Çatalhöyük

Çatalhöyük was a large settlement in central Anatolia, occupied from about 7100 to 6000 BCE. Its densely packed houses, wall paintings, and rich archaeological record illuminate early settled life.

Neolithic: The prehistoric period marked by farming, animal domestication, and settled communities. Çatalhöyük grew during the Neolithic transformation toward permanent settlement.
Çatalhöyük wall paintings: Painted images on house walls at Çatalhöyük, including geometric designs and animal figures. These paintings are among the settlement’s most visible forms of interior decoration.
James Mellaart: A British archaeologist who excavated Çatalhöyük in the 1960s and publicized its early discoveries. His excavations brought the settlement to wide attention, though some of his claims remain disputed.
Roof access: Entry to a building by way of its roof rather than a ground-level doorway. At Çatalhöyük, roofs appear to have served as routes between tightly adjoining houses.
Çatalhöyük gender roles: Archaeological interpretations of gender and social roles among Çatalhöyük’s inhabitants. Burials and household finds have prompted competing accounts of equality and difference.
Mudbrick: A building material made by shaping and drying mud, often mixed with straw. Residents built their closely packed houses chiefly from mudbrick.
Çatalhöyük figurines: Small modeled objects recovered at Çatalhöyük, often made of clay or stone and depicting people or animals. Their varied forms provide evidence for objects handled and deposited in household settings.
Ian Hodder: A British archaeologist known for directing renewed excavations at Çatalhöyük from 1993. His project re-examined the site with new methods and a long-term research program.
Household archaeology: The study of domestic spaces and everyday activities through archaeological evidence. Most evidence at Çatalhöyük comes from houses and their repeated rebuilding.
Çatalhöyük social organization: The ways households and community life were organized at Çatalhöyük. The settlement’s dense housing raises questions about authority, cooperation, and social distinctions.

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