#neolithicart

Çatalhöyük, situated in southern Anatolia, is an archeological site where the first traces of a settlement date approximately to 7400 BCE and where the building of house upon house resulted in a vast amount of villages. It is the largest and most preserved Neolithic site found to date.The oldest part of the site homed as many as 3000 people at a time and is consisted of multiple densely grouped houses built from rectangular bricks made of mud held together with mortar. It gives us a clear picture of the use of Neolithic architecture. The inside of the houses and settlements were covered with plaster and lime-based paint. The houses of Çatalhöyük were powerful not only because of the depths of their history but also because of the amazing art that decorates it’s interiors. Painted on some of the walls are some wild and savage scenes. In a few, humans are represented with no heads as if from being decapitated. There are also many scenes that highlight dangerous interactions between humans and animals. There is also an emphasis on males; some with beards and others with erect penises. In some paintings, people hunt or tease different animals. We can see many animal and human interaction painted on the walls whether it being hunts, rituals or dangerous games.The eastern settlement forms a mound which would have risen about 66 feet above the plain at the time of the latest Neolithic occupation. There is also a smaller settlement mound to the west another a few hundred meters to the east. A channel of the Çarsamba river once flowed between the two mounds. The settlements were built on alluvial clay which may have been favourable to early agriculture. This site is open for tours to the public during spring and autumn. 

A look at the Çatalhöyük settlement.