Marine resources in the subsistence pattern of Neolithic Anatolian communities

This master thesis aims to examine the available archaeological evidence to show how the Neolithic societies managed to exploit marine, lacustrine, and riverine resources to supplement their diet in Neolithic period in Anatolia. In context, the questions of how the coastal Neolithic societies exploited marine, lacustrine, and riverine resources and the what kind of tools used in this process are examined in light of available archaeological evidence. To do so, this study also aims to examine how coastal villages emerged and how they managed to adapt themselves to such environments different than plains where agricultural practices can easily be pursued. By evaluating current theoretical approaches on this issue, the influential factors over this formation, which are the necessity of a permanent settlement, the effects of climate change over hunting and gathering, and, defence and commerce are discussed. As for the archaeological data, the mussel and oyster shells together with fish bones which are unearthed in excavations are evaluated under different titles. The fishhooks, fishhook weights, fish spears and net weights, which are used in fishing, are analysed under different titles, as well, and it is dwelled upon how these tools are also evaluated in this thesis. Furthermore, the archaeological evidence introduced in this study are mainly derived from the settlements around the Sea of Marmara and the Aegean, Eventually, this thesis also benefited from the ethnographic evidence to better interpret the archaeological finds. In light of the minimal number of studies dealing with the exploitation of Marine and riverine resource, this masters thesis compiling old and new evidence from Anatolia is hoped to enhance our understanding of the aspects of subsistence strategies of coastal Neolithic societies.