Between Inclusion and Exclusion: Feasting and Redistribution of Meals at Late Chalcolithic Arslantepe (Malatya, Turkey)

The redistribution of meals and feasting practices in the early centralized society of Arslantepe VI A in south-eastern Anatolia (Late Chalcolithic 5 – 3300/3000 cal. BCE) are presented in this paper as examples of commensal politics. Within the framework of Mesopotamian early state formation, this period represents a stimulating case because of the evidence of economic centralization, the significant amount of materials found in in situ contexts, and the presence of functionally distinct architecture. Food and beverages were the economic base of the power of elites; yet it is not only through feasting activities that food enters Late Chalcolithic gastro-politics, but also through the meals disbursed in exchange for labor

Feasting and Redistribution of Meals at Late Chalcolithic Arslantepe (Malatya, Turkey)

The redistribution of meals and feasting practices in the early centralized society of Arslantepe VI A in south-eastern Anatolia (Late Chalcolithic 5 – 3300/3000 cal. BCE) are presented in this paper as examples of commensal politics. Within the framework of Mesopotamian early state formation, this period represents a stimulating case because of the evidence of economic centralization, the significant amount of materials found in in situ contexts, and the presence of functionally distinct architecture. Food and beverages were the economic base of the power of elites; yet it is not only through feasting activities that food enters Late Chalcolithic gastro-politics, but also through the meals disbursed in exchange for labo

Between Inclusion and Exclusion

In diesem Beitrag werden die Redistribution von Mahlzeiten sowie Praktiken des Festefeierns in der frühen zentralisierten Gesellschat von Arslantepe VI A in Südostanatolien (Spätes Chalkolithikum 5 – 3300–3000 cal. BCE) dargestellt. Diese sind Beispiele für die Politisierung der Kommensalität. Im Rahmen der frühen Staatenbildung in Mesopotamien stellt Arslantepe, wo wirtschatliche Zentralisierung nachgewiesen ist und wo erhebliche Mengen an in situ gefundenen Materialien sowie funktional unterschiedliche Architektur zutage kamen, einen bemerkenswerten Fall dar. Essen und Trinken bildeten die ökonomische Basis der Macht von Eliten; jedoch waren Lebensmittel nicht nur im Rahmen von Festen Aspekte der spätchalkolitischen ”gastro-politics“, sondern auch bei Mahlzeiten, die im Austausch für Arbeitskrat ausgeteilt wurden.The redistribution of meals and feasting practices in the early centralized society of Arslantepe VI A in south-eastern Anatolia (Late Chalcolithic 5 – 3300/3000 cal. BCE) are presented in this paper as examples of commensal politics. Within the framework of Mesopotamian early state formation, this period represents a stimulating case because of the evidence of economic centralization, the significant amount of materials found in in situ contexts, and the presence of functionally distinct architecture. Food and beverages were the economic base of the power of elites; yet it is not only through feasting activities that food enters Late Chalcolithic gastro-politics, but also through the meals disbursed in exchange for labor

Guess who's coming to dinner? Cooking practices at Arslantepe (Eastern Turkey) from 4200 to 2000 B.C.

Cooking practices are analyzed throughout the Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age occupation at the site of Arslantepe (Malatya), in Eastern Anatolia, by investigating 347 whole cooking pots and a series of in situ but fragmented ones. These vessels are mostly found within domestic or public buildings and are thus considered to be primary indicators of the cooking practices of their inhabitants. Shape, dimensions, use wear traces, capacity and distribution are evaluated and compared; these suggest long lasting food related behaviors and practices of food manipulation that appear to characterize the subsequent cultures that develop at the site. These traditions survive changes in the shapes and position of hearths used for cooking, and stress a modification in the visibility and social involvement in domestic food preparation. Sets of cooking devices are evaluated to identify daily and ordinary food preparation, whilst the contextualization of oversize and particular vessels testifies extra-ordinary preparations

Guess who's coming to dinner? Cooking practices at Arslantepe from 4200 to 2000 BCE

Cooking practices are analysed throughout the Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age occupation at the site of Arslantepe, in Eastern Anatolia (near the modern city of Malatya), by investigating 347 whole cooking pots and a series of in situ but fragmented ones. These are mostly in situ vessels found within domestic or public buildings and are thus considered to be primary indicators of the cooking practices of their inhabitants. Shape, dimensions, use wear traces, capacity and distribution are evaluated and compared; these suggest long lasting food related behaviours and practices of food manipulation that appear to characterise the subsequent cultures that develop at the site. These traditions survive to changes in the shapes and position of hearths on which cooking pots were sat, that stress a modification in the visibility and social involvement in domestic food preparation. Sets of cooking devices are evaluated and used to identify daily and ordinary food preparation, whilst the contextualisation of oversize and particular vessels testifies to their use in extra-ordinary preparations