11:15 AM - 11:30 AM
[HQR03-09] Stratigraphic Reconstruction of Early Bronze Age Midden Deposits at the Kaman-Kalehöyük Site, Central Anatolia
The Anatolia region is located at the interface between Asia and Europe and was one of the first regions to occur changes such as the start of agro-pastoralism, the development of metal smelting technology, and the development of cities. The region has a large number of archaeological mounds. The stratigraphy of the stratified layers of architectural remains (architectural layers) in the interior of the mounds enables us to trace the chronological evolution of the remains and artifacts at the sites. The Kaman-Kalehöyük, located in the center of Anatolia, is one such mound, where excavations to date have revealed the presence of architectural layers dating from the Early Bronze Age to the Ottoman period. It is highly likely that future excavations will extend the date back to the Chalcolithic or Neolithic period (e.g., Omura 2011). The Kaman-Kalehöyük is distinct from other sites in that a strict architectural stratigraphy has been constructed, and all excavated remains and artifacts are recorded and stored within that stratigraphy, making it an extremely important site for exploring cultural changes in the region.
However, most of the artifacts, such as pottery shards, were found as small fragments, and only a few well-preserved artifacts are considered archaeological research objects. In addition, the mud-brick buildings in the area are very fragile, and only the foundations of the buildings remain in most of the architectural layers.
On the other hand, the sediments formed by the accumulation of waste materials at the site (midden deposits) include daily discharged ashes, charcoal, bones, feces, and fragments of plaster and mud bricks, which are thought to record information on the diet, metal smelting techniques, and construction techniques of the people of that time.
If the stratigraphy between and within the midden deposits can be reconstructed, it is expected that continuous sampling and analysis in the stratigraphic direction of the midden deposits will allow continuous reconstruction of chronological changes in lifestyle and technology.
At the Kaman-Kalehöyük site, there are many pits, about 1 m in diameter and several tens of centimeters deep, in each architectural layer, and the pits are filled and deposited with midden deposits. Since most of the pits were cut by pits excavated later, their ante-posterior relationship can be inferred from the cut relationship among the pits. In this study, we focused on the Early Bronze Age architectural layer (Architectural Layer IV) and constructed the stratigraphy of the midden deposits by describing the stratigraphy of the midden deposits filling each pit and sorting them according to their ante-posterior relationship to each other.
Architectural layer IV is the period including around 4200 years ago, a period of major climatic change that separated the warm, humid Middle Holocene from the cold, dry Late Holocene (e.g., Walker et al. 2019). In this period, the Kaman-Kalehöyük site has two stratigraphic levels (burnt layers) that are believed to be traces of a large-scale fire, and it is highly likely that lifestyles and technology have changed significantly.
A cluster of 17 pits was observed in a stratigraphic interval of approximately 2 m between the two burnt layers exposed on the section of the north trench of the site. Using the cut relationship among the pits, we constructed a stratigraphic record of the pit-filling midden deposits, resulting in two stratigraphic records of midden deposits of approximately 5.2 m and 3.3 m thickness. The midden deposits consist mainly of massive grayish-brown medium to coarse sands containing many pottery sherds, bone fragments, mud-brick fragments, gravel, and charcoal intercalated with thin layers of gray to grayish-white silt ranging in thickness from a few mm to a few centimeters. Preliminary sample analysis results will be reported in R. Tada et al. (this session).
However, most of the artifacts, such as pottery shards, were found as small fragments, and only a few well-preserved artifacts are considered archaeological research objects. In addition, the mud-brick buildings in the area are very fragile, and only the foundations of the buildings remain in most of the architectural layers.
On the other hand, the sediments formed by the accumulation of waste materials at the site (midden deposits) include daily discharged ashes, charcoal, bones, feces, and fragments of plaster and mud bricks, which are thought to record information on the diet, metal smelting techniques, and construction techniques of the people of that time.
If the stratigraphy between and within the midden deposits can be reconstructed, it is expected that continuous sampling and analysis in the stratigraphic direction of the midden deposits will allow continuous reconstruction of chronological changes in lifestyle and technology.
At the Kaman-Kalehöyük site, there are many pits, about 1 m in diameter and several tens of centimeters deep, in each architectural layer, and the pits are filled and deposited with midden deposits. Since most of the pits were cut by pits excavated later, their ante-posterior relationship can be inferred from the cut relationship among the pits. In this study, we focused on the Early Bronze Age architectural layer (Architectural Layer IV) and constructed the stratigraphy of the midden deposits by describing the stratigraphy of the midden deposits filling each pit and sorting them according to their ante-posterior relationship to each other.
Architectural layer IV is the period including around 4200 years ago, a period of major climatic change that separated the warm, humid Middle Holocene from the cold, dry Late Holocene (e.g., Walker et al. 2019). In this period, the Kaman-Kalehöyük site has two stratigraphic levels (burnt layers) that are believed to be traces of a large-scale fire, and it is highly likely that lifestyles and technology have changed significantly.
A cluster of 17 pits was observed in a stratigraphic interval of approximately 2 m between the two burnt layers exposed on the section of the north trench of the site. Using the cut relationship among the pits, we constructed a stratigraphic record of the pit-filling midden deposits, resulting in two stratigraphic records of midden deposits of approximately 5.2 m and 3.3 m thickness. The midden deposits consist mainly of massive grayish-brown medium to coarse sands containing many pottery sherds, bone fragments, mud-brick fragments, gravel, and charcoal intercalated with thin layers of gray to grayish-white silt ranging in thickness from a few mm to a few centimeters. Preliminary sample analysis results will be reported in R. Tada et al. (this session).