Castles and Coprolites

Phytoliths from Catalhoyuk TP Area The reeds decay, the wheat decays, and all The silica preserves within the ground. Remains of binding, and mats that lie beneath Many a summer’s children dead and gone A type of immortality - Organics wither slowly in time’s arms Here in the quiet depths of the earth A white impression yet shows what once has been A hidden record of the past Deposited, now soon to be revealed. Behold! This opal shadow, once a plant; A fascinating glimpse into past choices For fuel and crafts and fodder we can see Phytoliths from Catalhoyuk South Area A diverse array of use other than food! I asked thee “show me your secrets” Then didst thou grant mine asking with a glance Through concave lens of ‘scope Opal shapes, reveal the truth Of all that was, in ashes.

Excavating at Kamiltepe , Azerbaijan, 2010 The laser falls on painted walls   To reconstruct their ancient glory: The corer shakes atop the lakes, Soon will the pollen tell its story. Dig, students, dig, set the clods of dirt flying, Dig, students; listen, echoes, sighing, sighing, sighing. Hark, over here! What crisp and clear, Stratigraphy, so keep on going! O sweet, some char, core with flake scar And cattle horn! Keep this trench growing. Dig, students, dig, bring to light what’s underlying, Dig, one more context, hear the ancient past replying. Excavating at Sheik e-Abad , Iran, 2008 O see, revealed, a surface sealed, Layers of time uncovered hither: The memories roll from soul to soul, As echoes from material whisper. Dig, archaeologists, set the total station scanning, And answer, echoes of the past, sighing, sighing, sighing.

On either side the höyük lie Marshland and Cyperaceae, That cloth the wold and meet the sky; And thro’ the mounds a river runs by To the many-levelled höyük; And up and down the people go. Climbing ladders to and fro Round a höyük there below. The höyük of Çatal! Marsh birds sing and sheep/goat shiver, Phragmites reeds go on forever, Marls and clays are gathered hither, Resources flourish, by the river Flowing down to Çatalhöyük. Mudbrick walls and buildings hidden, Overlook a space of midden, Beneath the building floors are hidden The dead of Çatalhöyük. By the edges, backswamp sealed, Lies early midden, now concealed, The cattle graze, perhaps, a field Where wheat and barley grow to yield, Surplus at Çatalhöyük. In the houses, people sweep, They form deposits, Sounding Deep, Yearly plaster coatings keep The walls at Çatalhöyük. On the rooftops people meet And piles of rubbish form the streets; The ash and bones, remains of feasts When trampled down, the tell increased, Preserved a...