Voices From the Field (2021-08-20)

A New Publication on Earthen Materials from Kaymakçı

Gygaia Projects

We are pleased to announce a new publication on earthen materials from Kaymakçı appearing in the latest issue of Studia Hercynia. See below for details!

Made from Mud: Functional Categorization and Analyses of Bronze Age Earthen Materials from Western Turkey

Jana Mokrišová, Christopher H. Roosevelt, Christina Luke, and Caitilin R. O’Grady

Abstract: This contribution presents the results of a pilot study of earthen materials excavated at the Middle to Late Bronze Age site of Kaymakçı, located in western Anatolia. It argues that systematic collection and analysis of fragmentary and difficult‐to‐identify earthen materials is challenging, yet crucial. These materials inform on activities of which traces are preserved in the archaeological record but which have been largely under‐researched. Flourishing studies on earthen findings foreground architectural materials, such as mudbrick, and well‐preserved features and objects. However, earthen objects and architectural features were utilized more widely than in building architecture and only a small portion of excavated sites has good preservation. We, therefore, present the different categories of earthen materials discovered at Kaymakçı, specifically architecture, installations, and portable items. Our work demonstrates that by incorporating new knowledge of archaeological remains at the site and re‐studying the earthen assemblage it is possible to gain a better understanding of the morphological, functional, and social aspects of this dataset.

Look forward to more posts from Gygaia Projects soon!