Improvising places. On evaluating the complexity of open spaces in neolithic Çatalhöyük
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- This dissertation investigates the use and development of open spaces in Neolithic settlements in the context of the social shifts and regional trends noted in West Asia. Investigations of open space in the scholarship are varied and articulate with broader theoretical and methodological discussions such as the relationship between architectural form and social organization, the identification, role, and scale of ritual within Neolithic communities, and the development of incipient social hierarchy or the exploration of social heterarchy. While this ground may already seem well-trodden, the disproportionate focus on Neolithic structures as the basic social and productive units of analysis has left some research avenues unexplored. Conceptually, open spaces occupy a liminal zone between the inside (of the house) and the outside (of the settlement). Despite their archaeologically elusive nature, they represent the common physical and social setting for the site's inhabitants and thus hold untapped analytical potential for elucidating communal life in the Neolithic. My project uses as a case study the high-resolution excavation of a multiphase open space and the systematic and multifaceted re-evaluation of open spaces at the Neolithic tell site of Çatalhöyük (7,100-6,000 cal. BC), Turkey. One of the main arguments of this dissertation is that integrating these spaces into the Neolithic social and architectural landscape moves us away from calcified conceptualizations of open spaces as tabulae rasae and instead requires us to frame their development within more dynamic and frameworks than the public-private continuum. The chronological depth of the data at Çatalhöyük allowed me to juxtapose everyday spatial practices with longer-term social processes—highlighting the interplay between them. Thus, there are two distinct issues that this project addresses: 1. The production of nuanced excavation data to better understand open space use and development on a granular scale, and 2. A systematic re-evaluation of open spaces at Çatalhöyük in general and their re-integration into the settlement's social and architectural landscape through the collation and analysis of several strands of data—moving us towards a more comprehensive and powerful narrative of their overall role in settlement and society.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Form | electronic resource; remote; computer; online resource |
| Extent | 1 online resource. |
| Place | California |
| Place | [Stanford, California] |
| Publisher | [Stanford University] |
| Copyright date | 2021; ©2021 |
| Publication date | 2021; 2021 |
| Issuance | monographic |
| Language | English |
Creators/Contributors
| Author | Issavi, Justine |
|---|---|
| Degree supervisor | Hodder, Ian |
| Thesis advisor | Hodder, Ian |
| Thesis advisor | Banning, E. B. (Edward Bruce), 1955- |
| Thesis advisor | Bauer, Andrew M |
| Thesis advisor | Voss, Barbara L, 1967- |
| Degree committee member | Banning, E. B. (Edward Bruce), 1955- |
| Degree committee member | Bauer, Andrew M |
| Degree committee member | Voss, Barbara L, 1967- |
| Associated with | Stanford University, Department of Anthropology |
Subjects
| Genre | Theses |
|---|---|
| Genre | Text |
Bibliographic information
| Statement of responsibility | Justine Issavi. |
|---|---|
| Note | Submitted to the Department of Anthropology. |
| Thesis | Thesis Ph.D. Stanford University 2021. |
| Location | https://purl.stanford.edu/hw276mn5408 |
Access conditions
- Copyright
- © 2021 by Justine Issavi
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC).
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