Archaeological Vision at Çatalhöyük: Shelters, Sun and Funny Looking Glasses Introduction

My interest in Çatalhöyük has always been in the visual, be it painted walls or simply how to document the archaeological record. Optical vision is often taken for granted in archaeology and 'normalized', as if it is assumed that we all see the same things the same way, although clearly this is not the case. Thus, this year I turned my attention toward the archaeologists and 'seeing' in archaeology, for the express aim of exploring practical ergonomic issues - from the extraordinarily bright working conditions under the exposed Anatolian sun to the comparatively low-contrast shelters and off-site work areas.

I conducted a series of vision test of members (I prefer 'member' to 'subject') of the Çatalhöyük teams in their working areas. Tests were administered over a series of days and at several times each day, under different lighting conditions. A lot of time was spent observing and documenting the archaeological process in action. Particular attention was paid to the changing lighting conditions, as well as to the field conditions and disposition of the team members. Additionally, some members were interviewed about their ideas on vision in archaeology, present and past.

I focused my study on five areas of the site:

BACH: Under shelter compared to North shelter and exposed lighting.
TP (Prosnan): Summit area compared to North shelter and exposed working conditions.
South: Preliminary testing in area where new South shelter will be placed this year.
Flotation Area: Under shelter and under exposed sun conditions.
Sorting (Heavy Residue) Area: Under normal working conditions and shrouded conditions to reduce ambient glare from compound.

All told, about 50 members were tested, three times per session - left eye, right eye, both eyes - and for an average of three sessions, approximately 450 tests. continued