Çatalhöyük facts for kids
Ruins of Çatalhöyük
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 Location in Turkey
Location in Near East
Location in West and Central Asia
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| Location | Küçükköy, Konya Province, Turkey |
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| Region | Anatolia |
| Coordinates | 37°40′00″N 32°49′41″E / 37.66667°N 32.82806°E |
| Type | Settlement |
| History | |
| Founded | Approximately 7100 BC; 9125 years ago |
| Abandoned | Approximately 5700 BC; 7725 years ago |
| Periods | Neolithic to Chalcolithic |
| Official name | Neolithic Site of Çatalhöyük |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | iii, iv |
| Designated | 2012 (36th session) |
| Reference no. | 1405 |
| Region | Southern Europe and Western Asia |
Çatalhöyük (say "cha-tal-HOO-yuhk") is an ancient settlement in southern Turkey. It was a very large "proto-city" (meaning an early city) that existed from about 7500 BC to 6400 BC. It was a busy place around 7000 BC. In 2012, it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which means it's a very important place for everyone to protect.
Çatalhöyük is located near the city of Konya in Turkey. It sits on a "tell," which is a mound formed over many years as people built new homes on top of old ones. The main settlement mound was about 20 meters (65 feet) high. There was also a smaller settlement nearby. A river once flowed between these two mounds, which was good for farming. The people left these settlements before the Bronze Age began.
Contents
Exploring Ancient Çatalhöyük
Archaeologists are like history detectives who dig up old sites to learn about the past. The Çatalhöyük site was first explored by James Mellaart in 1958. He led bigger digs between 1961 and 1965. His work showed that this part of Turkey had a very advanced culture during the Neolithic period (New Stone Age).
Mellaart's team found 18 different layers of buildings. Each layer showed a different time period of the settlement. The oldest buildings date back to 7100 BC, and the newest ones are from 5600 BC.
After Mellaart's work, the site was not explored for a while. Then, in 1993, new excavations began under Ian Hodder from the University of Cambridge. Hodder's team worked there until 2018. They used modern methods to learn even more about the people who lived there. They also used a lot of digital tools to record their findings.
Today, new excavations are being led by Ali Umut Türkcan from Anadolu University.
Life in Çatalhöyük
Çatalhöyük was made up only of homes, with no obvious public buildings like temples or palaces. Some of the larger rooms had beautiful wall paintings, but we don't know exactly what all the rooms were used for.
Scientists believe that between 600 and 800 people lived in Çatalhöyük at any given time. The houses were built very close together, like a honeycomb. There were no streets or paths between the buildings. People walked across the rooftops!
Most houses were entered through holes in the ceiling, using ladders or stairs. These ceiling openings also let smoke out from the cooking fires inside. The main rooms had raised platforms, possibly used for sleeping or other daily activities. Houses usually had two main rooms for cooking and crafts, plus smaller rooms for storage. All the walls inside were covered with smooth plaster.
The people of Çatalhöyük kept their homes very clean. Archaeologists found very little trash inside the buildings. Instead, they found piles of waste (called "middens") outside the settlement. These piles contained sewage, food scraps, and ash from burning wood and animal dung. On sunny days, many activities probably happened on the rooftops, which might have been like a big plaza. Over time, new houses were built on top of the old ones, slowly creating the mound we see today.
Burial Customs and Art
The people of Çatalhöyük buried their dead right inside the village. Human remains have been found under the floors, especially under hearths (fireplaces), platforms, and beds. Bodies were often folded up tightly and placed in baskets or wrapped in reed mats. Sometimes, bodies were left outside for a while before the bones were collected and buried.
In some cases, people's heads were removed from their bodies after burial. These heads might have been used in special ceremonies. For example, some skulls were covered with plaster and painted to look like faces. This was a custom seen in other ancient sites like Jericho.
The settlement is famous for its bright murals (wall paintings) and small statues (figurines). These were found on both inside and outside walls. Many clay figurines of women have been found. Even though no clear temples have been discovered, the burials, murals, and figurines suggest that the people of Çatalhöyük had a rich spiritual life with many symbols. Rooms with many of these items might have been special shrines or meeting places.
Common images in the murals include hunting scenes, red pictures of wild cattle (called aurochs), deer, and vultures flying over headless figures. Some walls also had carved figures, like lionesses facing each other. Animal heads, especially from cattle, were sometimes mounted on walls.
One famous painting from Çatalhöyük is often called the "world's oldest map." It shows the village with two mountain peaks, possibly Mount Hasan, in the background. However, some experts think it might be a painting of a leopard skin or just a decorative pattern, not a map.
Beliefs and Society
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Many female figurines were found at Çatalhöyük. The first excavator, James Mellaart, thought these figurines represented a powerful female god, a "Mother Goddess." He believed that female gods were more important than male gods in this society.
However, later excavations by Ian Hodder and his team found many more figurines. They discovered that most of these new figurines were of animals, not women. Less than 5% of all the figurines found were of women. This suggests that the idea of a dominant "Mother Goddess" might not be completely accurate.
Hodder's team also found that men and women in Çatalhöyük seemed to have equal social status. They ate the same foods and had similar roles in society. For example, the number of male and female skulls found in special burials was almost equal. This means that Çatalhöyük was likely an "egalitarian" society, where people had similar rights and opportunities, rather than a society ruled by one gender.
Daily Life and Economy
The people of Çatalhöyük lived in an "egalitarian" society. This means there were no special houses for kings, queens, or priests. Everyone seemed to have a similar social standing. Men and women had equal access to food and seemed to have the same social status. Children learned by watching adults do daily tasks, rituals, and build or fix houses.
The way the town was built suggests that people lived in close family groups. They might have been divided into two main groups living on opposite sides of the settlement, who then married each other. This might have helped the settlement grow so large.
Over time, the people of Çatalhöyük became very skilled at farming and raising animals. Female figurines were found in bins used to store grains like wheat and barley. These figurines might have been meant to protect the food supply. They also grew peas and gathered almonds, pistachios, and fruits from nearby hills. They started to domesticate sheep and possibly cattle. However, hunting still provided a lot of their food.
Making pottery and tools from obsidian (a type of volcanic glass) were important activities. Obsidian tools were probably used by the people and also traded for things like seashells from the Mediterranean Sea and flint from Syria. While everyone seemed to share tools, some things like grinding stones and storage units were not always spread out evenly. This suggests that while they were mostly equal, some differences in property might have started to appear over time.
See also
In Spanish: Çatalhöyük para niños
