Rapid characterisation of archaeological midden components using FT-IR spectroscopy, SEM–EDX and micro-XRD

Samples taken from middens at the Neolithic site of Çatalhöyük in Turkey have been analysed using IR spectroscopy backed up by powder XRD and SEM–EDX. Microcomponents studied include fossil hackberries (providing evidence of ancient diet and seasonality), mineral nodules (providing evidence of post-depositional change) and phytoliths (mineralised plant cells, providing evidence of usage of plant species). Finely laminated ashy deposits have also been investigated allowing chemical and mineralogical variations to be explored. It is found that many layers which appear visually to be quite distinctive have, in fact, very similar mineralogy.