Aşıklı Höyük phytoliths: basketry and matting in households and burials

Abstract

Phytolith analysis conducted at the pre-pottery Neolithic site of Aşıklı Höyük has revealed the common use of basketry and plant fibre matting in domestic and burial contexts. The analysis focused on phytolith traces that preserve the shape of the original artefact on the surface of human skeletons buried below house floors, baskets from houses and burials, as well as within the perforated areas of beads that decorated the skeletons. This article presents results on the plant raw materials used and the fibre production techniques employed. The social customs and the fashion of the time were also investigated. The results show that the mats recovered in almost all the archaeological layers of the site were manufactured from the stems and leaves of common reed (Phragmites australis), following the same tradition through time. Reed leaf fibres seem to have been used for stringing the beads of a necklace that was found on an infant skeleton. For the mats, the makers applied a tabby technique in most cases, and they employed a variety of patterns to create more complex textures. Special care in the mat weaving is indicated only for the material encasing the infant burials. For the baskets, the makers adopted different techniques and plant materials, depending on the use and needs as well as plant availability. These methods involved coiling and plaiting of reeds (Arundinoideae), sedges (Cyperaceae) and grasses (Gramineae), as well as a combination of common reed stems and ash (Fraxinus sp.) branches.