BULLISH
BUILDINGS
A typical home at
Çatalhöyük (right),
consisted of a main
room, fitted with benches
and platforms, ovens
(the darkened stain on
the floor), and white-
plastered walls often
painted with animal
depictions. In the building
(below right), a platform
with two pedestals
features bull horns.
The skull (below) of an
auroch—a now extinct
species of wild cattle—
was found hanging from
the wall immediately in
front of the platform. The
skull was modeled with
plaster to re-create the
creature’s appearance
whww ene ..ABOVE AND BELOW: JASON QUINLAN/ÇATALHÖYÜK RESEARCH PROJECTALAMY/ACIThe animals who lived on the plains
alongside Çatalhöyük’s human
residents became incorporated into
their rituals and art. Whether hunted,
feared, or worshipped, their wild
presence was expressed in the home
through furnishings and decoration.Beauty of
the Beasts
TOOLS FOUND IN ÇATALHÖYÜK. THE TWO TO THE RIGHT ARE MADE OF OBSIDIAN,
A BLACK VOLCANIC ROCK HIGHLY PRIZED BY THE RESIDENTS OF THE TOWN.
JASON QUINLAN/ÇATALHÖYÜK RESEARCH PROJECT