TOP:VINCENT J. MUSI/ALAMY/ACI.BOTTOM:JASON QUINLAN/ÇATALHÖYÜK RESEARCH PROJECTLIMESTONE WOMAN SCULPTED BETWEEN 6300 AND 6000 B.C., THIS LIMESTONE FIGURE WAS FOUND IN 2016. SHE IS BELIEVED TO REPRESENT A HIGH-STATUS FIGURE.
On the basis of unearthing a handful of female sculptures in the 1960s, James Mellaart sug-gested that they were the products of a matriarchal society that worshipped a mother god-dess. However, Ian Hodder, director of the site since the 1990s, believes that there is no proof that Çatalhöyük was organized according to either matriarchal or patriarchal principles. Of the many art objects found since the 1960s, those depicting the male form and animals out-number those of the female form, especially in the case of paintings. Anthropological evi-dence also indicates a society that was markedly egalitarian. Physical evidence shows that both women and men had similar diets and carried out similar tasks. Equal amounts of soot present in their lungs suggests both men and women spent equal amounts of time at home.