Photos by Jack A. Waldron
After an extensive investigation of ancient Barata (Binbir Kilise), it was time to ride a mere 50 kilometers to the northeast to explore one of the most important sites in the history of human civilizations. On the timeline of human settlement/s, Catalhoyuk (37°40'04.6"N 32°49'41.9"E) has a place, along with Gobekli Tepe, Aslantepe, Egypt, and a few others. In the photo above, you can see that I was only carrying one of my panniers (bags), that's because I decided to stay at the oretmenevi (teacher house) in Cumra (about 12 kilometers south of Catalhoyuk), and do a day ride to the site.
The massive enclosure in the photo above is protecting top section of the East Mound, and I had it in my sights. After paying for my entrance, I started walking toward the dome, until I was stopped in my tracks by the guard. He told me that I could not go alone around the sites, which was a first for me. I hate having other tourists in my photos. He insisted that I wait and join a large group of about twenty people. I explained about my blog, and that I wanted to go very slowly in order to take many photos, and after a long negotiation, they assigned my own personal archeologist to escort me around Catalhoyuk.
As you have read in the site information board (pictured above), there are many artifacts from Catalhoyuk on display at the Konya Archeological Museum in Konya. I cycled to the museum after visiting Catalhoyuk, but I will include photos from the museum in this post (Part 1), and my next post (Part 2).
Pictured below, a diagram of the various rooms discovered in this section of the East Mound, which is protected by that massive dome.
Catalhoyuk is a site that is quite difficult to picture in one's mind, so when looking at my photos of the site, please consult the information signboards and the illustrations.
I've included in these posts most of the signboards I photographed from around the site, and from the Konya Archeological Museum to help put everything in perspective.
As I was cycling to Catalhoyuk from Cumra, I couldn't help but notice that the surrounding area was quite flat with wetlands all around. However, there is a huge water channel that drains the fields from far and beyond that follows the road traversing the site.
If I'm not mistaken, I think there is evidence that 6,000-9,000 years ago, the lands around Catalhoyuk were even wetter than they are today. I can understand why the inhabitants choose this area to settle, and how it remains a bread basket still now.
Pictured above, a re-creation of a small adobe house from the period we are discussing. The door you see in the side of the building would have been connected to another room, and the entrance to the dwelling would have been through the roof.
The Eastern Mound was settle between 6000-5500 BCE, and as you can see in the photo above, there were no roads through the site. The Western Mound (not open to the public when I visited), was settled between 7400-6000 BCE.
The inhabitants used the connected roofs for passage, and entered their individual dwellings using ladders dropping down from the roof.
Over the millennia, layers would build up as inhabitants added new levels of floor on top of the older floors. They would break down the roof letting the rubble gather on the old floor, then build a new floor on top of the rubble.
Having these successive layers can complicate the excavation work, because we don't want to destroy upper levels in order to reach the lower levels, as Heinrich Schliemann did at ancient Troy.
When comparing the dwellings illustrated above with the photo below, it's easy to understand the layout and function of the structures. The main structural components missing from the buildings pictured below are the tops of the walls and the roof structure.
You can see the entrance to the dome in the illustration below, which is where my photos of the site start from.
I realize it's near impossible to match the rooms on the illustration with the rooms in my photos, however, to gain a basic outline of the site, this is not so important.
The low adobe walls you see have been protected over thousands of years as the result of being the lower levels within each successive house or construction.
Although the mud brick wall segments and roof structures that were once above ground disappeared long ago, the sections below ground were protected from the elements.
In Part 2 of this series on Catalhoyuk, I share some photos of ongoing work on the East 'hillside' Mound, in which sections of mud brick walls are being built-up again from newly produced mud bricks. I suppose it's the same philosophy as the restoration of Ancient Greek or Roman marble structures with newly cut stone.
As mentioned in the article above, life took place on the roofs of the buildings, including some food and cooking preparations, though most cooking took place within the dwellings. In the center left of photo below, I believe the round blackened area we see was the location of an oven, where a cooking pot would have sat.
Pictured below, the Konya Archeological Museum has two sets of pot stands from the Chalcolithic period on display. These pot stands would have been placed in the center of the oven with a cooking pot on top of them, and a fire set underneath.
Also found within the oven areas were thousands of fired clay-balls that may have been used for cooking, heating, or perhaps as sling stones. These dwellings would have been dark smoky places, with the only escape for the smoke being the entrance in the top of the roof.
Pictured below, what are believed to be salt shakers, however, after having lived in Anatolia for so many years, I think the shaker on the left could have easily been used as an oregano shaker. These items are dated to the Neolithic period, and are on display at the Konya Archeological Museum.
The museum also provides a detailed look at Building #5 at the Catalhoyuk site (see below). The diagram below with a numbered key shows the plan of Building #5. In the top center of the room you can see the oven marked as #9.
You can see one of the buildings and living spaces in the photo below, including raised platforms, an oven, and so on.
Though each dwelling was laid out in a manner to suit the desires of the occupants, the same features can be found within most structures.
Pictured below, this is a basket handled jar from the Chalcolithic period on display at the Konya Archeological Museum.
Pictured below, a low doorway can be seen leading to a small room off the main room. This small room was probably used for the storage of grains, oil, and so on.
Though Catalhoyuk represents one of the earlier examples of humans establishing a settled lifestyle as opposed to a nomadic lifestyle, they were not completely sedentary.
Evidence shows that they travelled widely on the Konya Plain to graze their domesticated livestock, collect various items and food, and to trade.
Obsidian has been found at the site that originated from Cappadocia, shells from the Mediterranean, and baskets from the Red Sea area.
The figurine pictured below (not my photo), is believed to be that of a god or goddess. As the illustration further below suggests, the tiny holes in the head may have been used to insert feathers, creating an elaborate headdress.
Of course it possible that this figurine was simply a child's play toy, not unlike a doll today.
The infamous seated 'Mother Goddess' statues found at Catalhoyuk have suggested that a female goddess was at the center of worship in this community.
Unfortunately, I can't seem to find my photos of these statues/figurines of the seated goddess, who it has been suggested is an early representation of Kybele.
I know I took photos of these goddess statues/figurines, which are on display at the Anatolian Civilizations Museum in Ankara, so I will continue to hunt for them!
In the photo below, we can clearly see plaster that has been painted red on the lower portion of the interior wall. Here, it looks like a simple wash, but as we'll see in Part 2, plastered walls were often painted with elaborate scenes of hunting, ceremony, birds of prey, bulls, leopards, and so on.
Also in these photos, we can see pock-marked walls, or shallow holes. These may be the result of wall decorations, such as the hanging of animal skulls, horns, jawbones, or plaster re-creations of the heads of wild beasts (see illustration below).
Not every room had wall paints or skulls, or plaster reproductions, but at levels VI, VII and VIII, there were rooms with some of these architectural features.
The signboard pictured above offers some information and evidence of what the walls of dwellings at Catalhoyuk have been found to have displayed. My question is, were these walls only decorated with sacred intention and symbolism, or, were they open canvases to any artist, or child?
Catalhoyuk is one of the most important sites to visit if you travel within Turkey. Of course, Gobekli Tepe is probably the most important site in the country, and should be on most bucket lists.
In Part 2, we'll delve deeper into the wall art that has been found within the dwellings at the site, as well as dwelling burials beneath the platforms they slept on, and more.
*All photos and content property of Jack A. Waldron (photos may not be used without written permission)
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