September 2011, Daily News

Latest Find at World's Largest Neolithic Settlement a Harbinger of Surprises Yet to Come?

By Dan McLerran   Fri, Sep 16, 2011

Archaeologists have recently uncovered a fascinating new find at the world's largest and most famous Neolithic settlement, a site that, even after more than two decades of intensive study, still has much more to reveal to scientists and the world about a community that thrived in Anatolia (current-day Turkey) about 9,500 years ago. As reported recently in the New York Times and at the Global Heritage Fund's Heritage on the Wire, archaeologists came across a surprisingly well-preserved wall painting while excavating at Çatalhöyük, a site dated to 7500 - 5700 B.C..

Although the find, a series of well-defined red lines organized into a complex, highly structured pattern, has astounded scientists with its freshness and intricate detail, it may possibly represent only the tip of the iceberg for finds yet to come. Only 4% of the estimated extent of Çatalhöyük has been excavated thus far. And even before this latest find, the site had already featured murals, wall paintings, figurines, and much more, now removed from the site and on display at the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara, Turkey.  

Çatalhöyük is located in the Konya Plain, southeast of the city of Konya (ancient Iconium) in Turkey. The site was first excavated by James Mellaart in 1958, who later led another set of excavations between 1961 and 1965. It soon became apparent that he had uncovered the remains of a center of advanced culture during the Neolithic period in Anatolia. In September, 1993, excavations began under Ian Hodder, then at the University of Cambridge, who has continued to lead efforts since then as the world's foremost authority on the site and the people who lived there. 

What the Archaeology Has Revealed

Archaeological investigations and studies have painted a picture of Neolithic life at this site that goes without precedent. The excavations have shown that Çatalhöyük, thus far, was composed primarily of domestic mud-brick structures, with some featuring ornate murals. The settlement is estimated to have contained an average population of between 5,000 to 8,000 people inhabiting a honeycomb maze of structures or houses with no streets or paths in between. They apparently accessed their dwellings through ceiling entrances, reached by ladders and stairs. 

Interestingly, archaeologists have found little trash or refuse within the buildings, finding trash areas outside the ruins that included, along with food remains, large amounts of wood ash. They uncovered as many as eighteen settlement layers. 

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View of an excavated house at Çatalhöyük. Verity Cridland, Wikimedia Commons

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Evidence suggested that the people buried their dead in close proximity to their living spaces, with human remains often found wrapped in reed mats or in baskets in pits beneath their floors, hearths, under platforms in their main rooms, and under beds. Suggestive of ritualistic behavior, a few graves had been disturbed in antiquity, with heads removed and found in other places in the settlement area, some skulls plastered and painted with ochre similar to what had been found at other Neolithic sites such as Jericho and other sites in Syria. 

Mural paintings and figurines were found throughout the excavated areas, as well as clay figurines of women, such as the "Seated Woman of Çatalhöyük". Rooms with higher concentrations of figurines, graves and murals suggest that they may have been shrines, meaning that the people may have practiced a religion. Curiously, heads of animals, particularly that of cattle, were found mounted on walls. Bull horns were commonly found within the house structures. One structure featured what some have interpreted to be a wall painting of the village or settlement with what may be mountain peaks in the background, possibly the oldest landscape painting ever found.

There was no evidence at Çatalhöyük to suggest any social class structure, given that no houses with features that could be attributed to a ruling or wealthier class have been uncovered thus far. Moreover, studies of the remains show no social distinctions based on gender, with men and women possibly sharing equal status such as that found in Paleolithic cultures. 

Doing Archaeology the Right Way

What is now distinguishing the investigations at Çatalhöyük from many others is the careful consideration given to preserving what has been uncovered while continuing to excavate new ground. Permanent roof shelters constructed over the excavation areas stand out as dominating features of the site to any casual observer. The Global Heritage Fund (GHF), for example, a non-profit organization headquartered in Palo Alto, California, is ensuring that what has already been uncovered will not waste away in the trails left behind the excavating archaeologists. They have generated the funds and mobilized and trained a team of experts and local community members in conservation and site management techniques to create a program and structure for sustainability. "Excavation and conservation can proceed in a more controlled and protected environment," reports the GHF. "Likewise, the great deal of community engagement and involvement that the project has inspired has made local people not only proud of the cultural heritage in their vicinity, but skilled conservators of it as well.........the preparation of an updated Site Management Plan and the collaboration so far between project members and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism suggests that Çatalhöyük will continue to be protected and preserved even after archaeological research has ended at the site."

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South area excavation of Çatalhöyük under the protective shelter. Wikimedia Commons

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The Government of Turkey and involved conservationists and archaeologists hope that Çatalhöyük will, in time, become a designated World Heritage Site, a designation that will release additional resources for the preservation of its historic cultural remains. If efforts are successful, the site’s designation would mean that it is the only Neolithic World Heritage site in the Middle East. 

With 95% of the site yet unexcavated, designation may help ensure that there are more surprises to come.  

Cover Photo, Top Left: A view of the excavated area of Çatalhöyük. Wikimedia Commons

Photo, First from Top, Right: Excavations involved deep trenchwork. Mark Nesbitt, Wikimedia Commons

Photo, third from Top, Left: Seated Mother Goddess flanked by two lionesses from Çatalhöyük (Turkey), Neolithic age (about 6000-5500 BCE), today in Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara. Rowero Maniak, Wikimedia Commons

By Dan McLerran

As Founder and Editor of Popular Archaeology Magazine, Dan is a freelance writer and journalist specializing in archaeology.  He studied anthropology and archaeology in undergraduate and graduate school and has been an active participant on archaeological excavations in the U.S. and abroad.  He is the creator and administrator of Archaeological Digs, a popular weblog about archaeological excavation and field school opportunities.