Çatalhöyük

Ancient Çatalhöyük is an archaeological tell of a very large Neolithic and Chalcolithic proto-city settlement in the region of ancient Anatolia (modern day Türkiye), which existed from approximately 7500 BCE to 6400 BCE and reached its peak around 7000 BCE.

Overview

The ancient Çatalhöyük, also spelled as Çatal Höyük and Çatal Hüyük, an archaeological mound created due to long-term human settlement, is situated southeast of the present-day city of Konya (ancient Iconium) in Turkey, approximately 140 kilometers (87 miles) from the twin-coned volcano of Mount Hasan.

Çatalhöyük was composed entirely of domestic buildings with no obvious public buildings. While some of the larger rooms have rather ornate murals, the purpose of others remains unclear.

Archaeology

circa 7000 BCE

North Shelter
The North Shelter of Çatalhöyük, designed and built in 2008 CE, is a protective structure built over a portion of the Çatalhöyük archaeological remains in Türkiye. This shelter helps preserve and protect the ancient remains from environmental elements such as rain, wind, and sun damage. It also provides a controlled environment for archaeologists and visitors to study and observe the site safely and comfortably.

Inside the North Shelter, where people inhabited nearly 8,800 years ago, there are several excavated structures from the Neolithic period, including Building 49. This building and others within the shelter showcase the advanced architectural techniques of the time and give insight into the daily lives and culture of the inhabitants of Çatalhöyük. The shelter's design includes features like a wooden roof and walls made of steel and polycarbonate sheets, ensuring both stability and protection for the ancient structures beneath it. This design allows natural light to filter through, enabling better visibility for researchers and visitors.

Model Houses

circa 7000 BCE

In 2017 CE, four replica / model houses were constructed near the Çatalhöyük Visitor's Center. These model houses are an excellent way to help people visualize the day to day life at ancient Çatalhöyük.

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See Also

• Ancient Haran / Harran
• Ancient Hattusa

References

• "Neolithic Site of Çatalhöyük". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
• Dural, Sadrettin. "Protecting Catalhoyuk: Memoir of an Archaeological Site Guard." Contributions by Ian Hodder. Translated by Duygu Camurcuoglu Cleere. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press, 2007. ISBN 978-1-59874-050-9.
• Kenneth Pearson and Patricia Connor, The Dorak affair, New York, Atheneum, 1968.
• J. Mellaart, Excavations at Çatal Hüyük, first preliminary report: 1961. Anatolian Studies.
• Kleiner, Fred S.; Mamiya, Christin J. (2006). Gardner's Art Through the Ages: The Western Perspective: Volume 1 (Twelfth ed.). Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing. pp. 12–4. ISBN 978-0-495-00479-0.
• David Orton et al., A tale of two tells: dating the Çatalhöyük West Mound, Antiquity, vol. 92, iss. 363, pp. 620–639, June 2018.
• I. Hodder, Çatalhöyük, Anatolian Archaeology, vol. 4, pp. 8–10, 1998.
• Morgan, Colleen; University (2016). "Analog to Digital: Transitions in Theory and Practice in Archaeological Photography at Çatalhöyük" (PDF). Internet Archaeology (42). doi:10.11141/ia.42.7. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 October 2022.
• Noah Wiener (1 November 2013). "Çatalhöyük mural". Bible History Daily. Biblical Archaeology Society. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. This Çatalhöyük mural is thought to represent a nearby volcanic eruption. New scientific evidence confirms a contemporaneous eruption at nearby Hasan Dağ. Alt URL
• Shukurov, Anvar; Sarson, Graeme R.; Gangal, Kavita (7 May 2014). "The Near-Eastern Roots of the Neolithic in South Asia". PLOS ONE. 9 (5): Appendix S1. Bibcode:2014PLoSO...995714G. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0095714. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 4012948. PMID 24806472.
• Taylor, James; University; Issavi, Justine; Berggren, Åsa; Lukas, Dominik; Mazzucato, Camilla; Tung, Burcu; Dell'Unto, Nicoló (2018). "'The Rise of the Machine': the impact of digital tablet recording in the field at Çatalhöyük". Internet Archaeology (47). doi:10.11141/ia.47.1.
• Maynes, Mary Jo; Waltner, Ann (2012). The Family: A World History. New York City: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-530476-3.
• Shillito, Lisa-Marie; Matthews, Wendy; Almond, Matthew; Bull, Ian D. (2011). "The microstratigraphy of middens: capturing daily routine in rubbish at Neolithic Çatalhöyük, Turkey" (PDF). Antiquity. 85 (329): 1024–1038. doi:10.1017/S0003598X00068460. S2CID 56433872. Archived (PDF) from the original on 10 October 2022.
• Renfrew, Colin (2006). "Inception of agriculture and rearing in the Middle East". Human Palaeontology and Prehistory. 5 (1): 395–404. Bibcode:2006CRPal...5..395R. doi:10.1016/j.crpv.2005.10.012.
• Mellaart, James (1967). Catal Huyuk: A Neolithic Town in Anatolia. McGraw-Hill.
• "Çatalhöyük: Ancient History of the Anatolia".
• Hodder, Ian (2005). "New finds and new interpretations at Çatalhöyük". Çatalhöyük 2005 Archive Report. Catalhoyuk Research Project, Institute of Archaeology.
• O'Brien, Jeremy "New techniques undermine 'mother goddess' role in the community" Irish Times September 20, 2009.
• Masing, Uku (2011). Aarded Tellistes. Tartu, Estonia: Ilmamaa. pp. 209–227. ISBN 978-9985-77-351-2.
• Oriental Studies 3. Acta et Commentationes Universitatis Tartuensis 392 / Tartu Riikliku Ülikooli Toimetised 392. Tartu 1976, 75–92.
• R Dale Gutrie (2005). The Nature of Paleolithic art. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-31126-5. Page 420-422
• Wright, Katherine I. Karen. "Domestication and inequality? Households, corporate groups and food processing tools at Neolithic Çatalhöyük." Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 33 (2014).
• 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 published in The Smithsonian Magazine, May 2005.