mirrored file at http://SaturnianCosmology.Org/ 
For complete access to all the files of this collection
	see http://SaturnianCosmology.org/search.php 
==========================================================

ÇATALHÖYÜK 1997 ARCHIVE REPORT
______________________________________________________________________

FIGURINES by Naomi Hamilton

During the 1997 season 52 figurines were found, a few of which had
been excavated in 1996 but retrieved from heavy residue this year. The
majority were fragmentary, and most were parts of humanoid or animal
figures. However, several complete or almost complete figures were
found, as well as a number of fragments of considerable interest.
Almost all the pieces found this year were made of clay, the majority
of them lightly baked, a few were of plaster. Figurines were found in
all areas of the site - Bach, North, Mellaart and Summit -in contexts
which would equate with Mellaart's levels IV/V - VIII. This gives us a
reasonable time span over which to view changes and variation.

As previously, most figurines are found outside the living space of
houses. A number come from buildings, but this was generally from
below the floors or within the fabric of walls and fittings. Most were
found in outside areas containing a wide range of materials which
could be called rubbish. This is the case with human, humanoid and
animal figurines, and makes the interpretation of these artefacts
challenging. Until information is available concerning the
interpretation of all the detailed and general contexts in which
figurines were found, I can only make preliminary comments.

The most spectacular figurine was perhaps the complete one from the
Summit trench, found just at the end of this season's work on that
area. Numbered 2675.X1, it depicts a seated figure and was hailed as a
typical Çatalhöyük 'Mother Goddess'. In fact it is unusual in a number
of ways. It is extremely small, only 20mm high, which makes it one of
the smallest ever found at the site. It is seated with stub legs or
knees in front, rather than the crossed legs or legs to one side under
the body which are common on the larger figures; the reduced arms
which stick straight out from the body while turning downwards, ending
in a point, are very unusual, rather reminiscent of much later figures
from Bronze Age sites in Anatolia. The well-known Çatalhöyük figures
of this general type normally have complete arms depicted, with hands
resting on the knees or upper body, and great attention paid to the
hands. Further, although this figure has a bulging stomach, it has no
breasts. Some of these unusual features could be attributed to the
small size of the figure, but perhaps that itself requires
explanation. Finally, this figure has a hole in the top of the body
for the attachment of a head, which is missing. This is seen in a
number of figurines found both by Mellaart and during the current
work, but is relatively rare. The figurine is complete and undamaged.
It is rather crudely made, which could be a product of its size. It
was found in an external area interpreted as a midden, apparently
attached to Building 10, which is probably Mellaart level IV or IV/V.
The 'fat lady' figurines from Mellaart's excavations date between
levels VI (only one example) and III (several examples), so as far as
date goes, this one agrees very well with what was known previously.
Unfortunately, although this figurine was given an 'x' number by the
excavators, it was actually found in the sieve, so that precise
co-ordinates are not available and it is not known whether it was in
association with any other artefacts or with deposits of particular
natures. This is the only figurine from Summit area known to me from
1997, although I would be surprised if no fragments had been found in
the dry sieve or heavy residue.

Bach area produced 21 figurines, most of them fragmentary. The most
notable is 2207.X2, an almost complete humanoid figure. Damage
comprises the loss of the tip of the nose and part of the left leg.
The figurine is 29.7mm high, which is about average for this type of
figure. The body/neck is bent forward more than is common, and the
long legs provide a counterbalance so that it was sit unaided. The
head is rounded, not triangular as in many examples, and has a
clearly-defined cap or mop of hair surmounting a face whose main
feature is a long narrow pointed nose.

2214.H6, also from Bach area, is an unusual humanoid figurine in that
the neck/body, which is triangular from the front and rear, is much
more solid and plump in side view, presenting a view of a body with
rounded bulging stomach rather than the long thin neck normally shown.
It does not have legs, just a roughly conical base which is this
instance is undermined at the front to accentuate the belly. The body
is surmounted by a neck which is thick in side-view but thin from the
front/rear and is bending forward. Unfortunately the head is missing.
This figurine appears to overlap the boundaries of human and humanoid
in a way that was seen in a number of figures found in 1996 and
several other examples found this year.

2201.H1, from Bach, is a rather formless chunk of hard-baked clay
which has been punctured over most of it's extant surface. It is
possible that this represents part of a leopard figurine, although at
present it is not clear what part of the animal, if any, is shown. If
it is a leopard, this would be the first one found during the current
work; a number were found by Mellaart in good and recognisable
condition. (Two other fragments have been found with puncture marks
across the surface, but these appear more likely to belong to human
figures - the puncture marks are arranged in neat lines, in one case
covering only half the extant surface, whereas on leopard figures the
punctures seem to be fairly random and cover the whole surface. These
two other fragments come from the Mellaart area, found in 1995 and
1996, and are small.)

Fragments of thirteen figurines were found in the North area, and
several others were recovered from heavy residue excavated last year
and sorted this year. 2553.H1 is a complete, undamaged humanoid figure
found in the packing layers below Space 71, Building 1. It is tiny -
only 18.7mm high and very slim. It has divided legs sticking out in
front and can sit unaided. The upright body/neck tapers slightly and
evenly on all sides towards a small triangular head which is almost
flat on top. The pointed nose is at the top of the face, rather than
sloping downwards, which adds to the alert, upright impression given
by the pose of this neat figurine.

2198.H1, from North area, is a particularly interesting humanoid
figurine. Two joining pieces - the head and body/neck - were found in
the heavy residue; the rest - the face, part of the neck, and one leg
- is missing. The figure is 29.4mm high, with a narrow base and slim
body/neck inclining slightly forward. The head is the interesting part
- roughly circular in plan, the top is covered with punctures which
also run in neat, horizontal rows around the back and sides (the front
is missing). This seems either to represent hair, or to be for fixing
hair to the figure. Holes have been found on figurine heads before
(and this year 2739.H2), but not in quite this style. It is
unfortunate that the face is missing, as it is possible that it did
not have the normal long pointed humanoid nose. Rather, it could have
been a more natural face such as that on 1073.H2, found in 1996, which
is similar in shape though more rounded on top and is missing its
body. So far, we do not know which type of body 1073.H2, nor a number
of other unique heads, belong to. 2198.H1 appears to be another
figurine which crosses the boundary between human and humanoid, and
underlines my belief that the humanoid figurines do indeed represent
humans, rather than animals, birds or part-bird, part-humanoid
creatures as others have sometimes suggested. It was found in an ashy
deposit underlying the lowest floor in Space 70, Building 1.

2171.H2, from North, is a humanoid head with a headscarf, or possibly
hair, shown at the back by means of flattening the clay and folding it
downwards. The head is triangular in plan from above with concave
sides all round; the whole face juts forwards, rather than having a
pointed nose. The neck is strongly curved forwards. 2558.H1 is another
humanoid, noteworthy because the body/neck curves strongly backwards,
rather than forwards as seen in a number of others. The head is
missing. 2559.H1 is the base of a humanoid figure of the same tiny
size as 2553.H1. It has a conical base rather than divided legs. The
head is missing. These last two were found in make-up layers below
Space 71, Building 1.

2508.H3, North area, is an animal figurine. It shows a quadruped of
uncertain species which may be lying down. The rear end is broken
away, the front shows two stubby legs which from the side view are
invisible as the base of the figure is flat along both edges. Either
ears or horns have been broken off, and there is a hole in the break
scar on the left side of the head which could suggest an aid in
attaching modelled ears or horns. It does not appear to be a stab
mark. Overall the figure has a dog-like (or seal-like!) appearance,
but with the front of the face, rear end and ears/horns missing it is
not possible to suggest a species more strongly. It was found in a
make-up/foundation layer beneath Space 71, Building 1.

2131.H1 is a large plaster model of a cattle horn. It is beautifully
shaped with careful curves and a pointed tip. It was broken into two
joining pieces, and appears originally to have been joined to a head -
at least, that end of the horn is broken at a point where one would
expect it to join the head. It is 43mm long, far larger than most
similar fragments although Mellaart found a number of large animal
figurines and horns. Its context was peculiar - it was found in the
plaster moulding which seems to have imitated or surrounded a wooden
post against the north wall of Space 71, Building 1. The horn was
found in the heavy residue, so its precise position in the wall is
unknown. However, it may have had considerable significance, and is
unlikely to have got into the moulding by accident. The fact that it
is made of plaster suggests that it could have been made at the time
of the moulding.

Seventeen figurine fragments were found in Mellaart area this year,
most of them badly damaged. 2739.H2 is the most important. It is a
large figurine head of unbaked clay, possibly briefly sun-dried, and
was found in two pieces in an area of ashy midden. It was not
recognised during excavation but was retrieved from a bag of stone in
the lab, so its position in the large midden and any associated
objects or deposits are not known. The head is one of the largest
found during the current excavations, being 49.2mm high - taller than
many complete figurines - and is unlike any other head found so far.
The back in nearly straight, while the front is dominated by a large
roughly modelled nose with two punctures for nostrils. Below the nose
is a puncture for a mouth, and either side of the bridge of the nose
are punctures representing eyes. The forehead slopes back to meet the
upright back of the head in a ridge, through which there are seven
perforations which may be for the attachment of hair or a head-dress.
Another puncture hole near the base of the back of the head may be
related to these perforations, although it is possible that it is
accidental, pertaining to the breakage of the head down the middle
from top to bottom. Inspection of the puncture in the broken edge
showed that it is of the same shape and depth as the puncture
representing the left eye, which is also on the break. On either side
of the head are large modelled ears of peculiar shape, in the base of
each of which is a large indentation. Overall, the head shows
similarities to a number of others, while being unique. It cannot
stand unaided - the leather-hard clay has been cut on a slope across
the base. This appears to have been reworked in antiquity, although it
is possible that this is damage caused during excavation, - some marks
were certainly new. The softness of the clay makes this more difficult
to ascertain. Because of the shape of the base, it is not certain what
angle the head should be at - whether the back was vertical, so that
it had its nose tilted up, or sloping gently forward so that it was
looking straight ahead. This is only the second head found during
current work which could belong to a large figurine of the type found
by Mellaart in a couple of buildings. It came from a deposit which
would equate with Mellaart's levels VII-VIII, somewhat earlier than
the large figurines he found, which were in level VI and were made of
stone. Our other large head was also of clay, and came from Mellaart's
backfill in 1995.

2321.H1 is an atypical humanoid figurine. It is fairly large - 36.5mm
high - and has a conical lower body with a very concave base, the
hollow being suitable for a thumb whilst holding it in the hand. The
rather thick neck widens at the top, and the head has a pronounced
nose which dominates. The measurement from nose tip to back of head is
greater than the diameter of the base, giving it a rather commanding
pose. The figurine is quite crudely manufactured. It is damaged on the
edges of the head, but part of the top of the head remains, and the
nose is complete.

1653.H3 is a badly damaged fragment, but a rare example of a 'typical'
Çatalhöyük figurine. It is the lower part of a seated 'fat lady', of
which all that remains is the base, most of the left leg, and a small
part of the surface of the right leg. It appears that both legs were
in front, with knees slightly raised and feet together. This may be
the earliest example of this type known so far, as it comes from a
context regarded as equivalent to Mellaart level VII/VIII. Mellaart's
earliest figurine of this type was from level VI, and that was the
only example pre-dating level V. (A leg of a similar figure, made of
plaster and painted red, was found last year in the same or similar
level. It seems to be from a composite figure.)

2032.X1 is a humanoid figurine which verges on the human.
Unfortunately the head is missing, and the upper body/neck is damaged.
The lower body has two legs but the division between them is gently
curving, a small semi-circular bite out of the fabric rather than the
normal definite modelling of two legs. From the side, the figurine
looks more like a kneeling figure with rather bulging posterior than a
normal humanoid, and instead of a long thin neck, this has a short
thick upper body which may actually have breasts. The damage makes it
impossible to say whether this is breasts or the beginning of a large
nose. If it is a nose, the neck is extraordinarily short if not
non-existent. This figurine is another example in a growing group that
appears to blur the lines between human and humanoid figurines,
suggesting it is not so much what is represented, but what use the
figure is to be put to, that determines its form.

1862.X2 is a small fragment of lightly baked clay with one remaining
surface, which has been punctured is regular lines of holes. There are
10 holes, roughly 2.5mm deep. It is thought that this belongs to a
figurine - the fabric is certainly similar - but what it represents is
unclear.

1873.H1 is a large and sturdy cattle horn made of plaster. Broken at
both ends, is appears to be similar in size to the one found in North
area. This example is 36.9mm long, and seems to curve in one direction
only, unlike 2131.H1 which curves twice. . It is interesting that both
these large horns should be made of plaster.

2801.H1 is another unusual piece - or indeed, pieces. This consists of
four fragments which all seem, from fabric and manufacture, to belong
to the same artefact but none of which join. What makes them
interesting is that they appear to have been fairly two-dimensional.
They have been formed from a flat piece of clay, which has been
moulded to create a plaque rather than a figurine. At present, the
form is uncertain - one piece may be a horn, another may be a horn or
a leg, another could be a cattle head with part of a horn attached.
This is the flattest piece, with the back unsmoothed and the front
moulded. One reason why this is interesting is that several other
pieces have been found which are better made than this but also seem
to be two-dimensional cattle heads rather than figurines proper.
Hopefully finds in the future will help us to understand these pieces.

The other figurines from this season consists of fragments of
humanoids, animal horns, and a few possible human arms.
_________________________________________________________________

[6]PREVIOUS
[7]CONTENTS
[8]NEXT

[9]ÇATALHÖYÜK HOME     -     [10]ARCHIVE REPORTS

References

4. http://catal.arch.cam.ac.uk/index.html