NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Çatalhöyük

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Excavations at the South Area of Çatal Höyük

Çatalhöyük [ʧɑtɑl højyk] (also Çatal Höyük and Çatal Hüyük, or any of the three without A diacritic mark or accent mark is an additional mark added to a basic Greek διακρητικός, distinguishing and diacritical is used to mean distinguishing or distinctive. The mark can be added over, under, or through the letter. But not all... accent marks -- Çatal is Turkish (Türkçe or Türk dili) is a Turkic language, spoken natively by over 100 million speakers in Turkey, Cyprus, and worldwide. Classification Turkish is a member of the Turkish family of languages, which includes Balkan Gagauz Turkish, Gagauz, and Khorasani Turkish in addition to... Turkish for 'fork' and Höyük is Turkish (Türkçe or Türk dili) is a Turkic language, spoken natively by over 100 million speakers in Turkey, Cyprus, and worldwide. Classification Turkish is a member of the Turkish family of languages, which includes Balkan Gagauz Turkish, Gagauz, and Khorasani Turkish in addition to... Turkish for "mound") was a very large The Neolithic, (Greek neos=new, lithos=stone, or New Stone Age) is traditionally the last part of the stone age. The name was invented by John Lubbock in 1865 as a refinement of the three-age system. It followed Pleistocene Epipalaeolithic and early Holocene Mesolithic cultures with the start of... Neolithic and The Chalcolithic (Greek khalkos + lithos copper stone) period, also known as the Eneolithic or Copper Age period, is a phase in the development of human culture in which the use of early metal tools appeared alongside the use of stone tools. The period is a transitional one outside of the... Chalcolithic settlement in southern Anatolia ( Greek: ανατολή anatolē or anatolí, rising of the sun or East; compare Orient and Levant, by popular etymology Turkish Anadolu to ana mother and dolu filled), also called by the Latin name of Asia Minor, is a region of Southwest Asia... Anatolia, dating from around 7500 BC for the lowest layers. It is located in the Konya Plain, southeast of the present-day city of Konya (also Koniah, Konieh, Konia, and Qunia; historically known as Iconium) is a city in Turkey, on the central plateau of Anatolia. It has a population of 742 690 (in 2000) and it is the capital of Konya Province, which is the biggest province areawise. From 1097 to 1243 it... Konya, The Republic of Turkey is a country located in Southwest Asia with a small part of its territory (3%) in southeastern Europe. Until 1922, the country was the center of the Ottoman Empire. The Anatolian peninsula, between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, forms the core of the country... Turkey, approximately eighty-five miles from the twin-conned volcano of Hasan Dağ. The buried eastern settlement forms a mound which would have risen about 20 metres above the plain at the time it was inhabited. There is also a smaller settlement mound to the west and a The Byzantine Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered at its capital in Constantinople. In certain specific contexts, usually referring to the centuries that marked the fall of the Western Roman Empire, it is also often referred to as the Eastern... Byzantine settlement a few hundred meters to the east. The prehistoric mound settlements were abandoned before the The Bronze Age is a period in a civilizations development when the most advanced metalworking has developed the techniques of smelting copper from natural outcroppings and alloys it to cast bronze. The Bronze Age is part of the Three-age system for prehistoric societies and follows the Neolithic in... Bronze Age. A channel of the Çarsamba river once flowed between the two mounds and the settlement was built on alluvial clay which may have been favourable for early Farming, ploughing rice paddy, in Indonesia Agriculture is the process of producing food, feed, fiber and other desired products by cultivation of certain plants and the raising of domesticated animals ( livestock). Agriculture is also known as farming. More people in the world are involved in agriculture as their primary economic... agriculture.

Archaeological history

First discovered in 1958, the Çatalhöyük site was brought to worldwide attention by James Mellaart is an English archaeologist who is responsible for discovering and excavating the Neolithic village of Catalhoyuk in Turkey. He was assisted by his wife Arlette and directed the excavation. When Mellaart excavated the site in the 1960s more than 150 rooms and buildings were found, some decorated with... James Mellaart's excavations between 1961 (As MAD Magazine pointed out on its first cover for the year) was the first upside-down year - i.e., one that looked the same upside down - since 1881, and the last until 6009. Events January January 1 - The farthing coin, used since the 13th century, ceases to be... 1961 and 1965 was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). Events January-February January 4 - United States President Lyndon Johnson proclaims his Great Society during his State of the Union address. January 12 - Bodies of 2 15 year olds Christine Sharrock + Marrine Schmidt found... 1965, which revealed this section of Anatolia ( Greek: ανατολή anatolē or anatolí, rising of the sun or East; compare Orient and Levant, by popular etymology Turkish Anadolu to ana mother and dolu filled), also called by the Latin name of Asia Minor, is a region of Southwest Asia... Anatolia as a centre of advanced culture in the The Neolithic, (Greek neos=new, lithos=stone, or New Stone Age) is traditionally the last part of the stone age. The name was invented by John Lubbock in 1865 as a refinement of the three-age system. It followed Pleistocene Epipalaeolithic and early Holocene Mesolithic cultures with the start of... Neolithic period. After Mellaart was banned from Turkey (see Pearson and Connor, below), the site lay idle until September 1, 1993, when investigations began under the leadership of Ian R. Hodder (born 23 November 1948 in Bristol) is a British archaeologist and pioneer of postprocessualist theory in archaeology. As of 2005, he is Dunlevie Family Professor and Chair of the Department of Cultural and Social Anthropology at Stanford University in the United States. Hodders fieldwork most famously... Ian Hodder from the University of This article is about Cambridge, England; see also other places called Cambridge. The city of Cambridge is an old English University town and the regional centre of the county of Cambridgeshire. It lies approximately 50 miles (80 km) north of London and is surrounded by a number of smaller towns... Cambridge, Great Britain lies between Ireland and continental Europe. Great Britain is an island lying off the northwestern coast of Europe, comprising the main territory of the United Kingdom (UK). Great Britain is also used as a political term describing the combination of England, Scotland, and Wales, the three countries which... Great Britain. These investigations continued until 1995.

Cultural findings

The settlement was described by Mellaart as the earliest city in the world. However, it is more properly described as an overgrown village rather than a true town or city. The community seems to have consisted entirely of domestic housing with open areas for dumping rubbish. There are no obvious public buildings or signs of division of labour, although some dwellings are larger than the rest and bear more elaborate wall paintings. The purpose of larger rooms remains unclear, though some sort of ritual purpose is suspected.

The population of the eastern mound has been estimated at up to 10,000 people, but population totals likely varied over the community’s history. An average population of between 5,000 to 8,000 is a reasonable estimate. The inhabitants lived in mud-brick houses which were crammed together in an agglutinative manner. No footpaths or streets were used between the dwellings. Most were accessed by holes in the ceiling, which were reached by interior and exterior ladders. The ceiling openings also served as the only source of ventilation, letting in fresh air and allowing smoke from open hearths and ovens to escape. House interiors were characterized by squared off timber ladders or steep stairs, usually placed on the south wall of the room, as were cooking hearths and ovens. Each main room served as an area for cooking and daily activities. Raised platforms built along the walls of main rooms were used for sitting, working and sleeping. These platforms, and all interior walls, were carefully plastered to a smooth finish. Ancillary rooms were used as storage, and were accessed through low entry openings from main rooms. All rooms were kept scrupulously clean. Archaeologists identified very little trash or rubbish within the buildings, but found that trash heaps outside the ruins contain sewage and food waste as well as significant amounts of wood ash. In good weather, many daily activities may also have taken place on the rooftops, which conceivably formed an open air plaza. In later periods, large communal ovens appear to have been built on these rooftops. Over time, houses were renewed by partial demolition and rebuilding on a foundation of rubble -- which was how the mound became built up. Up to eighteen levels of settlement have been uncovered.

The people of Çatalhöyük buried their dead within the village. Human remains have been found in pits beneath the floors, and especially beneath hearths and the platforms within the main rooms. The bodies were tightly flexed before burial, and were often placed in Four styles of household basket. A basket is a container with an open top, usually made out of interwoven pieces of material. Wood, bamboo, wheat, other grasses, rushes, twigs, osiers or wicker are often used to make baskets, but they are also made today out of plastic. The first baskets... baskets or wrapped in reed mats. Disarticulated bones in some graves suggest that bodies may have been exposed in the open air for a time before the bones were gathered and buried. In some cases, graves were disturbed and the individual’s head removed from the skeleton. These heads may have been used in ritual, as some were found in other areas of the community. A parallel has been drawn with a practice in Neolithic For other meanings of the word Jericho, see: Jericho (disambiguation) Jericho (Arabic أريحا Arīḥā; Hebrew alphabet יריחו, Standard Hebrew Yəriḥo, Tiberian Hebrew Yərîḫô, Yərîḥô) is a town in the... Jericho, where skulls were plastered to recreate human-like faces.

Vivid A mural is a painting on a wall, ceiling, or other large permanent surface. Murals of sorts date to prehistoric times such as the paintings on the Caves of Lascaux in southern France. There are many techniques. The most well known is probably fresco, which uses water soluble paints with... murals and A rare Dresden porcelain figurine Figurine is a diminutive form of the word figure, and generally refers to a small, human-made object that represents some sort of being. The diminutive implies that the object is smaller than life-size, though this may not always be the case (as with... figurines are found throughout the settlement, on interior and exterior walls. Predominant images include men with erect phalluses, groups of men in hunting scenes, and red images of the now extinct Binomial name Bos primigenius (invalid), proper name Bos taurus Bojanus, 1827 The aurochs (Bos taurus) is an extinct European mammal of the Bovidae family. The word aurochs is both singular and plural; alternative plural forms are aurochsen or urus. The animals original scientific name, Bos primigenius, translated the German... aurochs and stags. Heads of animals were mounted on walls. In addition, distinctive For the town in the United States, see Clay, New York. Clay is a generic term for an aggregate of hydrous silicate particles less than 4 μm ( micrometres) in diameter. Clay consists of a variety of phyllosilicate minerals rich in silicon and aluminium oxides and hydroxides which include variable... clay figurines of women have been found in the upper levels of the site. Although no identifiable temples have been found, the graves, murals and figurines suggest that the people of Çatalhöyük had a sort of religion. Rooms with concentrations of these items may have been shrines or public meeting areas. The people appear to have lived relatively egalitarian lives with no apparent social classes, as no houses with distinctive features (belonging to Robert king The word Kings is the plural of king, a male ruler. See Monarch. Kings are also two Old Testament books (in the Bible). See Books of Kings. In addition, Kings is a very popular drinking game involving actions based on draws from a standard set of playing cards... kings or Roman Catholic priest A priest or priestess is a holy man or woman who takes an officiating role in worship of any religion, with the distinguishing characteristic of offering sacrifices. Priests have been known since the earliest times and in the simplest societies (see shaman and oracle). There are priests... priests, for example) have been found so far. The most recent investigations also reveal little social distinction based on gender, with both men and women receiving equivalent nutrition and apparently having relatively equal social status.

In upper levels of the site, it becomes apparent the the people of Çatalhöyük were gaining skills in Farming, ploughing rice paddy, in Indonesia Agriculture is the process of producing food, feed, fiber and other desired products by cultivation of certain plants and the raising of domesticated animals ( livestock). Agriculture is also known as farming. More people in the world are involved in agriculture as their primary economic... agriculture and the domestication of animals. Female figurines have been found within bins used for storage of Cereal crops are mostly grasses cultivated for their edible seeds (actually a fruit called a grain, technically a caryopsis). Cereal grains are grown in greater quantities worldwide than any other type of crop and provide more food energy to the human race. In some developing nations, cereal grains constitute practically... cereals such as Species T. aestivum T. aethiopicum T. araraticum T. boeoticum T. carthlicum T. compactum T. dicoccon T. durum T. ispahanicum T. karamyschevii T. militinae T. monococcum T. polonicum T. spelta T. timopheevii T. trunciale T. turanicum T. turgidum T. urartu T. vavilovii T. zhukovskyi References: ITIS 42236 2002-09... wheat and Species Hordeum arizonicum Hordeum brachyantherum Hordeum bulbosum Hordeum californica Hordeum depressum Hordeum intercedens Hordeum jubatum Hordeum marinum Hordeum murinum Hordeum pusillum Hordeum secalinum Hordeum spontaneum Hordeum vulgare References ITIS 40865 2002-09-22 Barley (Hordeum vulgare) is a major food and animal feed crop, and a member of the grass... barley. Binomial name Pisum sativum A pea (Pisum sativum) is the small, edible round green seed which grows in a pod on a leguminous vine, hence why it is called a legume. Several other seeds of the family Fabaceae, most of them round, are also called peas. According to etymologists, the... Peas were also grown, and This article refers to the plant. For other uses see Almond (disambiguation) Species Prunus dulcis (Mill.) D. A. Webb The almond, Prunus dulcis (formerly classified as Prunus amygdalus, or Amygdalus communis) is a small deciduous tree belonging to the Subfamily Prunoideae of the Family Rosaceae. An almond is also the... almonds, Species Pistacia atlantica Pistacia chinensis Pistacia lentiscus Pistacia mexicana Pistacia taxiferum Pistacia terebinthus Pistacia vera Ref: ITIS 28806 2002-08-16 The Pistachio (Pistacia vera, Anacardiaceae; sometimes placed in Pistaciaceae) is a small tree to 10 m tall, with deciduous pinnate leaves native to southwestern Asia (Iran west to... pistachios, and fruit were harvested from trees in the surrounding hills. This article is about the animal, sheep; for other meanings of Sheep, see Sheep (disambiguation). The article Ram redirects here; a ram is an intact male sheep. For other meanings of Ram, see Ram (disambiguation). Binomial name Ovis aries Linnaeus, 1758 A sheep is any of several woolly ruminant quadrupeds... Sheep were domesticated and evidence suggests the beginning of Binomial name Bos taurus Linnaeus, 1758 Cattle are domesticated ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. They are raised as livestock for meat (called beef and veal), dairy products (milk), leather and as draught animals (pulling carts, plows and the like). In some countries they are... cattle Domesticated animals, plants, and other organisms are those whose collective behavior, life cycle, or physiology has been altered as a result of their breeding and living conditions being under human control for multiple generations. Humans have brought these populations under their care for a wide range of reasons: for help... domestication as well. However, This article is about the hunting of prey by human society. For other uses of the word hunting see Hunting (disambiguation). For other meanings of the word hunter (which redirects here), see Hunter (disambiguation). Hunting is, in its most general sense, the pursuit of a target. It is most commonly... hunting continued to be a major source of meat for the community. The making of A man shapes pottery as it turns on a wheel. (Cappadocia, Turkey) Pottery is a form of ceramic technology, where wet clays are shaped and dried, then fired to harden them and make them waterproof. Unglazed pottery that is fired at temperatures in the 800 to 1200 °C range, which... pottery and the construction of Top stone is obsidian, below that is pumice and in lower right hand is rhyolite (light color) Obsidian is a type of naturally occurring glass, produced from volcanoes when the right kind of lava cools rapidly, e.g., by flowing into a body of water. It consists mainly of SiO2... obsidian tools were major industries. Obsidian tools were probably both used and traded for items as The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2.5 million km². Name The term Mediterranean derives from the Latin mediterraneus, inland (medius, middle + terra, land, earth). The Mediterranean Sea... Mediterranean Sunset at sea A sea is a large expanse of saline water connected with an ocean, or a large, usually saline, lake that lacks a natural outlet such as the Caspian Sea and the Dead Sea. The Sea of Galilee is a small freshwater lake with a natural outlet, but... sea Amongst other things, a shell is: An animal shell, the hard, rigid outer covering of an animal such as a mollusk or gastropod or tortoise or turtle. See also: shell (material). The hard outer layer of eggs. The hard outer layer of some plant fruiting bodies such as nuts. An... shells and Pebble beach made up of flint nodules eroded out of the nearby chalk cliffs, Cape Arkona, Rügen Flint (or flintstone) is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline silica rock with a glassy appearance. Flint is usually dark grey, blue, black, or deep brown in colour. It occurs chiefly as nodules and... flint from The Syrian Arab Republic is a country in the Middle East, bordering (from south to north) on Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Turkey. The borders with Israel and Turkey are subject to dispute, pending the resolution of outstanding conflicts over possession of the Golan Heights and the region of Iskenderun... Syria.

Archaeological history

Cultural findings

See also

External links

For Further Reading

Archaeological history GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Cultural findings

See also

External links

For Further Reading

Archaeological history