The Transition between the East and West Mounds at Çatalhöyük around 6000 cal BC A View from the West

Abstract

Investigation of the transition between the Late Neolithic (LN) and Early Chal- colithic (EC) around 6000 cal BC on the two mounds at Çatalhöyük in central Anatolia is hampered by the erosion of the relevant layers on the East Mound and the fact that the corresponding layers on the West Mound are buried under developed EC occupation deposits. This article sheds light on the process drawing on evidence from Trench 7, a 14C-dated deep sounding on the eastern fringe of the West Mound. It appears that Çatal- höyük—an isolated site during the first half of the seventh millennium—is reconnected to the outside world during the second half of the seventh millennium and subsequently reestablishes certain traits characteristic of the central Anatolian Neolithic in the first half of the sixth millennium. Socioeconomic developments characterized by the “Second Neo- lithic Revolution” and “Painted Pottery Revolution” on the one hand, and rapid climate change brought about by the 8.2 event on the other hand, could be the motor behind these developments. What looks like a major change in settlement structure on a regional scale around the site appears to be a gradual shift of the occupation focus rather than a hiatus at Çatalhöyük, while in other parts of the Konya Basin settlements even show continuity.