An example of micro-archaeological work at an Upper Mesopotamian Site

In the following example, the distribution of micro-artifacts within an Early Bronze Age House at Titrish Höyük is studied. Titrish is located in south-eastern Turkey and directed by G. Algaze and T. Matney. Below is the plan of a residential structure located in the Outer Town. I took 87 samples from this structure. The rooms highlighted in yellow are courtyards and the area outlined in red is Trench 80/87.

The area outlined in red above, Trench 80/87, is discussed below.

Distribution of Macro-ceramics	Distribution of micro-ceramics
	High densities are indicated in reds, low densities in blues and purples.

The charts above illustrate that micro-artifacts can provide information about past activities that are not observable at the macro-level. The "macro" artifacts are larger than 1 cm in size. Densities are expressed as a ratio of the number of micro-sherds to the liters of sediment that were floated. The black dots are where sediments were sampled.

While the graphs above share some distributions (such as the expected high concentration of ceramics in the kitchen, the top-center-most room), the micro-ceramics reveal a high density of small sherds in the SE-room which is not observable at the macro level. Conversely, the macro-ceramics are concentrated in the kitchen, next to a hearth.

The distribution of micro-artifacts can also be used to reconstruct activity areas within rooms. An example of this is the distribution of micro-chipped stone. The figure at the right illustrates the high and low lithic densities, demonstrating a clear concentration of chipped-stone debris in the SE-room and an accompanying storage room to the SW. The larger room was possibly the site of chipped stone tool production and/or retouching.

Notice, the south-east room has the highest concentration of chipped-stone debris, suggesting it may have been a work area for retouching or knapping. The small, south-west room may be a storage room, associated with the same tool types. The other moderate concentrations of debris (indicated by the light green) occur in a pit, outside a circular domestic area, and in a small room (which maybe an additional storage room).

Micro-Archaeological Techniques compared to Traditional Approaches

Using the above house as a case example, we can reconstruct room use and activity areas. The figure below represents two levels of analysis, the first using traditional methods and the second, incorporates the additional information provided by micro-archaeological data.

And finally, by integrating macro and micro-data, we can suggest the distribution of activities within the structure.