ABSTRACT
Of the three subjects-anthropology, folklore and archaeology-that impinge on this paper, I can claim expertise in but one. Yet all three are in their different ways quite crucial for the study of Anatolia, and it would seem only beneficial if they could be brought together in a creative way. My attempt at this attractive but uncertain goal centres on research conducted during three short seasons’ fieldwork at a village, Küçükköy, on the Konya plain. Küçükköy is not well known, but within its fields lies the renowned Neolithic mound of Çatalhöyük. First dug by Mellaart in the 1960s, the mound then remained untouched until a permit was granted to reopen the site in 1993. Now, under the auspices of Professor Ian Hodder and the British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara, there is a flourishing excavation in progress, incorporating a large, international team of researchers and a growing site complex of dig-house, laboratories, display centre and depots. It enjoys excellent relations with the local authorities and with the villagers themselves, some of whom work with the excavators.
