The Importance of Chert in Central Anatolia: Lessons from the Neolithic Assemblage at Çatalhöyük, Turkey

Abstract

This paper is a presentation of three sources of artifact‐quality chert in Central Anatolia. A previous dearth of research focused on locating and characterizing such raw material sources has incorrectly colored our view of prehistoric economic practices. To remedy this situation, we have conducted a survey of various locales within Central Anatolia to test for the presence of artifact‐quality materials. We make use of Individual Attribute Analysis (IAA) and Energy Dispersive X‐ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) analysis to discriminate among these materials, and suggest their use by the Neolithic occupants of Çatalhöyük through similar analyses of artifactual materials. We argue that the presence and characterization of these new sources allows us to better understand the intricacies of Neolithic practices by illustrating the ways in which the consumption of these materials was variably entwined with the exploitation of other resources, as well as embedded within social relations outside of Central Anatolia. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.