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JOURNAL OF FIELD ARCHAEOLOGY, vol.30, no.4, pp.419-433, 2005 (AHCI)
Coskuntepe, an Early Neolithic site in the coastal Troad region of NW Turkey, has evidence for quern making dating to around 6000 calibrated radiocarbon years B.C. The surface debris at the site consists largely of tested blocks of stone, discarded and broken rough-outs, percussion flakes, and used and broken hammerstones. The implications of this early production system are discussed within the broader framework of the Aegean Neolithic. The results of this analysis demonstrate that the Neolithic inhabitants of Cos kuntepe adapted themselves to a rugged, hilly coastal environment by including quern production in their dometic economy to supplement the subsistence base of the village. It seems that the abundance of geologic deposits suitable for making querns provided an opportunity for the inhabitants of this coastal site to pursue a productive non-agricultural strategy.