Hunting, herding, feasting: animal use at Neolithic Catalhoyuk, Turkey

Abstract

The Neolithic site of Catalhoyuk became world famous in the 1960s when it was excavated by James Mellaart, who was then on the staff of the Institute of Archaeology. He obtained detailed evidence of the daily and ritual lives of the people who lived there, including wall paintings and other elaborate decoration of buildings, with frequent representations of animals. Since 1993, Catalhoyuk has Become the focus of a major new research project, which is leading to new interpretations of how animals were used, and regarded, by its inhabitants some 8000 years ago.