Plants to textiles: Local bast fiber textiles at Pre-Pottery Neolithic Çatalhöyük

Textiles from Neolithic Çatalhöyük are among the earliest and best-preserved woven plant artifacts ancient Southwest Asia. Recent examinations of textiles Çatalhöyük’s East Mound middle habitation phase (6700–6500 cal. B. C.) provide surprising evidence that instead being made flax (linen, Linum usitatissimum), as previously thought, fibers inner bark trees (tree bast), some samples identified bast locally growing oak (Quercus sp.). The present paper reports on a separate analysis five textile two cordage fragments, also phase. Our aims were to identify their raw material origins, distinguish thread-making technology present, situate them within broader chaîne opératoire thread making in prehistory region. We observed was based an end-to-end splicing method, while agreeing with earlier published study, tree bast, not flax, source fiber, our results further suggest elm (Ulmus sp.) willow/poplar (Salicaceae) materials used manufacture at site. From these we can infer makers possessed complex understandings biology, physiology, seasonality local wild genera throughout surrounding environment.