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Feathers and talons: birds at Neolithic Çatalhöyük, Turkey

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Abstract

Bird remains are few compared to mammals at Neolithic Çatalhöyük, but thanks in part to an extensive flotation program, an assemblage of more than 1300 specimens from secure contexts has been recovered and studied, covering nearly the entire ca. 1100-year sequence from the Neolithic East Mound. The Çatalhöyük inhabitants heavily targeted water birds throughout the sequence. However, the overall relative stability in taxa through time conceals considerable household variation both in areas of the landscape exploited and particular species taken or avoided. As I have argued for the mammals, this may result in part from taboos on some birds, notably herons, that apply only to certain households or other social categories. Indeed, in contrast to earlier sites nearby, the meatier portions of the skeleton are underrepresented at Çatalhöyük, with legs and especially wings predominating. Feathers were likely a major motivation for taking many of the birds, some of them used for costumes. Some bird bones appear in special deposits indicating a symbolic role for, at least, cranes, vultures, crows, and spoonbills.

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Acknowledgments

I am indebted to my colleagues at Çatalhöyük, particularly in the zooarchaeology laboratory, for their help in assembling the bird bones for study and our many productive conversations. Kevin McGowan (Cornell University Laboratory of Ornithology) collaborated on the study of these bones in the early years and enhanced my knowledge of bird anatomy and behavior. These specimens were identified with the aid of the reference collections at the Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates and the Bird Division of the National Museum of Natural History; I am grateful to Charles Dardia at the CUMV and to Chris Milensky and other NMNH staff for facilitating my visits. I thank the two anonymous reviewers, whose thoughtful comments have improved the final version.

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    Nerissa Russell

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Taxa by period and area, Number of Identified Specimens (NISP), corrected for articulations (XLSX 49 kb)

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Russell, N. Feathers and talons: birds at Neolithic Çatalhöyük, Turkey. Archaeol Anthropol Sci 11, 6393–6410 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-018-0681-z

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