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Visualizing Neolithic Landscape: The Early Settled Communities In Western Anatolia and Eastern Aegean Islands

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 January 2017

Burçin Erdoğu
Burçin Erdoğu*
Affiliation:
University of Durham, UK
*
[email: burcin.erdogu@durham.ac.uk]
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Abstract

An early Neolithic settlement with western Anatolian-type material was recently found on the island of Gökçeada (Imbroz). None of the colonization models indicate that Gökçeada is the most promising island for early colonization. In this article I suggest that the importance of islands may also lie in their symbolic significance. The early Neolithic communities built up place-myths about the islands. Place-myths are closely related to place-images, which are generally derived from visual experiences. Myths enabled a Neolithic community to establish a sense of belonging to the islands. This might have led to permanent settlement of some of the islands.

Un village du néolithique ancien avec du matériel de type anatolien occidental a récemment été découvert sur l'île de Gökçeada (Imbroz). Aucun des modèles de colonisation ne laisse à penser que les conditions à Gökçeada pouvaient encourager une colonisation précoce. Dans ce papier, je suggère que l'importance d'une île peut aussi reposer sur sa signification symbolique. Les hommes du néolithique ancien établissaient autour des îles des mythes étroitement liés à des images dérivés d'expériences visuelles. Ces mythes permettaient à des communautés néolithiques d'établir des sentiments d'appartenance avec certaines îles, ce qui pouvait conduire à leur colonisation permanente.

Zusammenfassung

Zusammenfassung

Auf der Insel Gökçeada (Imbroz) wurde vor kurzem eine neolithische Siedlung mit westanatolisch geprägtem Fundmaterial entdeckt. Allerdings lässt keines der bisherigen Kolonisierungsmodelle vermuten, dass Gökçeada eine besonders bevorzugte Rolle bei der frühen Kolonisierung gespielt hat. Im vorliegenden Aufsatz schlägt der Autor daher vor, dass die Wichtigkeit der Inseln dafür auch in ihrer symbolischen Bedeutung gelegen haben könnte: die frühneolithischen Gemeinschaften entwickelten dort Platz-Mythen. Diese sind eng mit Platz-Bildern verknüpft, die sich generell aus visuellen Eindrücken herausbildeten. Mythen ermöglichten es einer neolithischen Gemeinschaft ein Zugehörigkeitsgefühl für die Inseln aufzubauen. Dies könnte zur permanenten Besiedlung einiger der Inseln geführt haben.

Gökçeada'da son yillarda yapilan araştirmalar sonucunda Bati Anadolu malzemesi içeren bir İlk Neolitik Çağ yerleşmesi bulunmuştur. Adalarin kolonizasyonu ile ilgili teorileri göz önünde bulundurduğumuzda, hiç bir teori Gökçeada'daki İlk Neolitik Çağ yerlesşmesinin varliğini açikliyamamaktadir. Adalar ayrica erken yerleşik toplumlar için sembolik bir değer taşimiş olabilirler. Bu makalede adalarin kolonizasyonunda sembolizimin etkisi incelenmektedir.

Keywords

early Neolithiceastern Aegean islandssymbolic landscapevisual structurewestern AnatoliaAnatolie occidentaleîles égéennes orientalesnéolithique ancienpaysage symboliquestructure visuelleFrühneolithikumostägäische Inselnsymbolische Landschaftvisuelle StrukturWestanatolienİlk Neolitikbati Anadoludoğu Ege adalarisembolik çevreyapinin görselliği
Type
Articles
Information
European Journal of Archaeology , Volume 6 , Issue 1 , 2003 , pp. 7 - 23
Copyright
Copyright © 2003 Sage Publications 

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