in relation to their temporal, spatial and contextual organisation. This leads to a broader discussion of the socio-economic context of knapped-stone production, technical change, and its symbolic meaning