A FEAST EVENT AT MISIS HÖYÜK: BUILDING ACTIVITY, COMMUNAL CONSUMPTION AND RITUAL PRACTICE IN THE 8TH CENTURY BC PLAIN CILICIA

Anna Lucia D’Agata, Younes Naime, Renata Perego, Maria Perri

A remarkable collection of ceramics, animal bones, plant remains and symbolic objects was retrieved from huge pit -972 on the höyük of Misis in 2018-2021. While we have chosen to present the multiple aspects of this rather complex archaeological evidence elsewhere in detail, we offer here a summary of the stratigraphy of the pit and a general discussion on the different collected material that allow us to propose a comprehensive interpretation of the archaeological record. Comparing the results of analyses conducted on different data concerning material culture, and faunal and plant remains, we argue that a commensal event took place on the Misis mound between 750 and 735 BC, whose remains, partially selected on purpose, were sealed below the floor of room L1 to celebrate the construction of a new room of Building L.

Anna Lucia D’Agata is Research Director at the Institute of Heritage Science, National Research Council of Italy (CNR).
Younes Naime has obtained his PhD at the University of Pisa.
Renata Perego is research fellow at CNR-IGAG, Milan.
Maria Perri is a professional land surveyor.
Full Bibliographic Reference

D’Agata A.L., Naime Y., Perego R., Perri M., A Feast Event at Misis Höyük: Building Activity, Communal Consumption and Ritual Practice in the 8th Century BC Plain Cilicia, SMEA NS 9, 2023, 31-82.

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Keywords

Cilicia; Iron Age; Misis; feast event; communal consumption

FIGURES

Bombardieri_et_al_fig.6aDavis-Bronzo_fig.13