New insights on commemoration of the dead through mortuary and architectural use of pigments at Neolithic Çatalhöyük, Turkey

The cultural use of pigments in human societies is associated with ritual activities and the creation of social memory. Neolithic Çatalhöyük (Turkey, 7100–5950 cal BC) provides a unique case study for the exploration of links between pigments in burials, demographic data and colourants in contemporary architectural contexts. This study presents the first combined analysis of funerary and architectural evidence of pigment use in Neolithic Anatolia and discusses the possible social processes underlying the observed statistical patterns. Results reveal that pigments were either applied directly to the deceased or included in the grave as a burial association. The most commonly used pigment was red ochre. Cinnabar was mainly applied to males and blue/green pigment was associated with females. A correlation was found between the number of buried individuals and the number of painted layers in the buildings. Mortuary practices seem to have followed specific selection processes independent of sex and age-at-death of the deceased. This study offers new insights about the social factors involved in pigment use in this community, and contributes to the interpretation of funerary practices in Neolithic Anatolia. Specifically, it suggests that visual expression, ritual performance and symbolic associations were elements of shared long-term socio-cultural practices

New insights on commemoration of the dead through mortuary and architectural use of pigments at Neolithic Çatalhöyük, Turkey.

The cultural use of pigments in human societies is associated with ritual activities and the creation of social memory. Neolithic Çatalhöyük (Turkey, 7100-5950 cal BC) provides a unique case study for the exploration of links between pigments in burials, demographic data and colourants in contemporary architectural contexts. This study presents the first combined analysis of funerary and architectural evidence of pigment use in Neolithic Anatolia and discusses the possible social processes underlying the observed statistical patterns. Results reveal that pigments were either applied directly to the deceased or included in the grave as a burial association. The most commonly used pigment was red ochre. Cinnabar was mainly applied to males and blue/green pigment was associated with females. A correlation was found between the number of buried individuals and the number of painted layers in the buildings. Mortuary practices seem to have followed specific selection processes independent of sex and age-at-death of the deceased. This study offers new insights about the social factors involved in pigment use in this community, and contributes to the interpretation of funerary practices in Neolithic Anatolia. Specifically, it suggests that visual expression, ritual performance and symbolic associations were elements of shared long-term socio-cultural practices

'Not all that is white is lime' - white substances from archaeological burial contexts: Analyses and interpretations

Archaeological burial contexts may include a variety of white substances, but few analyses have been published. This study reports on the physico‐chemical characterization of such residues from seven archaeological sites. It is often assumed that white materials from burial contexts are lime. Our findings demonstrate that they can be gypsum, calcite (chalk), aragonite, brushite, degraded metal, natural (gum) resins or synthetic polymer–based products. These may be present as the result of diagenetic processes, funerary practices or modern contamination. This paper provides an analytical approach for the holistic investigation of white materials encountered in burial contexts

Crustal homogenization revealed by U–Pb zircon ages and Hf isotope evidence from the Late Cretaceous granitoids of the Agaçören intrusive suite (Central Anatolia/Turkey)

Geochemical and isotopic evidence from the Agacoren Igneous Association in central Anatolia-Turkey indicates that this suite of calc-alkaline granitic rocks have undergone crustal homogenization during regional metamorphic and related magmatic events. Whole-rock chemical and Sr-Nd isotopic data of the granitoids reveal crustal affinity with an earlier subduction component. Zircons show inherited cores and subsequent magmatic overgrowths. The laser ablation ICP-MS Pb-206/U-238 zircon ages are determined as 84.1 +/- 1.0 Ma for the biotite-muscovite granite, 82.3 + 0.8/-1.1 Ma for the hornblende-biotite granite, 79.1 + 2.1/-1.5 Ma for the granite porphyry dyke, 75.0 + 1.0/-1.0 Ma for the alkali feldspar dyke, and 73.6 +/- 0.4 Ma for the monzonite. This is interpreted as continuous magma generation, possibly from heterogeneous sources, from ca. 84 to 74 Ma during the closure of the northern branch of the Neotethyan Ocean. The oldest granitoids (84-82 Ma) were probably formed due to crustal thickening after obduction of the MORB-type oceanic crust onto the Tauride-Anatolide microplate. The younger granitoids are interpreted to be related to the subsequent post-collisional extension after lithospheric delamination. Combination of the laser ablation ICP-MS zircon Lu-Hf isotope data with the U-Pb ages of inherited cores suggests that Cretaceous granitoids formed by melting of heterogeneous crustal protoliths, which results in significant variation in epsilon Hf-(t) data (from -12.9 to +2.2). These protoliths were probably composed of reworked Early Proterozoic crust, minor juvenile Late Proterozoic magmatic components, and Paleozoic to pre-Late Cretaceous recycled crustal material. Moreover, the Late Cretaceous zircon domains of the different granitoids are characterized by a crustal signature, with a relatively restricted zircon epsilon Hf-(t) data ranging from -4.1 to -8.8. This variation is only about twice the reproducibility (ca. +/- 1 epsilon Hf) of the data, bu