©The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project

Çatalhöyük (East)

For site maps and drawings please click on the picture...

maps

For photographs please click on the photo...

Çatalhöyük (Doğu)
Type:
 Mound
Altitude:
 903 m
Region:
 Central Anatolia
Province:
 Konya
District:
 Çumra
Village:
 Küçükköy
Investigation Method:
 Excavation
Period:
 Ceramic

     

Location: This site lies 52 km southeast of the city of Konya and 11 km north of the town of Çumra. Of the two adjacent mounds; the eastern one was settled in the Neolithic and the western one in the Chalcolithic [Mellaart 1962e:41].
Geography and Environment: Çatalhöyük is a mound 450x275 m in size; by Çarsamba Stream; which flows into the Çumra Plain. It lies 980 m above sea-level and 17.5 m above the level of the plain [Mellaart 1967a:30]. The cultural depositional fill of the mound exceeds 19 meters and is thus below the current level of the mound [Hodder 1996:44; Roberts 1991:13]. The settlement was built on the bed of the old Konya lake in an alluvial plain. The alluvial deposition which began in the beginning of the Holocene continued during the Neolithic settlement phase. Geo-archaeological studies have altered old beliefs [Cohen 1970:121-137] and confirmed that the plain was indeed different than it is now [Roberst et al. 1996:39]. The surrounding area is partially wooded.
History:
Research and Excavation: The mound was discovered by J. Mellaart during his survey of the Konya Province in 1958. Excavations were conducted at the site between 1961 and 1965 by Mellaart with the funding supplied by the British Archaeological Institute. An international team consisting of British, Turkish, Greek and American researchers led by I. Hodder from the Cambridge University started to excavate at Çatalhöyük in 1993 and carried on until 2017 [Hodder 1996b:1]. Excavations continue at four areas: 4040 Area, South Area, TP and BACH [Farid 2004]. In 2005, excavations started in the southwest edge of the mound (IST Area) with the aim of reaching the lowest layers [catalhoyuk.com/archive_reports/]. Since 2018, excavations at the site have been carried out by the Directorate of Konya Museum. Çatalhöyük is listed as an officially registered archaeological site by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
Stratigraphy: A total of 14 Neolithic occupational phases; 0-XII from top to bottom; were discovered at the site of Çatalhöyük East; during the Mellaart excavations. Occupational phase VI is comprised of two stages: VIA and VIB. The layers beneath layer X are viewed together because the information on these early periods is limited [Mellaart 1967a:52]. Virgin soil was not reached during the 1961-1965 excavations. The fragmentary layer XIII and other new layers yet to be discovered will represent the earliest settlement at the site [Mellaart 1989:316].
Small Finds: Architecture: Mellaart's 1961-65 excavation at the Neolithic component of the site of Çatalhöyük East was concentrated only in the southwestern part of the mound while the second round of systematic surveys; surface scrapings and excavations; which began in 1993; were concentrated on the northern and middle sections of the mound [Matthews 1996a:75]. A total of 3;300 square meters of the surface was scraped prior to excavations. This scraping yielded more than 30 new architectural structures in the northern 1;900 square meters. The excavations conducted in this area followed a different plan than Mellaart's. There appears to be a radial pattern of streets; alleyways; water pipes and drainage systems heading towards a center [Hodder 1996a:43; 1996:361]. The northern area is comprised of houses and open courtyards. There are no palaces; temples of communal open areas or storage spaces [Matthews 1996b:86]. When both areas are jointly considered; it is clear that the slopes of the mound were selected for the village settlements as opposed to the elite houses and religious structures excavated by Mellaart in the southwestern part of the mound. There are great architectural differences between the structures excavated by Mellaart and the neighborhoods now being excavated [Matthews 1995:21; Neo-Lithics 2/96:12]. This suggests that the Neolithic village of Çatalhöyük is very large and stratified [Hodder 1996:45]. The northern and southern regions are separated by a deep river valley and are believed to have belonged to different clans or lineages. There is a continuity in each of the twelve occupational phases discovered at the excavation. Every new house is built immediately above the ones beneath. It has been determined that these houses were emptied; cleaned and burned before they were leveled and new houses were built [Hodder 1996a:46; Kurtulus 1995:22]. The houses are adjacent to each other. There are narrow alleyways between the houses which lead to open courtyard areas. The courtyards provide light and air and are also used as a trash areas [Mellaart 1967a:68]. Post-1993 excavations will provide more information on the stratigraphy and construction techniques of the open courtyard areas [Matthews-Farid 1996:290-300]. The mudbrick houses have no stone foundations. They are constructed with rectangular sundried mudbricks and are rectangular in plan. The side rooms located next to the main room are used for storage. The walls; floors; ceilings and all intramural structural elements are plastered. Micromorphological analysis determined that the house floor plasters are made with a local clay mixture including grasses; plant stems and leaf fragments which were believed to keep the floor from cracking during drying and use [Matthews (W) et al. 1996:304]. The walls have been plastered white; like the floor. A 3 cm thick wall plaster was analyzed and found to be comprised of a total of 160 coats of plaster [Matthews (W) et al. 1996:306]. Roofs; supported by two large and a number of small pillars; were made from bundles of clay-plastered reed and straw. No evidence of second stories was found. The entrances to the structures were from the roofs and were probably descended by wooden ladders. There were; however; square; rectangular and/or oval doorways between the rooms [Mellaart 1967a:56]. New studies suggest that main doorway entrances were closed off at some point and that roof entry was adopted by all buildings [Hodder 1996c:363]. Ovens and hearths are usually along the southern walls of the houses. Ovens are oval in shape and have flat tops while the hearths come in many varieties. All of the ovens; no matter what shape or size; were enclosed by high thin walls. Each house had at least one platform; each enclosing several burials with wealthy grave-goods. Each house had a storage room with grain storage pits. Burnishing stones and axes placed within clay boxes were found together with other stone tools in some of the storage rooms. The arrangement of intramural elements and the interior decoration of the rooms at Çatalhöyük is very interesting. The walls have been divided into panels. Some of these have been painted solid red with no ornamental motifs while others have geometric designs; kilim-like motifs; concentric circles; stars; flowers; hand and footprints; goddesses; human figures; birds; animals; hunt scenes and nature motifs. Relief decoration is another decorative style. Many bulls' heads and horns have been portrayed in this manner. Mellaart believes the structures which contain a series of aligned bull motifs are of sacred/religious importance [Mellaart 1967a:65;77]. During 2005 season excavations; a full in situ bull's head and horns were found in a burned room in Building 52 at 4040 Area. The bull's skull had not been plastered but it had been set into the wall. There are 11 cattle horns plus some skulls dismantled above it. Adjacent to the bull's head there is a collapsed and dismantled bench that was also set with a row of bull's horns. 7 new buildings excavated in 4040 Area. Several of these had been disturbed by the digging of the foundation trench for a probably Roman building or tower; and by Byzantine burials; several had undergone a careful abandonment process which had resulted in the preservation of internal features. In Building 57 it is found that an upright plastered column was still in position; and in the same building a unique plastered fireplace with deeply incised curving; spiral meander decoration [catalhoyuk.com/archive_reports/]. In 2006 work continued in a number of areas on the East Mound. In the south area a series of almost identical buildings, one on top of the other, had previously been excavated: building 10, building 44 (Period IV) and building 56 (Period V). All had oven and hearth in the south, an eastern central platform with a bench along the south side and a northeastern and north central platform. This year work was completed on building 56, and building 65, below it, was excavated. It was again almost identical, although it also had a small southeastern room and a food preparation and storage room to the west. This is a good example of the continuity found in some, but not all, house sequences. Work also continued in building 49, a very small building about 4 m wide. Large numbers of horn cores and figurines had been found here and this year the team unearthed the burial of an individual without arms, shoulder blades or legs. Around the northwest platform was a geometric painting similar to that found nearby in building 1, also around a northwest platform. Building 49 was small but it was replastered many times and so was lived in for a long period. In the 4040 area the excavations of 2004 and 2005 were extended to the west. A huge building almost 8 m across was excavated but it showed less evidence of special significance than building 49. Building 59 had a separate west room with bins and hearths, and a storage room with bins was added later at the northeast. The main room has very large platforms on the north and east sides and the usual ladder scar at the southeast. The walls were adorned with a red painted dado. The building was carefully maintained but there are relatively few plaster layers and no indication of burials, so this was not long lasting like most buildings with special status. However, it was carefully abandoned and filled, unlike the adjacent building 64, which had been used as a midden [http://cat.une.edu.au/page/catalhoyuk; 16.11.2009, 12:46]. In 2011, the studies were conducted in Building 77 in 4040 area). In the north part of the building, a great number of skulls, nine skeletons were exposed as well as some individuals. As the plaster layers on the north wall were removed, it was discovered that 11 red painted handprints continued through the wall. In the middle of the east wall in Building 80, a red-painted niche with a cache of obsidian points was found. In the same area, the excavation studies were carried out in Building 97 as well. The western side room of this building was divided by a partition wall from the main room. This section was burnt and the traces of the postholes belonging to the wooden posts of the partition wall are still visible. The area on the west of Building 97 was also excavated. This area was used as a midden or waste disposal. The remains of a structure were recovered under the rubbish layer. It has been seen that the north wall of this structure was collapsed in Neolithic period [Hodder-Özdöl 2013:91-93]. In 2013, it was revealed that Building 102, located in the North Area (formerly known as 4040), presented a complex life and abandonment process. When the building was in use, a high density of waste was accumulated. This situation is rare for Çatalhöyük. It was observed that the architectural installations such as storage units and hearths have been repeatedly modified. In Building 119 located in the same area, the finds are concentrated in its side room. A wall painting with lozenge motifs was found on the northeast platform. This painting has been severely damaged. During the studies conducted in Building 52, the bench with bucrania was removed and another bench belonging to the earlier phase was exposed. It is also possible to suggest that the bench has an appearance of a partition wall. On this bench of the earlier phase, horns of wild sheep and goat were placed. The building was burnt in the abandonment process. A great number of human bones were found in the burial area on the northwest platform. A fragment of marble bracelet was found next to one of these burials. In another burial, a wooden vessel was exposed. One of the most important finds found in this area is the remains of textile. It is noteworthy that this textile fragment is linen because no remains of linen seed were found in the settlement so far. Therefore, it is possible that this material was brought from another region (possibly from Levand which is rich in linen seeds) via exchange. A large number of burials were found in Building 96 in the South Area. A geometric wall painting was exposed on the east wall of this building. The excavations carried out in Building 25 named by Mellaart (this building is named as 118 in the new excavations) show that the building is dated to Level IX instead of Level XII. In TPC Area located in the South Area, the studies aim to define the upper levels of the settlement and to connect this area to Level I-III of Mellaart and the levels determined in TP Area. Two different trenches were excavated in TPC Area. In the north trench, Building 121 was exposed. This is the oldest building found in this area. The only radiocarbon date obtained from the building indicates 6400-6250 BC. A geometric wall painting in white was found on the east and north walls of the building. In the south trench, a couple of buildings that have been partially damaged by Hellenistic buildings were exposed. One of the rooms of this building underwent fire. The storage unit in this room yielded floral remains in high density. It is revealed that these remains belong to a wheat species called "striate emmeroid" that became extinct. A lot of ground stone and worked deer horns indicating domestic production were found in this room [Hodder-Özdöl 2015]. Pottery: Although ceramic technology was known in the early phases at Çatalhöyük; because wooden bowls and baskets were preferred; pottery was scarce prior to Occupational Phase V. The ceramics from Phase XII are thick-walled; organic tempered; poorly-fired wares with black cores. The surface color of this ware; which is burnished and mottled; is light (buff; cream or light gray). Stylistically deep bowls are the preferred vessels; although closed forms are also found. Ceramics with dark surface colors such as dark gray and brownish black begin to appear in Phase VIII. The gray cores indicate that the ware has not been well-fired. They are mineral tempered and burnished. The vessel forms are usually simple; closed vessels and bowls are common. Red slipped ware and a few examples of incised decoration have been found. Cream; orange and pinkish colors begin to appear in Phase V. and continue to increase in numbers successively through the phases up to Phase I. Carefully made vessels begin to appear in the later phases at Çatalhöyük. Phase II yielded vessels with painted decoration and long; thin vertical handles [Mellaart 1967a:216-217][Last 1996:115]. Three different ceramics tradition was observed among the sherds revealed at Çatalhöyük. These were identified as "Early, Mid and Late Traditions" based on their cultural sequence and classical terminology. This sequence is the similar of Erbaba and Suberde [Özdöl 2008:377]. Clay Finds: Clay at Çatalhöyük has been used for many purposes from relief wall decorations to sling shots. Baked and unbaked/sundried anthropomorphic or partially anthropomorphic goddess figurines and animal figurines believed to be significant hunting ritual objects have been found [Mellaart 1967a:78]. The figurines include painted and unpainted mother goddess figurines and animal gods. Baked clay stamp seals and sling shots [Mellaart 1967a:209] have been found in addition to relief wall decorations such as bulls' heads and horns [Mellaart 1967a:106]. Both the surface surveys and the 1993-95 surface scrapings yielded clay human and animal figures. Some of these have been constructed with naturalistic details while others are very stylized [Hamilton 1996:233-236]. Two clay objects found in 2005 season are having the quality to change the general idea on "mother goddess". One of them is a beautifully made stamp seal; found in the fill of a Level V building in South Area. This example shows an animal with its front and hind legs raised upwards. Such figures have been known from Çatalhöyük for some time as plaster reliefs on the walls of houses. These plaster reliefs have often been interpreted as "mother goddess" figures; but the heads and hands of the plaster relief examples have always been cut off; so it was never possible to say whether the figures were humans or not. Here the head and the hind paws remain and they clearly show that the figure is an animal; probably a bear. So it is probable that the reliefs with upraised arms and legs are not goddesses but bears. The other important clay object is a clay figurine discovered in the burnt fill of a house in IST Area. The front of the figurine looks very much like the small; squat; so called "mother goddess" figurines that are known from Çatalhöyük. There are full breast on which the hands rest; and the stomach is extended in the central part. There is a hole in the top for the head which is missing. As the figurine turned around it can be noticed that the arms are very thin; and then on the back of the figurine a depiction of either a skeleton or the bones of a very thin and depleted human can be seen. The ribs and vertebrae are clear; as are the scapulae and the main pelvic bones. The figurine can be interpreted in a number of ways and changed the views of the nature of Çatalhöyük society and imagery [catalhoyuk.com/archive_reports/]. Chipped Stone: There are great differences in the chipped stone technology between the various phases at the site of Çatalhöyük. The chipped stone tools in Phases VIII-II follow different construction techniques than other phases and have unique tool sizes and proportions [Mellaart 1964a:103]. The raw material used is obsidian. Flint from nearby sources and chert is used very rarely in the production of large side scrapers [Bialor 1962:67]. The 1993-1995 surface surveys determined that basalt and quartzite were also occasionally used. The majority of the flint tools are flakes are while obsidian was preferred in blade production. The obsidian blades and chipped stone flakes have single striking platforms but opposed striking platforms have been used in the flake production as well. The tools include retouched and worn blades; scrapers; various knives; cutting tools; perforators; sickle blades; chisels; burins; daggers; and many pressure flaked points. Mellaart and Bialor's tool typology was confirmed by the results determined after the recent surface collection [Conolly 1996:176-185]. Ground Stone: Limestone; alabaster; marble and volcanic stones have been carved into leopard type animals portrayed together with goddess figurines; stylized figurines; twin goddess figurines and idols as well as relief decorated panels. With the exception of four figurines; clay is the preferred material for depicting animals [Hamilton 1996:222]. Celts; mace heads; stone bowls; beads; necklaces; bracelets; obsidian mirrors; whetstones; mortars; grinding stones are some examples of the ground stone objects [Mellaart 1967a:214]. Similarly; celts; mace heads and stone beads were among the Late Neolithic artifacts found [Hamilton 1996:238-240]. Bone/Antler: The bone industry at Çatalhöyük is a well-practiced craft. Beads; bracelets; belt buckles; and other decorative objects as well as spoons; spatulas; needles; awls; burnishing tools are usually bone. Antler and ivory are rare but present [Mellaart 1967a:204;214]. The most common bone tools found in the 1993-95 excavation were awls [Martin-Russel 1996:211]. Metal: Copper and lead; which appear in Phase IX have been found in almost every subsequent phase. The metal beads; found mostly as grave goods; were made by curling sheets of metal shaped by hammering [Mellaart 1967a:204;218]. Human Remains: Human osteological studies of the bones from Çatalhöyük determined that the inhabitants of this site had dolicosephal and brachisephal skulls characteristic of the Mediterranean race. The average height was 1.5 m for women and between 1.62-1.75 for men. Very few individuals had lived beyond 40 years of age [Mellaart 1967a:225]. Burials at Çatalhöyük are intramural. The dead are usually placed beneath the platforms in each house or occasionally beneath the floor in another part of the house [Mellaart 1967a:204]. Some of the burials were wrapped in cloth or straw mats while others have been placed directly into the earth. The heads usually face the central part of the room while the legs and feet face the walls. Most of the 400 skeletons found are of females [Mellaart 1967a:207]. The skeletons appear to have been painted red (ocher); green (malachite) or blue (azurite). The grave goods include obsidian mirrors; bone belt buckles; flint daggers and spouted stone vessels [Mellaart 1967a:208]. Spoons; forks; palettes; stone and deer tooth beads; bracelets; rings; knives; hoes; awls; needles; baskets and daily tools are examples of other gifts. Mellaart reports that most of the jewelry was found in women's burials while tools were found with men's burials [Mellaart 1967a:209]. However; new studies on the skeletons and the associated grave goods led to new results [Hamilton 1996:250-252;262]. Fauna: Sheep and goat were domesticated; even in the earliest levels of Çatalhöyük [Mellaart 1967a:223]. Dogs are domesticated while pigs are wild and the domestication of all the other animals is questionable [Hodder 1996c:365]. Wild donkeys; wild sheep; deer types; gazelles; foxes; wolves; leopards and birds were among the hunted animals. Sheep and goat bones were the most common faunal remains collected during the 1993-1995 surface scrapings. This is followed by horse; pig; deer; dog; fox; cat; hare and bird bones [Martin-Russel 1996:207]. Fishing was more important than previously thought in the early excavations [Hodder 1995:20]. Flora: Following Occupational Phase VI; there are a total of 14 grains; legumes which are domesticated [Mellaart 1967a:211;224]. Emmer; Einkorn; six row variety of barley; peas were found in Phases VI-II. Wheat (Triticum aestivum) was found for the first time in Occupational Phase VI. Peas; lentils and types of vetch (Vicia noena; Ervum ervilia) as well as almonds; acorn; pistachio (Pistachio atlantica); apples; juniper; berry of terebinth (Celtis australis) were used from the earliest levels on. This evidence suggests that the inhabitants of Çatalhöyük preferred legumes rather than grains [Molleson-Andrews 1996:269]. Other: The small finds of Çatalhöyük include well-preserved wood vessels. Some of these were found in graves while others were recovered from burnt houses. They are rectangular or oval in shape and have lugs and handles [Mellaart 1967a:215]. One other important find is the cloth in which some of the skeletons have been wrapped. In addition to these cloth remains; also thought to be used as fish nets; carbonized fur and leather remains have been found [Mellaart 1967a:79; 210; 219]. A flint stone dagger found within its leather case is also an important small-find.
Remains:
Interpretation and Dating: Çatalhöyük East; one of the largest Neolithic sites in the Konya Plain; which covers at least a 13.5 hectare area; had a 5-10 thousand population [Hodder 1996a:43; Matthews 1996b:86]. 14C results of Mellaart's excavations at the mound for Occupational Phases X-II date to 6;500-5;700 BC. The habitation of this mound is thought to have lasted 800-900 years [Mellaart 1967a:52-53]. The site was abandoned after 5;600 BC. The excavations begun after 1993 have tried new dating techniques such as thermoluminescence dating of the mudbricks [Parish 1996:334]. The most recent 14C dates are 7;020±50 and 6;500±100 BC [Kuniholm-Newton 1996:246].


To List