58 i Flora Unveiled
their fields and grain stores against rodents for nearly a thousand years. It seems reasonable
to assume that the inhabitants of level VII or earlier must also have established a mutualistic
relationship with cats. A few remains of the African wild cat, Felis silvestris ssp. lybica, have
been found at the site, but so far no joint burials with humans have been reported.
Perhaps because domesticated plants and animals were not considered suitable subjects
for art, there are no clear depictions of domesticated cats among the wall reliefs, paintings,
and figurines at Çatalhüyük, but we can assume that the first domesticated cats were large
and had tabby- like markings with banding patterns similar to those of their ancestor, F.s.
lybica. In the artworks at Çatalhüyük, a variety of patterns are employed for the coats of the
felines. Some suggest Anatolian leopard (Panthera pardus) spots, as in the case of the skins
carried by the men in the animal- baiting murals and on some of the figurines, but others are
quite abstract and could be interpreted as banding patterns consistent with wildcat mark-
ings. In the example shown in Figure 3.12, the X’s could be interpreted as spots, but the
horizontal bars between them could represent banding patterns.
We favor the interpretation that the “leopard” reliefs of Çatalhüyük, on at least one level
of meaning, are the Anatolian analogs of the stone head of the cat at Shillourokambos in
Cypress and ideologically linked to agriculture via the new cat– human mutualistic rela-
tionship. Consistent with such an interpretation, Mellaart found “numerous offerings of
grain and crucifer seeds as well as one fine [female] figurine” on the platform set in front
of the “leopard” relief on level VIA.^62 The finding of both grains and crucifer seeds on a
Figure 3.14 Relief sculpture of a pair of “leopards,” which had been replastered and repainted
numerous times. Mellaart noted some sexual dimorphism in the “leopard ” reliefs. In this case, the
cat on the right seems to be pregnant female. (Note the presence of a second “Tree of Life” with
ibexes motif directly below the pregnant female. Parallel rows of fruits, indicating branches, along
with their ibexes are indicated by arrowhead.)
From Mellaart, J. (1967), Çatal Hüyük: A Neolithic Town in Anatolia. Thames & Hudson; Mellaart, J.,
U. Hirsch, and B. Balpinar (1989), The Goddess from Anatolia. Ezkenazi.