Papers by Sharon R . Steadman
From Households to Empires: Papers in Memory of Bradley J. Parker, 2023
The archaeological search for the "true picture" of what life was like in villages, towns, and ci... more The archaeological search for the "true picture" of what life was like in villages, towns, and cities long ago and far away is fraught with the danger of misinterpretation and misrepresentation. This was certainly the case in the early years of archaeological exploration of the Ancient Near East when museum curators were starry-eyed over the arrival of statues and imperial luxury goods from excavations at places such as Nineveh, Ur, Nimrud, and Babylon. The names of kings and their exploits and conquests were enshrined in museum exhibits, lauded in popular publications, and eventually recorded in textbooks. Such was both the academic, and lay, view of the Ancient Near East: powerful monarchs controlling an archaeologically silent and presumably uninteresting frontier. Well over a century later, archaeologists began to explore the "imperial experience" in the
No Place Like Home: Ancient Near Eastern Houses and Households, 2022
Work/Life Balance’ in the Late Chalcolithic: Household Activities and Spatial Organization at Çadır Höyük
In No Place Like Home: Ancient Near Eastern Houses and Households, Aaron Brody, Laura Battini and Sharon R. Steadman, eds. Ancient Near Eastern Archaeology Series, Archaeopress, pages 112-126., 2022
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, Apr 1, 2021
This study examines how the population at Çadır Höyük on the north central Anatolian plateau modi... more This study examines how the population at Çadır Höyük on the north central Anatolian plateau modified agricultural and fuel use practices in response to rapid social and environmental change between 3600 and 2900 BCE (Late Chalcolithic and Transitional to Early Bronze periods). Using descriptive and multivariate statistics to explore data from 60 archaeobotanical samples spanning three periods of occupation (3600-3200 BCE, 3300-3100 BCE, and 3100-2900 BCE) the results reveal that the inhabitants of Çadır relied heavily on barley, emmer, lentils, and flax throughout the Late Chalcolithic. Both dung and wood were used as fuel, although dung fuel appears to have been preferentially used. The most significant change throughout this period was a shift from foddering animals to grazing animals on the steppe. This shift corresponded with the 5.2 kya event, a period of increased aridity at the very end of the 4th millennium BCE. By diversifying their agricultural strategies to more risk adverse practices, the population at Çadır demonstrated their ability to be resilient in the face of climate change.
From Households to Empires, 1993
The archaeological search for the "true picture" of what life was like in villages, towns, and ci... more The archaeological search for the "true picture" of what life was like in villages, towns, and cities long ago and far away is fraught with the danger of misinterpretation and misrepresentation. This was certainly the case in the early years of archaeological exploration of the Ancient Near East when museum curators were starry-eyed over the arrival of statues and imperial luxury goods from excavations at places such as Nineveh,
We present paleogenomes of three morphologically-unidentified Anatolian equids dating to the 1stm... more We present paleogenomes of three morphologically-unidentified Anatolian equids dating to the 1stmillennium BCE, sequenced to coverages of 0.6-6.4X. Mitochondrial DNA haplotypes of the Anatolian individuals clustered with those ofEquus hydruntinus(orEquus hemionus hydruntinus), the extinct European wild ass. The Anatolian wild ass whole genome profiles fall outside the genomic diversity of other extant and past Asiatic wild ass (E.hemionus) lineages. These observations strongly suggest that the three Anatolian wild asses representE.hydruntinus, making them the latest recorded survivors of this lineage, about a millennium later than the latest observations in the zooarchaeological record. Comparative genomic analyses suggest thatE.hydruntinuswas a sister clade to all ancient and present-dayE.hemionuslineages, representing an early split. We also find indication of gene flow between hydruntines and Middle Eastern wild asses. Analyses of genome-wide heterozygosity and runs of homozygosi...
The Archaeology of Anatolia Volume IV: Recent Discoveries (2018-2020) (S. R. Steadman and G. McMahon eds., 2021
Current Approaches to Tells in the Prehistoric Old World, 2020
The Old Bec ome s New : Ma ter ial Cu ltur e and Arc hite ctu ral Con tinu ity on an An ato lian ... more The Old Bec ome s New : Ma ter ial Cu ltur e and Arc hite ctu ral Con tinu ity on an An ato lian H6 yuk Sha ron R. Stea dma n and Jen nife r C. Ros s This paper will presen t severa l examp les of materi al culture contin uity at <;:adir Hoyiik-contin uity that does not seem ro be ground ed in ancest ry or cultura l perma nence, but that appear s based in the experi ence of this particu lar place, a small tell in a fertile valley of centra l Anato lia (Fig. 4.1). These examp les speak to a specifi c set of materi al culture practic es that were period ically revive d, and materi als and ideas that were, themse lves, reused , recycl ed, and occasi onally reconc eived. It is possib le to see these practic es in terms oflimi tations : a limited set of resour ces, or an interru ption in suppli es due to politic al and econom ic crises. But the tell, or in Anato lian parlan ce, the hoyilk , also provid ed opport unities and afford ances; as archae ologis ts, it is import ant for us to keep in mind that ancien t people s did not necess arily experience limitat ions and change s in terms of loss or absenc e. While archae ologis ts and others have recent ly written about the pheno menon of'plac e memo ry'. rooted in particular landsc apes, or in the creatio n of monum ental or structu ral markin gs that would evoke memo ry and imagin ation over genera tions (Bache lerd 1958; Heideg ger 1977; Hanna n~ah ~013; 2014), what we see at Cadtr Hoyilk is perhap s a more munda ne form of memo ry: a contin uity of techno logica l choice s that related to resour ces, socio-econom ic and polittcal circum stance s, and aesthe tic percep tions. The first two examp les consid er ceram ic traditio ns at the site, while the third draws on a long-li ved archite ctural pattern .
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2021
This study examines how the population at Çadır Höyük on the north central Anatolian plateau modi... more This study examines how the population at Çadır Höyük on the north central Anatolian plateau modified agricultural and fuel use practices in response to rapid social and environmental change between 3600 and 2900 BCE (Late Chalcolithic and Transitional to Early Bronze periods). Using descriptive and multivariate statistics to explore data from 60 archaeobotanical samples spanning three periods of occupation (3600-3200 BCE, 3300-3100 BCE, and 3100-2900 BCE) the results reveal that the inhabitants of Çadır relied heavily on barley, emmer, lentils, and flax throughout the Late Chalcolithic. Both dung and wood were used as fuel, although dung fuel appears to have been preferentially used. The most significant change throughout this period was a shift from foddering animals to grazing animals on the steppe. This shift corresponded with the 5.2 kya event, a period of increased aridity at the very end of the 4th millennium BCE. By diversifying their agricultural strategies to more risk adverse practices, the population at Çadır demonstrated their ability to be resilient in the face of climate change.
Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology & Heritage Studies, 2019
The three preceding articles in this issue traced village life at Çadır Höyük from the fourth mil... more The three preceding articles in this issue traced village life at Çadır Höyük from the fourth millennium BCE to its probable final abandonment in the thirteenth or possibly the fourteenth century CE. The authors attempted to identify the trials and tribulations, triumphs and tragedies endured by hundreds of generations of Çadır residents over five millennia of occupation. In this article we both broaden and narrow the discussion. We take a broad approach to changes in village life across Turkey and more specifically in our home province and village of Peyniryemez. However, rather than describing those changes over the course of hundreds or thousands of years, as was the case in the previous three articles, we focus primarily on the last one hundred years, since the birth of the Republic.
Documenta Praehistorica, 2018
ABSTRACT – The investigation of ‘complex connectivities’ as defined by Tomlinson (1999) is a crit... more ABSTRACT – The investigation of ‘complex connectivities’ as defined by Tomlinson (1999) is a critical element in the understanding of how the modern globalisation model has been repurposed by archaeologists to explain mechanisms at work in the archaeological past. This study applies Tomlinson’s network of complex connectivities to interpret evidence to the contemporary Kura-Araxes culture in Transcaucasia, and the north-central Anatolian plateau in the second half of the fourth millennium BCE, known as the Late Chalcolithic period, all taking place in the context of the vast Uruk system in Mesopotamia in the globalised background. We focus on the site of Çadır Höyük, on the north-central Anatolian plateau. The occupants of this rural settlement experienced some dramatic changes in the later fourth millennium, including substantial reorganisation of their village plan, expansions and contractions in socio-economic activity and long-distance trade, more elaborate burials, and possibly the evolution of new socio-political and religious ideologies. Here we explore the increasing evidence that socio-economic ‘complex connectivity’ with Transcaucasia, as well as with Mesopotamia, played some role in the substantial modifications and internal dynamics at Late Chalcolithic Çadır Höyük.
Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies, 2019
Çadır Höyük provides rich evidence for the endurance and transformation of specific cultural feat... more Çadır Höyük provides rich evidence for the endurance and transformation of specific cultural features and phenomena at a rural center on the Anatolian plateau as it experienced the waxing and waning of control by imperial political powers of the Bronze and Iron Ages. Especially evident during those periods of imperial power is the construction and maintenance of public architecture; certain economic activities also shift in their importance at those times. Simultaneously, continuity in economic and social organization is also a feature stretching across times of imperial control and its loss. Examination of the archaeological evidence from Çadır Höyük suggests that nothing is as continuous, nor as discontinuous, as it might seem.
Near Eastern Archaeology, 2018
Religions, 2021
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Anatolica, 2019
The Çadır Höyük mound is located in Yozgat Province, approximately 16 km from the city of Sorgun.... more The Çadır Höyük mound is located in Yozgat Province, approximately 16 km from the city of Sorgun. Work commenced at the site in 1993 with an intensive surface survey, followed by excavation beginning in 1994. The deep sounding (excavated from 1994-2001) demonstrated that occupation stretches back to at least 5200 cal. BC; excavations on the mound summit indicate that occupation continued until a final abandonment perhaps in the 13 th century CE. No gap in occupation of the mound over some six thousand years has been detected. The findings presented here derived from our work in three main periods represented at the site: the Late Chalcolithic exposure (ca. 3800-3500 BCE) located on the lower southern slope, the second and first millennium BCE, excavated in several areas of the site (the western slope work is presented here), and the Byzantine occupation, ca. 6 th-13 th centuries BCE on the mound summit, including mention of possible Roman architecture discovered in the 2018 season. The 2017 season provided some major discoveries, including three important child burials in the Late Chalcolithic area, a new gate and entryway into the Byzantine summit area, and a possible chapel. The 2018 season was devoted to further exploring these and other discoveries made in previous seasons in an attempt to solve major questions in preparation for a planned study season in 2019. By the close of the 2018 season we had achieved many of our goals; our work and interpretations are presented herein.
The International Journal of the Constructed Environment, 2018
Archaeological excavations at fourth millennium BCE Cadır Hoyuk in central Turkey offer the oppor... more Archaeological excavations at fourth millennium BCE Cadır Hoyuk in central Turkey offer the opportunity to examine architectural design and planning in the context of social impacts resulting from cultural change. Initially, kin- related groups occupied contiguous architectural compounds organized around open courtyards and expedient passages. These compounds eventually separated into individual houses, with the apparent control of non-resident labor within house courtyards, and the construction of semi-monumental architecture. Late in the millennium residents built defensive walls and retreated into the interior of the settlement. However, a distinct persistence of social memory preserved the relationship of public and private space by continuing to respect the wall-based boundaries set by the earliest architecture. While Cadır’s architectural footprint underwent elaborate reorganization reflecting economic and political change, the division and use of public and private space remained consistent. Cadır’s prehistoric architecture tells the tale of residents responding to major social change, while at the same time preserving the spatial organization of their settlement through seven centuries.
Journal of Field Archaeology, 2019
At the end of the Late Bronze Age, around 1200 B.C., the Hittite Empire of Anatolia collapsed. Wh... more At the end of the Late Bronze Age, around 1200 B.C., the Hittite Empire of Anatolia collapsed. While that collapse has been well studied, the effects on Hittite-held lands are less so, with many archaeologists positing an abandonment in Hittite territories for a period of time early in the Iron Age. Recent excavations at Çadır Höyük, 70 kilometers from the Hittite capital, have revealed both typical Hittite material culture belonging to the Late Bronze Age, including mass-produced ceramics and massive fortifications, as well as evidence suggesting that the site's residents faced challenges, and adapted accordingly, in the wake of Hittite withdrawal and collapse, during the Early Iron Age. The architecture, ceramics, and zooarchaeological evidence from this rural settlement suggest ways in which residential continuity, cultural resilience, and technological and economic adjustments allowed inhabitants to survive and rebound in the face of political instability.
Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies, 2019
Çadır Höyük, located in the Yozgat Province of the north-central Anatolian plateau, was continuo... more Çadır Höyük, located in the Yozgat Province of the north-central Anatolian plateau, was continuously occupied from the late sixth millennium BCE until at least the thirteenth century CE. This article focuses on the fourth millennium BCE during which the Uruk System
in southern Mesopotamia emerged, flourished and then retracted, and the Kura-Araxes culture from Transcaucasia ventured into Anatolia and the Levant. A close investigation of the Çadır settlement reveals a population that embraced the opportunities afforded it through the
expanded trade and intercultural connections available during the millennium; the community transitioned into new socioeconomic patterns accompanied by changes in socioreligious and possibly sociopolitical behaviors. The disappearance of such opportunities at the end of the fourth millennium, rather than decimating a village that
had come to rely on them, revealed the resilience of the community as it once again reoriented its focus to more local endeavors.
The Archaeology of Anatolia, volume III: Recent Discoveries (2017-2018), 2019
Ayşegül Akın Aras is currently a Ph.D student in the Protohistory and Near Eastern Archaeology De... more Ayşegül Akın Aras is currently a Ph.D student in the Protohistory and Near Eastern Archaeology Department at the Social Science Institute. She has participated in two excavations and survey projects in Anatolia, including working at the Van Ayanis Castle excavations since 2012. Oğuz Aras is currently a Ph.D student in the Protohistory and Near Eastern Archaeology Department at the Social Science Institute. He has participated in many excavation and survey projects in eastern and southeastern Anatolia, including working at the Van Ayanis Castle excavations since 2011.
The Archaeology of Anatolia, Volume II: Recent Discoveries (2015-2016), 2017
launched new questions for future excavation seasons. Our most extensive explorations took place ... more launched new questions for future excavation seasons. Our most extensive explorations took place on the southern slope and summit of the mound, with smaller operations on the eastern and western slopes. We carried out some minimal investigations on the North Terrace in 2015.
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Papers by Sharon R . Steadman
in southern Mesopotamia emerged, flourished and then retracted, and the Kura-Araxes culture from Transcaucasia ventured into Anatolia and the Levant. A close investigation of the Çadır settlement reveals a population that embraced the opportunities afforded it through the
expanded trade and intercultural connections available during the millennium; the community transitioned into new socioeconomic patterns accompanied by changes in socioreligious and possibly sociopolitical behaviors. The disappearance of such opportunities at the end of the fourth millennium, rather than decimating a village that
had come to rely on them, revealed the resilience of the community as it once again reoriented its focus to more local endeavors.