Çatalhöyük
Ancient Anatolian site
Çatalhöyük is a Neolithic archaeological site in southern Turkey, one of the oldest known urban settlements, dating from roughly 7500 to 5700 BCE.
The site is notable for its densely packed mud-brick houses entered through roof hatches rather than doors.
Çatalhöyük provides evidence of early agricultural communities and ritual practices.
Act of unearthing
- NeolithicFinal prehistoric stone-tool era
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- artifactsHuman-made historical objects
- figurinesSmall ornamental sculptures
burials · obsidian · pottery · lithics · radiocarbon dating · trowel · trench · midden
Transcontinental Eurasian republic
- wetlandsWater-saturated terrain
- alluvialDeposited by moving water
- Mediterranean climateMild, seasonally dry weather type
- steppeTreeless Eurasian grassland
Cappadocia · Levant · Near East · Fertile Crescent · tell · mound · landscape
Art affixed to walls
- muralsLarge wall paintings
- leopardsLarge spotted wild felines
- bullsAdult male cattle
- vulturesLarge carrion-eating raptors
aurochs · hunting scenes · geometric patterns · ochre · seated woman · fertility · ritual · shamanic
Multi-person seats or sidelines
- shrinesSacred devotional sites
- buttressesExternal wall supports
- postholesDug cavities for uprights
- thresholdPoint of beginning
Collected mass of parts
- mudbrickUnfire-dried clay block
- laddersStructures for ascending
- hearthsFireplace floor areas
- ovensHeated cooking enclosures
platforms · storage bins · courtyards · population · continuity · abandonment · rebuilding · dwelling
Cultivation of land, livestock
- domesticationAdapting species to captivity
- wheatCereal crop for flour
- barleyGrain for malt
- lentilsSmall edible legume seeds
cattle · sheep · goats · hunting · gathering · animal husbandry · grain storage · food processing
excavation
Act of unearthing
- NeolithicFinal prehistoric stone-tool era
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- artifactsHuman-made historical objects
figurines · burials · obsidian · pottery · lithics · radiocarbon dating · trowel · trench · midden · preservation
Turkey
Transcontinental Eurasian republic
- wetlandsWater-saturated terrain
- alluvialDeposited by moving water
- Mediterranean climateMild, seasonally dry weather type
steppe · Cappadocia · Levant · Near East · Fertile Crescent · tell · mound · landscape
wall paintings
Art affixed to walls
vultures · aurochs · hunting scenes · geometric patterns · ochre · seated woman · fertility · ritual · shamanic · cosmology
benches
Multi-person seats or sidelines
- shrinesSacred devotional sites
- buttressesExternal wall supports
- postholesDug cavities for uprights
threshold · courtyard · structural collapse · reconstruction
agglomeration
Collected mass of parts
ovens · platforms · storage bins · courtyards · population · continuity · abandonment · rebuilding · dwelling · household
agriculture
Cultivation of land, livestock
- domesticationAdapting species to captivity
- wheatCereal crop for flour
- barleyGrain for malt
lentils · cattle · sheep · goats · hunting · gathering · animal husbandry · grain storage · food processing · grinding stones
ÇatalhöyükUr
Early Mesopotamian metropolis
city-state · Babylon · Persepolis · imperial capital · palace complex
Çatalhöyükmodern metropolis
Large current-day urban area
New York City · Tokyo · Singapore · Dubai · Brasília