Arson or Accident? The Burning of a Neolithic House at Çatalhöyük, Turkey

This paper presents the results of interdisciplinary research on the recently excavated Building 52 at the Anatolian Neolithic site of Çatalhöyük. This building provides the richest combination of faunal, botanical, and lithic assemblages of all those uncovered since work at the site was renewed in 1995. Occupation of the building ended with a high-temperature fire, after which a portion of it was emptied and reoccupied. Our research synthesizes numerous data sets in order to describe the house and its sequence of incineration, modification, and reuse. Particular attention is paid to the intentionality of the burning and its interpretive implications. These data contribute to ongoing archaeological discussions of the nature of house abandonment and the intersection of ritual and domestic lift in early agricultural societies.