Abstract

DEFINING THE NEOLITHIC OF CENTRAL ANATOLIA

Mehmet ÖZDOĞAN
Prehistory Department, Faculty of Letters, Istanbul University, 34459 Istanbul, TR.
mozdo@atlas.net.tr

Until recent, the Neolithic of Central Anatolia was considered as being a late reflection of the developments that took place in Syro-Levant region. This implied that the foundations of early farming village economies - thus the early Neolithic economies - were triggered by the cultural happenings in semi-arid zones of the Near East, and that later in time, only after its full development, diffused into the Central Anatolian plateau. The mode, timing as well as reasons leading to this "Diaspora" have been largely debated. However, recent work on the Anatolian highlands, including the Central Anatolian plateau has clearly demonstrated that the beginnings of, what can broadly be named as Neolithic way of life began at a time much earlier then the suggested dates of this diffusion. At present, cultural stages earlier than the beginning of Asikli in Central Anatolia is still poorly known. However still, an assessment of the evidence from the Anatolian plateau clearly indicates a pattern that is considerably different from the "Near Eastern" one. The distinctive character of the Central Anatolian neolithic cultures can be seen in almost all aspects of the culture, from settlement pattern to the development of architectural patterns, from the composition of the material assemblage to the technologies of production, from cult practices to subsistence patterns.

Thus, now there are clear evidences to see the Neolithic of the Anatolian Plateau as a distinct entity, developing more or the less simultaneously on parallel lines with the Neolithic of the Near East. Needless to say, there are still major lacunae in our knowledge, and it is still far from being clear whether or not there was one or multiple model of "neolithisation" on the Anatolian Plateau.

The paper will cover a discussion on these issues.