22 MARCH/APRIL 2019
that infants and newborns were buried in this
part of the home.
Benches or platforms separated the “clean”
part of the house from the dirty. The floors were
free from the blackening caused by fire. It ap-
pears they were also plastered more frequent-
ly. These clean spaces were where youths and
adults were buried. Later excavations at the site
revealed the emphasis the residents placed on
hygiene: Garbage was burned, buried, and cov-
ered with ash, a general cleanliness that may
explain why forensic tests have revealed that the
population was remarkably healthy.
The walls in these clean spaces were also
a focal point for art. The artworks were
typically painted in red or black pig-
ments and feature geometric motifs,
human hands, and wild animals. The
relationship with these animals must
have been a powerful element of local
beliefs. Leopards, boars, and bears are
all depicted. Perhaps the most important
of all was the wild bull, whose horns were
placed on platforms or in other parts of
the home. The bones of wild animals, usually
male, were deposited as offerings when a house
was built or abandoned. Researchers speculate
that the occupants did so in the hope of over-
coming their fear of nature or to be close to its
powerful spirit.Home and Away
The occupants of Çatalhöyük grew grains and
legumes, kept sheep and goats, and hunted wild
animals such as bison, deer, elk, boar, and
birds. The surrounding countryside offered
wild food sources, such as apples, almonds,
pistachios, fish, and waterfowl eggs. Building
materials such as plaster and mud were also
readily available near the settlement itself.
Archaeologists were surprised to find
that homes were not located close to their
fields, which was unexpected for an agricul-
tural community of several thousand people.
According to Hodder and his team, one pos-
sible explanation lies in the high demand for
plaster and clay in the village. If people lived
closer to their farmland, they would have beenVINCENT J. MUSI/ALAMY/ACI
HOME BURIAL
Next to the bones of a child, a number
of beads made of stone and of bone
were found, deposited as offerings in
this Çatalhöyük grave.
DOMESTIC
HARMONY
Found in Çatalhöyük,
two people embrace
in this carving from
around 6000 b.c.
Museum of Anatolian
Civilizations, Ankara,
Turkey
NATHAN BENN/GETTY IMAGES