Distinct regional identities in Upper Mesopotamia at the onset of sedentism – revealing new data from lithic technical traditions and models of socio-cultural interaction

NEO-IDENTITY investigates the social dynamics behind the formation of regional identities in the Fertile Crescent, at one of the turning point of human history when the fundamental economic, social and ideological changes constituting the Neolithic occurred in the beginning of Holocene.

The project is designed to examine ways of doing in the domain of subsistence (1), symbolic context (2), and regional connectivity (3), by studying lithics and models of socio-cultural interactions.

This research will greatly enrich our understanding of the transition to sedentism and emergence of agriculture by exploring the technical traditions and cultural affinities of Pre-Pottery Neolithic (PPN) groups in Upper Mesopotamia.

NEO-IDENTITY studies the evidence from PPNA and PPNB (10.000-7500 BC) archaeological sites in SE Turkey, which exhibit distinct settlement organization, characterized by communal spaces that have been described as the earliest monumental architecture in Southwest Asia.

The main aim of the project is to establish a research framework based on the recognition of material expressions forming cultural identities, while challenging traditional conceptual views. NEO-IDENTITY employs a novel integrated scientific outline resulting in merging method and theory.

Project will use the methodological approach which combines advanced lithic technological, use-wear analyses and cutting-edge quantitative analyses through the study of micro-wear texture by Confocal Scanning Microscopy, with the analytical techniques and models for examining spatio-temporal distribution of technical traits, interaction and transmission of skills and innovations.