Uzdurum, Melis

Istanbul Üniversitesi

Research Topic: What does kerpiç tell about the social structure of the Neolithic communities? Aşıklı as a case study

Ms. Uzdurum is a Phd Candidate who focuses on the changes in the life style and the emerging individual trends of the residents at the Neolithic village of Aşıklı Höyük (8500–7400 cal. BC), through the analysis of kerpiç, the principal architectural element that may reflect the social fabric of the community. Her research aims to study the social and technical processes involved in kerpiç production and use, the relationship between the material choices, social values, and individual trends reflected through different kerpiç compositions, drivers of the changes in production over time, and how these changes relate to the social, cultural and economic aspects of the Aşıklı community. The expected outcomes will contribute to our understanding of the social technologies of the early sedentary communities within the Neolithization process in Central Anatolia. This research applies geoarcheological methods, including soil micromorphology analysis on the composition of kerpiç, mortar, and plaster, to reconstruct the chaines opératoire of kerpiç production and use at Aşıklı Höyük. The use of soil micromorphology in answering questions about the social aspects of prehistoric communities is generally an undervalued research area in Turkish prehistoric archaeology, it is expected that this project will contribute to Turkish archaeology by providing an example of applying new approaches and methods.