THE USE OF SPATIAL ANALYSIS TO STUDY PREHISTORIC SETTLEMENT ARCHITECTURE

Summary. Archaeologists have applied the quantitative access analysis techniques of space syntax to archaeological material with varying degrees of success. This article makes a distinction between access analysis as a quantitative methodology and as a non‐quantitative ‘tool to think with’ and suggests the level of architectural definition needed for the quantitative approach. The paper begins with a brief description of access analysis and discusses five studies that illustrate its application to archaeological material. It then presents original research, applying the method to three plans from two prehistoric Anatolian sites, Çatalhöyük and Hacılar. The results are discussed in qualitative rather than quantitative terms. A number of problems are identified even when applying access analysis to late Chalcolithic Hacılar, a small settlement with well‐preserved buildings, clear entrances and a boundary wall. These include a difficulty in identifying discrete household spaces, a lack of information about the upper storeys, and uncertainty about access arrangements between communal spaces and individual household units. The paper concludes that access analysis as a quantitative technique is of limited use in studying prehistoric constructed space unless the archaeological record already provides information about the definition of individual spaces and unambiguous evidence as to how those spaces were accessed. On the other hand, if one limits the use of access analysis to a visually‐rich ‘tool to think with’, it can provide useful insights into settlement life. The paper suggests a number of implications for both research and field archaeologists.