Çatalhöyük: Neolithic Settlement

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Questions and Answers

Which of the following is NOT considered a traditional requirement of a proto-city?

Monuments

Shared communal spaces (correct)

Hierarchical structure

Writing

Çatalhöyük displays clear signs of social hierarchy through visible architectural differences.

False

What major societal transformation occurred at Çatalhöyük during the abandonment process?

Population dispersal across Konya Plain

The architecture in the East Mound of Çatalhöyük is characterized by __________ house sizes and shared walls.

uniform Signup and view all the answers

Match the following phases of daily life evolution with their characteristics:

Early phase = Shared communal spaces Middle phase = Specialized craft production Late phase = Increased trade networks Signup and view all the answers

What type of site is Çatalhöyük classified as?

Proto-city Signup and view all the answers

Çatalhöyük had extensive public buildings such as temples and palaces.

False Signup and view all the answers

What materials were primarily used to build houses in Çatalhöyük?

Mudbrick Signup and view all the answers

Çatalhöyük was inhabited from BC to BC.

7500, 5500 Signup and view all the answers

Match the following excavation milestones with their respective years:

Mellaart discovered Çatalhöyük = 1958 Excavations resumed by Ian Hodder = 1993 Excavations stopped due to disputes = 1960s Ongoing research by Anadolu University = 2018-present Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following features was NOT typical of Çatalhöyük?

Direct access through doors Signup and view all the answers

Burials in Çatalhöyük were commonly conducted above the house floors.

True Signup and view all the answers

Name one type of artifact found in Çatalhöyük's trash pits.

Animal bones Signup and view all the answers

The major climate shift affecting Çatalhöyük occurred around __________ BC.

6200 Signup and view all the answers

What does the brown layer in the stratigraphy of house floors indicate?

Ritual renewal and maintenance Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Çatalhöyük

Turkish for "forked hill"
Neolithic settlement in Anatolia (Turkey)
Dates from 7500 BC to 5500 BC
Built on alluvial, river-borne clay suitable for agriculture
First city (or proto-city)
Egalitarian society – no temples or palaces
Follow "carnival parade of forms"

Çatalhöyük (page 2)

Composed of domestic buildings
No obvious public buildings (e.g., temples, palaces)
Population ranged up to 10,000
Mudbrick houses were closely packed together
Accessed by holes in the ceilings (rooftops served as streets)
No footpaths or streets between dwellings

Çatalhöyük (page 3)

Human remains found in pits beneath floors
Bodies were flexed and placed in baskets
Disarticulated bones in some graves
In some graves, heads were removed from skeletons and used in rituals
Skulls were plastered and painted
Women's graves contained spinning whorls, men's graves contained stone axes

Çatalhöyük (page 4)

"Mega-site" – a large village
No centralized planning
Settling permanently was a new idea
Key questions for neighbours:
- Where are you from? (permanent settlement)
- Who are your ancestors? (mobile people)

Timeline

7500 BC: East Mound settlement begins
6500 BC: Peak occupation ("crisis point")
6200 BC: Major climate shift (8.2kbp event)
6000 BC: West Mound settlement starts
5500 BC: Final abandonment as a residence
Continued use as a cemetery through 1700s CE

Excavations

1958: Mellaart discovered Çatalhöyük
1961-1965: Mellaart's excavations uncovered the Neolithic settlement
1960s: Excavations stopped due to disputes over antiquities smuggling
1993: Ian Hodder of Stanford U resumed excavations
1993-2018: Hodder's focus: Daily life, social organization, religion
2018-present: Anadolu University (Turkey) continues research

Online Presence

https://www.catalhoyuk.com/
Video Montage: http://www.catalhoyuk.com/video/city

Stratigraphy in House Floors

Brown layers: Maintenance (replastering, cleaning, ritual renewal)
Black layers: Daily activities (cooking residue, food remains, household debris)
Show regular maintenance cycles and how people cared for homes; length of house occupation

Trash Pits

Abandoned houses became trash pits
Spaces between buildings filled with refuse
Artifacts/Ecofacts: Animal bones, broken pottery, tool fragments
Food remains, construction debris, ash from hearths
Shows organized waste management, community cooperation, and dietary patterns
Houses "never died," continued use

The Evidence

Well-preserved organic materials
Activity patterns
Economic information
Environmental data
Trash disposal was a communal issue requiring cooperation
Shows how people adapted to dense urban living
Important source for understanding daily life
Broader themes: Urban organization, community cooperation, practical challenges of city life

Building Memory

Physical Continuity: Houses rebuilt in same spots, floor plans maintained
Ancestors Below: Dead buried under house floors, multiple generations stacked
Living With History: Daily life conducted above ancestors, regular floor replastering preserved burial places
Making Urban Identity: People lived on top of their history, built deep connections to place, established urban memory

History Houses

Physical Characteristics: More burials under floors than other houses; richer symbolic decorations, bull heads on walls, elaborate wall paintings; longer sequences of rebuilding
Social Function: Gathering places for extended families, centers for ritual activities, repositories of group memory, focal points for community identity.

City vs. Proto-City

Traditional requirements: Monuments, writing, hierarchy
Çatalhöyük challenges these definitions
Dense population without traditional markers
Social networks over physical structures

Surface appearance of equality (similar house sizes)
Hidden inequalities in symbolic objects
Status through ritual knowledge vs. wealth
West Mound: Visible social differences emerge, two-story houses mark growing inequality.

Abandonment Process

Gradual exodus over centuries
Population dispersal across Konya Plain
Movement to new urban centers
Maintained connection through burial practices
Social transformation vs. collapse
New communities emerge from old networks.

Legacy & Significance

Early experiment in urban living
Balance of equality vs. hierarchy
Climate adaptation strategies
Complex social networks
Importance of portable identity markers
Lessons for modern urban sustainability

Daily Life Evolution

Early phase: Shared communal spaces
Middle phase: Specialized craft production; increased trade networks
Late phase: Changes in food storage practices, increasing mobility between settlements

Architecture & Space

East Mound: Uniform house sizes, shared walls, roof access, burials beneath floors
West Mound: Variable house sizes, courtyard spaces, ground-level access, no floor burials.

Cities as Living Systems

Cities evolve rather than simply rise and fall, transformation continues
Population movement represents adaptation; Social networks outlive physical structures
Modern lessons about sustainability and change, cities as processes rather than fixed places, community survival through transformation.

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Description

Explore Çatalhöyük, one of the world's first urban centers from 7500 BC to 5500 BC. This quiz delves into its unique characteristics, such as its egalitarian society, architectural features, and burial practices. Discover the significance of this proto-city in the context of Neolithic human development.