Multivocality and multiproxy approaches to the use of space: lessons from 25 years of research at Çatalhöyük

Understanding site formation processes is essential before we can make inferences about human behaviour, and a key part of the inferential process is the integration of multiple, diverse lines of evidence. The term ‘multiproxy’ has become increasingly used in studies of use of space, particularly in geoarchaeology, to describe an approach in which multiple methods are combined to reduce the impact of equifinality of interpretation. Since the early 1990s this integration has been an aim of the reflexive methodology at the Neolithic settlement of Çatalhöyük. Methods including sediment micromorphology, microartefact patterning and geochemical analyses of floors and wall plasters, phytoliths and starch, alongside artefact studies, macrobotanical and zooarchaeological analysis have all provided insights, but there is still a gap between macroscale and microscale approaches, and integration has not always been successful. Considering the history of analytical approaches at this site provides an opportunity to reflect on how we acquire and interpret archaeological science data, and the relationship between multiproxy and multivocality.