Explaining changing patterns of wood presence across the Bronze and Iron Age at Kaman-Kalehöyük, central Anatolia

Abstract

Previous anthracological research on multi-use pit fills at Kaman-Kalehoyuk in central Turkey shows a sudden and dramatic increase in pine use from the Early Iron Age onwards, accompanied by a decline in taxa richness from the Middle Bronze Age to the Late Bronze Age. This paper explores whether fuel choice was the driving factor behind this pattern of change through a comparative taxonomic analysis of wood charcoal assemblages derived from multi-use pits, domestic hearths, and room fills accumulated during the Middle Bronze Age to Late Iron Age occupation at the site. Results from the hearth assemblages parallel those from the pits, documenting a decline in taxa richness from the Middle Bronze Age to the Late Bronze Age, particularly during the Hittite Empire period, followed by a dramatic increase in pine in the Iron Age. However, the room fill composition does not match the same pattern. Results confirm that changes in taxonomic representation represented in the pit fills at Kaman-Kalehoyuk was driven by fuel wood selection, with remains from room fills reflecting different selection behaviour relating to construction activities.