SESSION 3 – Stone tool production and processing techniques
Raw material choice matters – obsidian vs. chert lithic technology at Neolithic Çukuriçi Höyük in Western Anatolia

Çukuriçi Höyük is a prehistoric settlement located in western Turkey, near the site of ancient Ephesus. The settlement was occupied from the Neolithic to the Early Bronze Age period (7th to 3rd millennium BC). The lithic study in this paper is concentrated on the Neolithic period of the site, and deals with the earliest artifacts from the first half (6630 cal BC aprox.) and the second half (6400-6200 cal BC) of 7th mill. BC. The majority of the less frequent chert finds in the assemblage seem to be of local provenance. The second part of this paper questions how knapping properties and the quality of raw material influenced the choice of it, if we take into account the availability of sources.