Jetons comprise one of several types of mnemonic tools at Fistikli Höyük. They consist of flat, rounded pebbles naturally shaped by the Euphrates, chipped calcareous stones, or sherds. Parallels have been found at many other Halaf sites.
The majority of Fistikli Höyük jetons are unaltered river stones, deliberately selected for their round to slightly oval, flat shape. Other jetons were chipped from sherds and limestone into round or oval shapes. Jetons made of chipped sherds, while not as numerous as stone jetons, are still a significant portion of the sample. In most cases the edges are left fairly sharp, though some are ground smooth. The limestone jetons are likewise chipped to a round shape, though there are a few very small ones which seem to have been shaped out of lime paste.
The proposed mnemonic function of jetons is based on several lines of evidence. First, there is a long tradition of mnemonic devices in the Near East. The use of both tokens and seals in a system of accounting can be traced back to the 7th millennium B.C. when they partially replaced earlier forms of mnemonic devices. There seems to be a gap, however, during the Halaf period. Seals and the occasional sealing are found at most Halaf sites, but they have only rarely been associated with evidence of a record-keeping system. The number of tokens reported from Halaf sites is minimal in comparison to the many reported from earlier (Transitional Halaf) and later periods. Most Halaf period sites so far seemed to be lacking in mnemonic systems. A second line of evidence is that only a handful of secondarily rounded sherds from Fistikli Höyük are pierced, indicating a possible use as spindle whorls. What information the jetons stored is unknown at present. The existence of distinct size classes and different size groupings by raw material suggest that several categories of information could be stored by these items.