Recent research at the Balıklı site, near major obsidian sources, has provided new and important findings about the initial processes of sedentarization on the central Anatolian plateau and the interactions between the region’s earliest Neolithic communities. Located just 14 kilometers northeast of the iconic Aşıklı Höyük site, Balıklı reveals marked differences in the organization of these early agricultural societies, despite their geographical proximity.

The Balıklı site, dating to around 8200 B.C., shows a relatively short occupation, lasting only a few hundred years. However, the inhabitants of this settlement demonstrated a significant investment in the construction and organization of their semi-subterranean dwellings, some of which were remodeled and rebuilt multiple times.

These oval, semi-subterranean structures, with distinctive features such as ventilation systems, internal distribution, and main access through the roof, contrast significantly with the architecture of Aşıklı Höyük, despite the close geographical proximity of the two sites.

Location maps: A) Balıklı and key Early Neolithic sites in Central Anatolia and the northern Levant; B) Early Neolithic settlements and obsidian sources in Cappadocia.
Location maps: A) Balıklı and key Early Neolithic sites in Central Anatolia and the northern Levant; B) Early Neolithic settlements and obsidian sources in Cappadocia. Credit: Balıklı research project

In addition to differences in spatial organization and architecture, researchers have identified notable contrasts in subsistence patterns between Balıklı and Aşıklı Höyük. While clear evidence of early plant and animal domestication has been found at Aşıklı Höyük, the faunal and archaeobotanical remains at Balıklı seem to indicate an economy primarily based on hunting and gathering of wild resources.

Preliminary analyses suggest that the inhabitants of Balıklı exploited a wide variety of resources, including small animals like hares, turtles, and fish, in addition to larger ungulates. The presence of emmer wheat and some cultivated legumes may indicate an incipient use of domesticated plants, but further studies are needed to determine their extent and degree of integration into the diet of this community.

Another notable aspect of the archaeological record at Balıklı is the lithic technology, dominated almost exclusively by the use of obsidian from local sources such as Göllüdağ and Nenezi Dağ. Unlike other Neolithic settlements in the region that participated in long-distance exchange networks, the inhabitants of Balıklı appear to have maintained greater independence and autonomy, without integrating into the regional obsidian distribution networks that supplied sites in the Middle Euphrates and southern Levant.

Aerial view of Balıklı (upper-middle, lighter-coloured area) among wetlands and Nenezidağ (right background)
Aerial view of Balıklı (upper-middle, lighter-coloured area) among wetlands and Nenezidağ (right background). Credit: Balıklı research project

This relative isolation contrasts with evidence of connections and interactions between Balıklı and Aşıklı Höyük, reflected in the presence of some shared types of artifacts.

Researchers suggest that this regional variability in the development of early agricultural communities in Central Anatolia may be related to local decision-making and traditions, rather than a “core and periphery” model in the expansion of the “Neolithic package” towards Europe.

While Aşıklı Höyük shows an early and significant integration of plant and animal domestication, other sites such as Pınarbaşı and Boncuklu reveal different degrees of crop adoption and livestock management.

Burials in building 8, inserted in horizontal holes in walls (location shown with down arrows)
Burials in building 8, inserted in horizontal holes in walls (location shown with down arrows). Credit: Balıklı research project

This diversity in the trajectories of agricultural emergence in Central Anatolia highlights the importance of local and regional factors in the transformation of hunter-gatherer societies into farming communities. Unlike more traditional models that proposed a unidirectional expansion from the “core” to the “periphery”, the new findings emphasize a more complex and multi-regional landscape in the origins of agriculture in Southwest Asia.

Furthermore, the relative isolation of Central Anatolian sites in relation to the long-distance exchange networks connecting other regions of Southwest Asia may have influenced the pace and characteristics of cultural change in this area. While the Levant and Middle Euphrates show a rapid transformation towards fully Neolithic ways of life, the central Anatolian plateau seems to have experienced a slower and more gradual process.

Researchers conclude that the inhabitants of Balıklı maintained unique cultural traditions, reflected in burial practices and the layout and construction of their houses. They add that initial observations suggest that Balıklı fits comfortably within the current narrative of regional variability in Central Anatolia, while also sharing characteristics that distinguish the local Early Neolithic from other parts of Southwest Asia.


SOURCES

Goring-Morris AN, Munro ND, Özbaşaran M, et al. Variation in the development of Neolithic societies atop the Central Anatolian Plateau: recent results from Balıklı. Antiquity. Published online 2024:1-18. doi:10.15184/aqy.2024.100


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