Çatalhöyük is located overlooking the Konya Plain, southeast of the present-day city of Konya (ancient Iconium) in Turkey, approximately 140 km (87 mi) from the twin-coned volcano of Mount Hasan. The eastern settlement forms a mound that would have risen about 20 m (66 ft) above the plain at the time of the latest Neolithic occupation.
Full Answer
What was Çatal Höyük?
What was Çatal Höyük? Çatal Höyük was a densely pack settlement inhabited from 7400–6000 BC. And throughout its long history, archaeologists estimate that between 5000 and 8000 people lived there at any given time. In Neolithic times, the settlement would’ve been situated right along the Çarşamba River.
How was Çatalhöyük excavated?
Çatalhöyük was excavated in the 1960s in a methodical way, but not using the full range of natural science techniques that are available to us today. Sir James Mellaart who excavated the site in the 1960s came up with all sorts of ideas about the way the site was organized and how it was lived in and so on ...
What does the Çatalhöyük ‘map’ represent?
This Çatalhöyük mural is thought to represent a nearby volcanic eruption. New scientific evidence confirms a contemporaneous eruption at nearby Hasan Dağ. Alt URL ^ A bird's eye view – of a leopard's spots. The Çatalhöyük ‘map’ and the development of cartographic representation in prehistory. Anatolian Studies 56, 2006, pp. 1–16.
Was Çatalhöyük a hunting and gathering religion?
Estonian folklorist Uku Masing has suggested as early as in 1976, that Çatalhöyük was probably a hunting and gathering religion and the Mother Goddess figurine did not represent a female deity. He implied that perhaps a longer period of time was needed in order to develop symbols for agricultural rites.
What made çatal huyuk such an important Neolithic village?
What made Çatal Huyuk such an important Neolithic village? It was one of the largest urban centers housing more than 6000 people.
Which of the following was an important feature of the houses of catalhoyuk?
Which of the following was an important feature of the houses of Çatal Hüyük? They were made of mud brick.
What was the signature item found at catalhoyuk?
Many figurines have been found at the site, the most famous of which illustrates a large woman seated on or between two large felines. The figurines, which illustrate both humans and animals, are made from a variety of materials but the largest proportion are quite small and made of barely fired clay.
What is catalhoyuk quizlet?
Catal Huyuk. A Neolithic settlement (7250 to 5400 B.C.E.) located in Turkey with a population of about 5,000 people.
What makes Çatalhöyük special?
Çatalhöyük provides important evidence of the transition from settled villages to urban agglomeration, which was maintained in the same location for over 2,000 years. It features a unique streetless settlement of houses clustered back to back with roof access into the buildings.
What is the most distinctive feature of Catal Huyuk?
Perhaps what is most unique for modern observers of the city is that there are no streets. Indeed, it looks like Catal Huyuk is one gigantic building comprised of several smaller cells, almost like an anthill or honeycomb.
Why is Çatalhöyük described as a settlement mound?
The fertile soil of the plain and nearby river also aided in the farming of various crops. Catalhoyuk show that they adopted a settled lifestyle and were no longer nomadic. Materials from the surrounding environment were used in the construction of the permanent structures.
What was the significance of Çatalhöyük in Turkey in the human story?
Home to some 8,000 people in the Neolithic age, Catalhoyuk is seen as the world's oldest-known human settlement. Today it is an archeological site for scientists studying the social structure, diet, and clothing of ancient people.
What are some artifacts found in Catal Huyuk?
An assortment of the artefacts found at Çatalhöyük including obsidian, bone tools and clay figurines. People crafted obsidian and bone tools as well as ceramic materials. The obsidian and bone were not only used for subsistence but also to create interesting objects such as clay figurines and beads.
Why is the Neolithic Site of Çatalhöyük significant quizlet?
Why is Catal Huyuk important? It is the largest Neolithic town in the Middle East. Describe the typical houses found in Catal Huyuk. Two room made of mud bricks with the doors on top; one room was for living quarters and one room was for storing food.
Where is the Neolithic site çatalhöyük located quizlet?
d. Çatalhöyük is an important Neolithic site located in: a. southwest Asia.
What did the Neolithic Demographic Transition cause quizlet?
The Neolithic demographic transition resulted in: A shift from low birthrate to high birthrate.
Why is the Neolithic Site of Çatalhöyük significant quizlet?
Why is Catal Huyuk important? It is the largest Neolithic town in the Middle East. Describe the typical houses found in Catal Huyuk. Two room made of mud bricks with the doors on top; one room was for living quarters and one room was for storing food.
How is çatalhöyük similar to Jericho?
The ancient cities of Jericho and Çatalhöyük are two of the earliest trading towns and the first large ancient cities. Both Jericho and Çatal Hüyük were very large Neolithic proto-city settlements, which existed from approximately 7100 BCE to 5700 BCE, and flourished around 7000 BCE.
What were small scale female sculptures from the Upper Paleolithic period once called?
“Venus figurines” is an umbrella term for a number of prehistoric statuettes of women that have been found mostly in Europe, but also in Asia and Siberia, dating from the Upper Paleolithic. These figures are all quite small, between 4 and 25 cm tall, and carved mainly in steatite, limestone, bone, or ivory.
What method of dating cave paintings and excavated objects uses organic material?
Perhaps the most famous absolute dating technique, radiocarbon dating was developed during the 1940s and relies on chemistry to determine the ages of objects. Used on organic matter, the technique measures the amount of radioactive carbon decay to determine an object's age.
When was Höyük discovered?
First discovered in 1958 , Çatal Höyük was big news throughout the 1960s as the first excavations were taking place. But now, since the discovery of sites like Göbekli Tepe, it’s gotten lost in the shuffle from a touristic standpoint.
What is the most striking fact about life at atal Höyük?
One of the most striking facts about life at Çatal Höyük is that residents simply buried their dead within the floors of their own homes. Presumably, they felt compelled to remain close to their ancestors at all times.
How many people lived in Höyük?
Çatal Höyük was a densely pack settlement inhabited from 7400–6000 BC. And throughout its long history, archaeologists estimate that between 5000 and 8000 people lived there at any given time.
Where is the pit in atal Höyük?
One of the first things you’ll notice is the pit in the center, now protected by wooden beams. At 3 meters below the surrounding area, it’s the lowest part of Çatal Höyük discovered thus far.
What is the most well known piece of art in Ankara?
And among the most well-known pieces on display is that of the ‘Mother Goddess’ figurine.
Where did the first inhabitants of the world live?
T he earliest inhabitants lived in what’s now called the East Mound. The mound is home to two main shelters – North and South. But eventually, for some reason, Çatal Höyük residents moved over to the West Mound around 6000 BC. This area, however, remains inaccessible to the public.
What is the problem archaeologists face?
One problem which archaeologists now face is figuring out how to explore more of the bottom levels without destroying the surviving structures above.
Overview
Çatalhöyük was a very large Neolithic and Chalcolithic proto-city settlement in southern Anatolia, which existed from approximately 7500 BC to 6400 BC, and flourished around 7000 BC. In July 2012, it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Çatalhöyük is located overlooking the Konya Plain, southeast of the present-da…
Archaeology
The site was first excavated by James Mellaart in 1958. He later led a team which further excavated there for four seasons between 1961 and 1965. These excavations revealed this section of Anatolia as a centre of advanced culture in the Neolithic period. Excavation revealed 18 successive layers of buildings signifying various stages of the settlement and eras of history. The bottom laye…
Culture
Çatalhöyük was composed entirely of domestic buildings, with no obvious public buildings. While some of the larger ones have rather ornate murals, the purpose of some rooms remains unclear.
The population of the eastern mound has been estimated to be around 10,000 people, but the population likely varied over the community's history. An avera…
Religion
A striking feature of Çatalhöyük are its female figurines. Mellaart, the original excavator, argued that these well-formed, carefully made figurines, carved and molded from marble, blue and brown limestone, schist, calcite, basalt, alabaster, and clay, represented a female deity. Although a male deity existed as well, "statues of a female deity far outnumber those of the male deity, who moreover…
Economy
Çatalhöyük has strong evidence of an egalitarian society, as no houses with distinctive features (belonging to royalty or religious hierarchy, for example) have been found so far. The most recent investigations also reveal little social distinction based on gender, with men and women receiving equivalent nutrition and seeming to have equal social status, as typically found in Paleolithic culture…
See also
• Boncuklu Höyük
• Cities of the ancient Near East
• Cucuteni–Trypillian culture
• Göbekli Tepe
• Kamyana Mohyla
Sources
• Bailey, Douglass. Prehistoric Figurines: Representation and Corporeality in the Neolithic. New York: Routledge, 2005 (hardcover, ISBN 0-415-33151-X; paperback, ISBN 0-415-33152-8).
• Balter, Michael. The Goddess and the Bull: Çatalhöyük: An Archaeological Journey to the Dawn of Civilization. New York: Free Press, 2004 (hardcover, ISBN 0-7432-4360-9); Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press, 2006 (paperback, ISBN 1-59874-069-5). A highly condensed version was publishe…
External links
• What we learned from 25 Years of Research at Catalhoyuk - Ian Hodder - Oriental Institute lecture Dec 4, 2019
• Çatalhöyük — Excavations of a Neolithic Anatolian Höyük, Çatalhöyük excavation official website
• Çatalhöyük photos