Lucy Bennison-Chapman
NINO Visiting Research Fellow
- Name
- Dr. L.E. Bennison-Chapman
- Telephone
- +31 71 527 2037
- l.e.bennison.chapman@hum.leidenuniv.nl
- ORCID iD
- 0000-0003-1978-942X
Dr Lucy Bennison-Chapman is a post-doctoral researcher at the Netherlands Institute for the Near East (NINO). Her research project is entitled: "The Origins and Development of Non-Written Administrative Technologies in the Ancient Near East" (see 'Research' for further details').
Fields of interest
My main research interest centres on the development of complex societies; the social developments that commenced with the appearance of sedentism and agriculture in Neolithic period; culminating in the appearance of the complex, literate city-states of West Asia in the 3rd to 1st millennium BC. In particular, I am interested in reconstructing the human experience, and associated changes in social roles that occurred over this large time period. I am most interested in the diverse mechanisms employed in maintaining social structures including craft specialisation, ritual practices, and the evolution of artistic expression.
Research
The two year project ‘The Origins and Development of Non-Written Administrative Technologies in the Ancient Near East’ is an investigation into the functioning of non-written information storage and related administrative technologies from the end of the 7th into the 1st millennium BC will be investigated.
During the Neolithic, small geometric-shaped clay objects or “tokens” appear. It is commonly assumed that from their inception, geometric clay objects acted as mnemonic accounting tokens, invented specifically for this purpose, with the meaning held in their shape remaining constant throughout millennia. Recent research demonstrates that although many commonly held pre-conceptions regarding the invention and use of clay objects in the Neolithic are unsubstantiated, several late Neolithic sites in Mesopotamia demonstrate evidence for the beginnings of the use of clay objects as basic accounting tools c. 6,000BC. The current research project investigates how clay objects might have been used as tokens alongside seals, sealing’s and other administrative tools at two discrete villages at Tell Sabi Abyad (north Syria) c. 6,000 BC. It traces the continued use of tokens as administrative tools into the Early Historic period up until the 1st millennium BC, where despite the inv ention o f writing to facilitate account, tokens continue to be recovered in administrative contexts, alongside related technologies such as cylinder seals, bullae and writing.
CV
Education
2015: PhD. Archaeology, University of Liverpool 2015. Thesis title: The Role and Function of “Tokens” and Sealing Practices in the Neolithic of the Near East: The question of early recording systems, symbolic storage, precursors to writing, gaming, or monitoring devices in the world’s first villages.
2008-2009: MA Archaeology-Distinction, University of Liverpool, 2008-2009.
Dissertation title: To what extent might identity be represented in the mortuary practices of Third Millennium BC Upper Euphrates Sites? A study of burial practices in the Early Bronze Age.
2004 - 2007: BA The Archaeology of Ancient Civilisations-1st class (honours), University of Liverpool, 2004-2007. Dissertation title: A study of the function, form and symbolism of Early Bronze Age female figurines from Anatolia and North Syria.
Academic positions
•Assistant Professor of Prehistoric Archaeology (Jan 2016-Oct 2017). Bülent Ecevit University, Zonguldak (Turkey)
Turkish speaking, teaching focused state university
•Graduate Teaching Assistant (Sep 2009-July 2011). Department of Archaeology, Classic and Egyptology, University of Liverpool (UK)
NINO Visiting Research Fellow
- Faculty of Humanities
- Leiden Institute for Area Studies
- NINO
- González Carretero L., Bennison-Chapman L.E., Demirergi A., Fuller D.Q., Ketchum S., Madella M., Pawłowska K., Carlos Santiago-Marrero C., Tsoraki C., Twiss K.C. & Veropoulidou R. (2021), Chapter 14: Disentangling Neolithic cuisine: archaeological evidence for 9,000-year-old food preparation practices and cooking techniques at Çatalhöyük East. In: Hodder I. & Tsoraki C. (Eds.) Communities at Work: The making of Çatalhöyük. no. 15 London: British Institute at Ankara . 229-241.
- Knüsel C.J., Glencross B., Tsoraki C., Belmonte Santisteban C., Bennison-Chapman L.E. & Milella M. (2021), Chapter 15. : Social tolerance and violence at Neolithic Çatalhöyük. In: Hodder I. & Tsoraki C. (Eds.) Communities at Work: The making of Çatalhöyük. Çatalhöyük Research Project Series no. 15 London: British Institute at Ankara . 243-261.
- Schotsmans E.M.J., Gesualdo Busacca G., Lucy Bennison-Chapman L.E., Lingle A.M., Milella M., Tibbetts B.W., Tsoraki C., Vasić M. & Veropoulidou R. (2021), Chapter 16. : The colour of things. Pigments and colours in Neolithic Çatalhöyük. In: Hodder I. & Tsoraki C. (Eds.) Communities at Work: The making of Çatalhöyük. Çatalhöyük Research Project Series no. 15 London: British Institute at Ankara . 263-288.
- Issavi J., Bennison-Chapman L.E., Bogaard A., Der L., Doyle S., García Suárez A., Haddow S., Kabukcu C., Pawłowska K., Schechter H., Tarkan D., Tsoraki C., Vasić M., Veropoulidou R. & Wolfhagen J. (2021), Chapter 9. : The complexity of open spaces at Çatalhöyük. In: Hodder I. & Tsoraki C. (Eds.) Communities at Work: The making of Çatalhöyük. no. 15 London: British Institute at Ankara . 115-146.
- Bennison-Chapman L.E. (2021), Large clay balls at Çatalhöyük East. In: Hodder I. (Ed.) The matter of Çatalhöyük: reports from the 2009-2017 seasons. Çatalhöyük Research Project Series no. 14 London/Oxford: British Institute at Ankara/Oxbow Books. 161-192.
- Bennison-Chapman L.E. (2021), A ‘token’ story? The small geometric clay objects at Neolithic Çatalhöyük. In: Hodder I. (Ed.) The matter of Çatalhöyük: reports from the 2009-2017 seasons. Çatalhöyük Research Project Series no. 14 London/Oxford: British Institute at Ankara/Oxbow Books. 193-214.
- Mickel A., Filipowicz P. & Bennison-Chapman L.E. (2021), Chapter 2: A quarter-century of community engagement at Çatalhöyük. In: Hodder I. & Tsoraki C. (Eds.) Communities at Work: The making of Çatalhöyük. Catalhöyük Research Project Series no. 15 London: British Institute at Ankara . 13-26.
- Mickel A., Filipowicz P. & Bennison-Chapman L.E. (2021), A Quarter-Century of Community Engagement at Çatalhöyük (Forthcoming). In: Hodder Ian (Ed.), Çatalhöyük Research Project: 2009-2017 Seasons: Themes. London: British Institute at Ankara.
- Bennison-Chapman L.E. (2021), A Token Assemblage: Geometric clay objects at Boncuklu Höyük (Forthcoming). In: Baird Douglas (Ed.), Boncuklu Höyük vol. 1: Preliminary Reports 2004-2010 Seasons no. 1. London: British Institute at Ankara (BIAA).
- Bennison-Chapman L.E. (2021), A “Token” Story? The small geometric clay objects at Neolithic Çatalhöyük (Forthcoming). In: Hodder I. (Ed.), Çatalhöyük Research Project: 2009-2017 Seasons: Specialist Reports . London: British Institute at Ankara.
- Bennison-Chapman L.E. (2021), Large Clay Balls at Çatalhöyük East (Forthcoming). In: Hodder Ian (Ed.), Çatalhöyük Research Project: 2009-2017 Seasons: Specialist reports. London: British Institute at Ankara.
- Schotsmans E., Busacca G., Bennison-Chapman L.E., Lingle A., Milella M., Tibbetts B., Tsoraki C., Vasić M. & Veropoulidou R. (2020), Pigment use at Neolithic Çatalhöyük, Near Eastern Archaeology 83(3): 156-167.
- Mickel A., Filipowicz P. & Bennison-Chapman L.E. (2020), Ethnography, Engagement, Evaluations, and Endings: The Achievements and Limitations of Community Outreach at Çatalhöyük, Near Eastern Archaeology 83(3): 182-190.
- Bennison-Chapman L.E. (2020), Conscious tokens?. In: Hodder I. (Ed.), Consciousness, Creativity, and Self at the Dawn of Settled Life. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 107-132.
- Bennison-Chapman L.E. (2020), Review of: Tsuneki A., Nieuwenhuyse O. & Campbell S. (eds.) (2017) The Emergence of Pottery in West Asia, Bibliotheca Orientalis LXXVII(5/6): 669-671.
- Bennison-Chapman L.E. (2019), Clay Objects as “Tokens”? Evidence for early counting and administration at Late Neolithic Tell Sabi Abyad, Mesopotamia, Levant 50(3): 305-337.
- Bennison-Chapman L.E. (2019), Reconsidering “Tokens”: The Neolithic origins of accounting or multifunctional, utilitarian tools?, Cambridge Archaeological Journal 29(2): 233-259.
- Bennison-Chapman L.E. & Hager L.D. (2018), Tracking the Division of Labour through Handprints: Applying Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) to clay 'tokens’ in Neolithic West Asia, Journal of Archaeological Science 99: 112-23.
- Bennison-Chapman L.E. (2017), Clay Balls and Clay Objects. In: Hodder I. (Ed.), Çatalhöyük Archive Report 2017, by members of the Çatalhöyük Research Project teams 251-255.
- Bennison-Chapman L.E. (2017), Kil Toplar ve Kil Objeler. In: Hodder I. (Ed.), Çatalhöyük 2017 Arşiv Raporu, by members of the Çatalhöyük Research Project teams 136-139.
- Bennison-Chapman L.E. (2016), Doğu Çatalhöyük”teki Kil Objeler. In: Hodder I. (Ed.), Çatalhöyük 2016 Arşiv Raporu, by members of the Çatalhöyük Research Project teams. y: x. 88-93.
- Bennison-Chapman L.E. (2016), Geometric Clay Objects at Çatalhöyük East. In: Hodder I. (Ed.), Çatalhöyük Archive Report 2016, by members of the Çatalhöyük Research Project teams 199-205.
- Bennison-Chapman L.E. (2015), Geometric Clay Objects from Çatalhöyük East. In: Hodder I. (Ed.), Çatalhöyük Archive report 2015, by members of the Çatalhöyük Research Project teams 172-78.
- Bennison-Chapman L.E. (2013), Geometric Clay Objects. In: Hodder I. (Ed.), in Substantive Technologies at Çatalhöyük: Reports from the 2000-2008 seasons. Çatalhöyük Research Project no. 9. London & Los Angeles: British Institute at Ankara & Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at UCLA. 253-79.
- Bennison-Chapman L.E. (2012), Gaming Pieces, Toys, Counting Aids or Recording Devices? Discussing Geometric Clay Objects (‘Tokens') from the World’s Earliest Agricultural Villages, Bulletin of the Council for British Research in the Levant, 7: 48-50.
- Bennison-Chapman L.E. (2011), Geometric Clay Objects, Heritage Turkey 1: 40.
No relevant ancillary activities