Publishing Catalhoyuk: multivocality in action?

Campbell, Stuart

IAN HODDER (ed.) with members of the Catalhoyuk teams. Excavating Catalhoyuk: South, North and KOPAL Area reports from the 1995-99 seasons (Catalhoyuk Research Project Volume 3/BIAA Monograph 37). xviii+588 pages, 310 illustrations, 47 tables. 2007. Cambridge & London: McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research & British Institute at Ankara; 978-1-902937-27-4 hardback 69 [pounds sterling].

IAN HODDER (ed.) with members of the Catalhoyuk teams. Inhabiting Catalhoyuk: reports from the 1995-99 seasons by members of the Catalhoyuk teams (Catalhoyuk Research Project Volume 4/BIAA Monograph 38). xviii+446 pages, 286 illustrations, 160 tables, CD-ROM. 2005. Cambridge & London: McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research & British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara; 1-902937-22-8 hardback 60 [pounds sterling].

IAN HODDER (ed.) with members of the Catalhoyuk teams. Changing Materialities at Catalhoyuk: reports from the 1995-99 seasons by members of the Catalhoyuk teams (Catalhoyuk Research Project Volume 5/BIAA Monograph 39). xviii+396 pages, 269 illustrations, 246 tables, CD-ROM. 2006. Cambridge & London: McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research & British Institute at Ankara; 1-902937-28-7 hardback 59 [pounds sterling].

IAN HODDER (ed.) with members of the Catalhoyuk teams. Catalhoyuk Perspectives: reports from the 1995-99 seasons by members of the Catalhoyuk teams (Catalhoyuk Research Project Volume 6/ BIAA Monograph 40). xii+246 pages, 61 illustrations, 29 tables. 2006. Cambridge & London: McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research & British Institute at Ankara; 1-902937-29-5 hardback 39 [pounds sterling].

Catalhoyuk is a unique site, not only in Anatolian or Near Eastern archaeology but in the context of world archaeology. It undoubtedly has produced spectacular and important prehistoric remains. The excavations carried out by James Mellaart in the 1960s certainly established that. The results of these excavations, and the controversial manner in which they ended, already gave it an almost mythological aura. In many ways, this was increased by the absence of a full publication of this research. Since the recommencement of field research at the site in 1993, the iconic status of the site has been reinforced. The research has, at times, seemed to focus as much on the practice of archaeology as on its outcome and, until now, its ambitions have been at least as prominent as its results. The project has been presented as a new type of post-processual excavation, promising greater power to excavators, specialists and non-participants to engage in multi-vocal interpretations (Hodder 1997a; 2000). In another perspective, the site has seen an almost unparalleled concentration of cutting-edge archaeological techniques, sampling, recording and analysing in minute detail. To some this has even led to suggestions that the detail has been too great because it has come at the expense of larger exposures; to paraphrase comments made verbally by some critics, it has recorded almost everything about very little. These diverse aspects and perceptions of the Catalhoyuk project make the publications under review here particularly significant and undoubtedly raise expectations. Although there has been no shortage in recent years of publications deriving from the recent work at the site, these four monographs return the focus firmly to the studies carried out at the site and on the primary evidence that has come from it.

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These books follow the first two monographs in the Catalhoyuk series of publications, the first largely dealing with surface collections and the second with the methodologies of excavation and interpretation (Hodder 1997b; 2000). The four most recent volumes focus on the results of the excavations carried out between 1995 and 1999 and a series of study seasons between 2000 and 2002. The main focus is on the excavations carried out by the Cambridge and Stanford teams on the east mound at Catalhoyuk, although material is included from the palaeoenvironmental programme and discussion also incorporates some related projects.

For many of the categories of material, only a sample of the excavated assemblage has been analysed and included here. This sample is generally restricted to 355 priority units defined after the end of the period of excavations, comprising c. 20 per cent of the total volume of material excavated. Although this is clearly selective, the volume of data from well-preserved Near Eastern sites makes some form of selection unavoidable and the result here is a set of in-depth studies of a detail and scope that is sometimes stunning. It would have been useful, however, to have had more detail on how these priority units were selected and on how they can be related to the remaining material. This would not only have permitted a more thorough understanding of how the analysed sample relates to the excavated whole but would also have made it easier to evaluate this approach as a potential exemplar for other projects.

Volume 3 provides an analysis of the structures and stratigraphy, with two chapters of introduction and synthesis by Ian Hodder. Although the sections draw on the work of 42 different contributors, the bulk of the remaining chapters are actually written by Shahina Farid and Craig Cessford, which gives a welcome degree of consistency to the writing not always present in the other volumes. The rather brief, final section outlines the on- and off-site palaeoenvironmental programme. The documentation in all these chapters is detailed and exhaustive, although the level of detail is such that it is often difficult to gain an overview without very careful reading and cross-referencing. The frequent use of verbatim quotes from the original site notes does add an element of immediacy to the text but sometimes with a loss of concision. The occasional use of separate text panels to include more personal narratives by the excavators working in the Neolithic buildings is an innovative and potentially interesting device but does not mesh convincingly with the rest of the text.

Volume 4 deals with a range of non-artefactual studies. It is organised in three sections, each with multiple specialist reports in separate chapters, preceded by a general introduction and summary. Many chapters have substantial numbers of supplementary pages on the accompanying CD and three only exist in that format. The section on site-environment relations includes chapters on both faunal and botanical remains. Although a fairly conventional range of studies are included here, all are extremely detailed and well considered, reflecting an impressive investment of rime and talent. The second section, awkwardly titled 'Human Lifeways', tackles different aspects of the human population from the site. Chapters range from skeletal remains to DNA analysis and stable-isotope evidence for diet. The detailed skeletal analysis is particularly notable. The final section is focused around the site and its sediments, bur also includes, somewhat incongruously, a report of ethnoarchaeological research in central Anatolia. Here the range of techniques for the analysis of archaeological soils is impressive, and the results should stimulate adoption of these techniques elsewhere. The core chapter in this section, in many ways, is the detailed micromorphological study by Wendy Matthews that does much to give a coherent framework to the different contributions. Although the volume as a whole contains a great deal of exciting material, there is little integration of the constituent parts and the user of the volume is required to do a lot of the work to relate different sections together.

Volume 5 discusses other aspects of the material culture at the site through detailed analysis of manufactured items, primarily drawn from the 355 priority units. After an introduction, there is a statistical analysis of contexts and a chapter detailing the analysis of the material retrieved from the heavy residues of the flotation samples. A substantial chapter on the absolute dating of Catalhoyuk is followed by 15 chapters on the ceramics, chipped stone, ground stone, worked bone, figurines, beads, basketry and other objects. These chapters provide detailed typological and, to a much lesser extent, comparative analyses. Inevitably, given both the interest in temporality as a topic and the nature of the stratigraphic depth of the excavation, there is considerable emphasis on continuity and change through time. Again many chapters have supplementary material on the accompanying CD, although only in the form of formatted PDF files, and there is one chapter entirely in this format.

The stated aim of volume 6 is synthesis, drawing on material from the other volumes to deal with broad themes. It is a slightly strange mix. Some of the chapters are indeed strongly interpretative and integrate the specialist reports from the earlier volumes in the series; the chapters looking at the relationship with the environment, at seasonality and at the lifecycles of buildings are good examples. Other chapters introduce important additional information, such as the settlement history of the Catalhoyuk region. Some of the chapters, however, are rather more loosely connected to the earlier volumes, and the overall effect is of a collection of essays about Catalhoyuk rather than an integrated volume. Indeed, several of the more general chapters might have made better independent journal articles, and there is significant duplication with material published by some of the same authors elsewhere. As with many contributions in all four volumes, the sections are at their best when offering carefully reasoned interpretations, drawing on detailed evidence; there is often a tendency to be wordy and sometimes simply self-indulgent.

The four volumes under review here are not only interlinked. They can, to ah extent, only be used as an integrated set. This is, however, not always easy, not least because of a general absence of cross-referencing between sections. The references tend to be vertical, with the introductions to the volumes and the integrative chapters in volume 6 providing most references to the specialist reports. There are many fewer horizontal cross references between individual reports which tend to exist in relative isolation, and perhaps this reflects the writing process. Given the stated emphasis on integration and communication between specialists this is surprising. It certainly hinders the use of the four volumes together, further impeded by cross referencing made in terms of volume number rather than title, while the covers of the individual books omit that key information! Because of this, I constantly confused volumes 4 and 5 and spent far too much time looking in the wrong book. Although these volumes are overtly concerned with the excavations seasons from 1995-99, they remain of necessity grounded in our wider knowledge of Catalhoyuk, produced in greatest quantity and most spectacularly in the excavations of the 1960s. Although it may not have been intended in this sense, when Hodder notes in his introduction to volume 6 that he "finds it remarkable how, even though discussions of the art had not been central to [the] on-site research, authors felt drawn back to the art in their synthetic discussions' (p. 13), he implicitly acknowledges that the agenda, and the unique opportunities that Catalhoyuk offers, often remains that set by the earlier discoveries. Without the more extensive excavations of Mellaart, many of the detailed studies in these volumes would lose a significant part of their value.

Illustrations are surprisingly limited in some parts of the volumes. The photographs, drawings and reconstructions of the burials are particularly high in quality, both technically and as a means to emphasise the humanity of the remains. In many ways, however, these are volumes dominated by text, by tables and by graphs. Certainly plans, artefact drawings and a very welcome range of reconstructions are included but many of them are relegated to the accompanying CDs. In some places this is not significant and simply represents one particular priority but at times it does hinder comprehension. In the chapter by Carter et al. analysing the chipped stone assemblages of chert and obsidian, for example, it would aid comprehension significantly if more of the key types were illustrated within the text. Instead the reader has to use, rather awkwardly, the volume and the CD at the same time.

What is perhaps particularly disappointing is the fairly basic use made of electronic media. Three of the volumes are accompanied by CDs, but their content is almost entirely material formatted as conventional, printable page layouts. At minimum, there was the potential for abundant colour illustrations, which would have been valuable for both the excavations and the artefacts. There are eleven videos of site diaries accompanying Volume 3 but this is not much more than a demonstration of what is technically possible; there is potential for much more. Given the ambitions of the Catalhoyuk project, it would have been an exciting opportunity to explore, for example, nonlinear presentations on the CDs, enabling the reader to make their own links within the text rather than following the structure predetermined by the authors. The inclusion of spreadsheets on the CD accompanying Chapter 2 of Volume 4 is to be welcomed, as it not only provides much of the raw data from the faunal remains but facilitates its use by future researchers. It would have been useful to have this extended to other data-rich chapters. Unfortunately, not all the CDs are as tidy as they might be and the quality of final production is sometimes questionable: the unexplained presence on the CD of the original graphics files for Chapter 18 in Volume 4 in addition to the final PDF file is an example; several of the PDF files are also excessively large (469Mb in the worst case) and consequently unnecessarily slow to access even on a fast computer. This is unfortunate for what is generally a high quality production.

The text of these volumes is certainly exhaustive. Many of the chapters do not simply present the basic data from the site and draw interpretations from it. They also make very significant contributions to archaeological methodology. Sometimes, however, the methodological debate is overdone. Some of the discussions are verbose and would have benefitted from much tighter editing. At times it all feels a little ponderous, as though the need to acknowledge the process of interpretation overshadows the excitement of the interpretation itself. Surprisingly, perhaps, in view of the advocacy of multivocality within the project, it is possible to see ah overarching directorial hand, setting the agenda and guiding the interpretations. There is an emphasis running through the volumes that draws attention to continuity and the links between the constantly recreated present and the recent past, and entanglement of people's lives with the material they create, which has strong echoes in Hodder's recent (2006) single-authored publication on Catalhoyuk. I would not suggest that this is deliberate but it may result from a project, which is explicitly self-reflective, unconsciously ordering itself around a commonly agreed point. On the other hand, there is often surprisingly little cross-referencing between the different specialists, even where similar concepts or approaches are discussed in different areas.

These are undoubtedly extremely important volumes that will have a lasting impact. They succeed on many different levels. These publications also raise a number of important challenges for excavators of other similar sites in the Near East and beyond. Nonetheless, there are issues with them. The standard of excavation, analysis and publication is extremely high. It is not, however, a standard to which all projects are likely to be able to aspire. The total cost, direct and indirect, of the studies represented in these volumes is not quantified but is far beyond the means of most excavations or, indeed, funding bodies. They represent a huge investment on the part of the project members that have produced them. The difficulty in coordinating and cajoling all the participants into delivering manuscripts which can be converted into physical publications within 8 years of the end of this phase of the project is immense. These volumes, however, also demand a considerable investment on the part of the user. The total cost is 227 [pounds sterling]. There are 2183 pages, including the additional 441 contained on the CDs, and the total weight of the set is more than 7.5kg. Fully researching a single observation, understanding the context and associated finds, takes considerable time. And this is only for five years of excavation. As the publications of future seasons are added, the bulk will grow and it will increasingly come to resemble the publication series arising from some of the traditional long running excavations of Near Eastern tell sites, like Uruk and Troy. In form, if not always in content, this is a classic excavation publication writ large. Although the praise for producing these volumes promptly and with so much valuable, stimulating and ground-breaking content must be emphatically restated, one must also wonder whether there was an opportunity for an alternative and more innovative publishing strategy, which would have made it easier to work with the information.

References

HODDER, I. 1997a. 'Always momentary, fluid and flexible', towards a reflexive excavation methodology. Antiquity 71:691-700.

--2000. Towards reflexive method in archaeology: the example of Catalhoyuk. Cambridge & London: McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research & British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara.

--2006. Catalhoyuk, the leopard's tale: revealing the mysteries of Turkey's ancient "town: London: Thames & Hudson.

HODDER, I. (ed.) 1997b. On the surface: Catalhoyuk 1993-95. Cambridge & London: McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research & British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara.

Stuart Campbell, Archaeolagy, School of Arts, Histories and Cultures, University of Manchester, UK (Email: stuart. campbell@manchester.ac.uk)