Breaking continuity? Site formation and temporal depth at Çatalhöyük and Tell Sabi Abyad

A comparative analysis of Çatalhöyük (Turkey) and Tell Sabi Abyad (Syria) challenges the assumption that spatial continuity of houses is essential for Neolithic social depth. Both sites, once seen as opposites—one densely agglomerated and the other dispersed—share patterns of breaks in settlement continuity, suggesting that social anchors to the past can be constructed in diverse ways. The study reinterprets archaeological evidence to highlight how discontinuities, often overlooked, shaped settlements and societies. By integrating spatial analysis with social theory, it argues that direct house continuity is not the sole means for maintaining temporal depth.

Plug, J.-H., Hodder, I., & Akkermans, P. M. M. G. (2021). Breaking continuity? Site formation and temporal depth at Çatalhöyük and Tell Sabi Abyad. Anatolian Studies, 71, 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0066154621000028