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*THE OLDEST CADASTRAL PLAN EVER FOUND :
The Catalhoyuk Town Plan of 6200 B.C. !!*
John F. Brock

*THE TOWN PLAN OF CATALHOYUK*

Town Plan of Catalhoyuk

The way the sections of the unique map sit on the north wall (Section 1
in archives,
Sections 2, 3 and 4 are on display at the Museum of Anatolian
Civilisations, Ankara)

The three sections of the unique map from the north wall, which is on
display
at the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations in Ankara.

*THE OLDEST CADASTRAL PLAN EVER FOUND !*

*ABSTRACT*

Most surveyors get pretty excited when they use very old plans of a
hundred to a couple of hundred years in age to reinstate original
boundary lines. Cartographers and map collectors need a touch more
vintage to their maps and plans to receive a buzz, and here we're
talking about 500 or 600 year old archival prints.

Well how do you think any cartographic or surveying historian would
react to looking at a cadastral town plan penned around 6200 B.C. ?!? I
was in absolutely stunned delight when the existence of the Catalhoyuk
Town Plan, from central Turkey, came to my attention through the
sensational presentation of Pasha Cevat Ulkelul, former Director of the
Turkish Army Cartographic Corps, during the International Map Collectors
Society Symposium in Istanbul in 1999.

Writing has been traced by evidence to have originated around 3500 B.C.
in each of Sumeria, Babylonia or Egypt, or perhaps all three in
parallel, so clearly this ancient wall plan was created about 2700 years
before history started to be recorded. Such a contemplation is
astonishing in world development, and probably ranks among the most
incredible discoveries on earth.

The following paper tells the tale of this amazing plan from its
discovery up until the 1999 book written by Pasha Ulkelul ( "Pasha"
means Major General in Turkish !) detailing more of the plan and
comparing it to other "newer" finds from between 3500 and 2500 B.C. !

*INTRODUCTION*

Researching cartographical history, attending symposia on the same
subject and travelling the world in search of greater adventure with
relationship to such exciting subjects is a continuous source of
amazement, due to the phenomenal amount of unpublicised material that
can only be experienced through such activities.

Whilst attending one such symposium in Istanbul in 1999 conducted by the
International Map Collectors Society, one of the most astonishing
revelations came through the former head of the Turkish Army
Cartographic Corps, Pasha Cevat Ulkelul. He openly admits to merely
possessing a cursory knowledge of archaeology, but his burning desire
was to bring the world's attention to what must be the oldest cadastral
plan ever unearthed - The Town Plan of Catalhoyuk, dating to about 6200
B.C., by way of the publication of his book of the same name.

*
THE LOCATION OF CATALHOYUK*

Anotolia is the name given to the area of Turkey found on the Asian
continent with an area of 755,668 km2, and from archaeological remains
it is certainly one of the oldest places of human settlement on the
entire earth!

Catalhoyuk consists of two mounds dating to the Neolithic ages (around
the time when the Flintstones lived in Bedrock !) located in Central
Anatolia one kilometre south of Kucukkoy, twelve kilometres north of the
Cumra district and 54 kilometers due southeast from the provincial
centre of Konya. Carsamba Brook actually flows between the two mounds,
one lying to the west seven metres above the Konya Plain while the mound
of this paper lies just to the east at a height of twenty (20) metres
above the plain. The subject site has a perimeter of approximately 500
by 300 metres. (see the map below)

Map showing area of excavations carried out by Mellaart from 1961-65

*DISCOVERY OF THE MAP*

James Mellaart, David French and their colleagues discovered the site of
Catalhoyuk, south of Ankara, the Turkish capital, in November, 1958, but
they were not able to start excavation until 1961, carrying on with the
work until 1965, at which time the site was put under the protection of
the Turkish government. Mellaart was to later become the Assistant
Director of the British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara from
1962-1963, and lecturer at the Anatolian Institute of Archaeology,
University of London, between 1964-1991.

Scene of the excavation work at Level XII as of July 25, 1999. The
Hodder Section

The artificial mound ("hoyuk" is Turkish for mound) which was present
contained a Neolithic (meaning New Stone Age) village comprising twelve
layers of dwellings with each layer bearing mud-brick dwellings built
next to each other and sharing common walls. Access to interior
residences was only available via climbing and stomping across other
roofs to reach rooftop entry points, so the next door neighbour contact
must have been rather intense and most probably quite frictional. The
obvious benefit of such a close-knit environment was for fortification
against intruders and raiders which would have serially patrolled the
plains of central Turkey during that period of history. Nevertheless,
through a dating technique known as radiocarbon-14, Mellaart and his
team could date the settlement of some 8,000 to 10,000 inhabitants to
between 6800 and 5700 B.C., with individual layers occupied for around a
century before the dead were finally totally covered and the next
stratum of tenancy erected directly above the "cemetery" beneath. This
would appear to have been borne in some origin of the spiritual beliefs
of the community, in perhaps a form of ancestor adoration, such
postulation being well supported through the various spiritualistic wall
art depicting bulls, rams and vultures found in rooms which are clearly
reserved for cult worship.

A modern plan and 3D perspective of Catalhoyuk, drawn by Mellaart
during the excavation in 1963

By 1965 Mellaart and his co-workers had excavated down to Level XII, at
which time all digging ceased until the resumption in 1993. Due to the
phenomenal importance of this site it was placed under the protection of
the Turkish Government, in addition to being included as one of 30
historical heritages of the world by the World Monuments Foundation in
New York.

Amongst the buildings of Level VII was discovered a shrine whose walls
bore the most astonishing find in the history of pre-historic
revelations !! There was a map displaying the town in a planimetric view
(from the sky looking downwards) with erupting volcanoes in the distance
drawn in elevation i.e. looking from side on towards the horizon as at
ground level. This plan not only appeared to possess an uncanny
resemblance to the existing town, it certainly was a diagrammatic
representation of that layer of the settlement even with individual
tenancies accurately depicted. The discoverers had unearthed the world's
first cadastral plan which had been penned around 2700 years before the
first writing had been developed about 3500 B.C. in either of Babylonia,
Mesopotamia, Sumeria or Egypt, or perhaps even all four in parallel !!

*EVERYDAY LIFE IN CATALHOYUK 8,000 YEARS AGO !!*

Fossil remains and rock strata disclose a vastly different environment
around Catalhoyuk over 8,000 years ago than the arid, sandy and treeless
surroundings which prevail today. Way back in Neolithic times the area
was richly forested with fertile soils where abundant wildlife such as
wolves, leopards, antelope, bears, foxes, pigs, sheep, goats, bulls and
vultures wandered about freely.

One of the principal realities of the Catalhoyuk site was the level of
sophistication of urban living which had evolved. Although the houses
may seem to have been thrown up next to each other, in fact there is a
startling sense of organization present, with courtyard areas
interspersing the accommodation layout. Buildings comprised materials
such as sun-dried mud bricks (a mixture of mud and hay), reeds, wooden
poles and plaster, with shallow foundations of 50-80 centimetres and
floor areas varying from between about 11.25 m2 to 48 m2 at an average
size of about 26m2. In general, the typical house had a living room, one
or two small pantries and a kitchen, with red painted walls, while the
shrines or temples, although being the same size and design as the
houses, were eminently distinguished by the decorations of pictures,
reliefs and sculpture. Roof levels varied as the topography changed
gradient, with entry holes and windows for natural light placed into the
walls facing southerly and westerly.

As the civilisation progressed, less and less scenes of hunting were
present, with the citizens developing agriculture and animal husbandry
to supplement their basic hunting and gathering lifestyle. One hundred
specimens of woven cloth found so far at the site prove that they were
among the very first people to produce such woven material. There is
also evidence of trade with other nations in such items as seashell
necklaces from ocean ports, and copper and lead from the mountains.

Artefacts found show that the inhabitants of Catalhoyuk made clay
pottery and cups, along with wooden versions of the same utensils,
branch baskets, mirrors and tools from obsidian, as well as tools and
plates from stone, bone and topaz. Seals with geometric designs on them,
uncovered on site, indicate that a concept of ownership formed part of
their way of life. Curiously, it was the early seals found in Ancient
Egypt which ultimately led to the development of writing and language
within that glorious civilisation.

*A stamp seal from Catalhoyuk *

From early studies of the site, and the distinct absence of larger,
richer dwellings, there does not appear to have been any groups of elite
forming a governing bureaucracy, so the likely scenario is a system of
equality led by elders or patriarchal types for rule creation and
decision making for future plans and dispute resolution.

*SIGNIFICANCE OF THE CATALHOYUK PLAN*

Preciously unique can be the only suitable description for the Town Plan
of Catalhoyuk. It is truly the earliest map of the prehistoric age ever
discovered, and it ranks as the oldest of all of the previously
registered 57 drawings which can be classified as maps. Of these
registered maps 37 are in France, seven in Italy, two in Malta and
Denmark, and one (1) each in Bulgaria, Germany, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco,
Algeria, Egypt, Georgia and Turkey, thus being all around the Fertile
Crescent which was the birthplace of all civilisation.

	Left : Pictograph on the Maikop Vase
Below : Rock Map at Seradina, Italy

The pictograph of the Maikop Vase which shows animals, trees and two
rivers flowing from a mountain range, believed to be the Caucasians, on
the horizon, is estimated to have been made before 3000 B.C. (see figure
above), while another map engraved onto a rock in Seradina, Italy,
clearly depicts houses with roads between them, along with a cultivated
field or courtyard (see figure above). Other ancient attempts at
cartography are found in examples from Berdolina dated to around 2500 to
2000 B.C., the Yorgan Tepe Clay Tablet Map of about 2300 B.C., the
Nubian Gold Mine Map (either 14th or 11th century before Christ) and the
clay tablets of Umma (2200 B.C.) and Babylon (612-528 B.C.).

After all of the known specimens of such ancient map drawing have been
listed, there are none which can rival the antiquity of the Catalhoyuk
Town Plan of 6200 B.C. together with its symbolism and stark
representation of its actual surroundings. It is true that cave art has
been found dating back as far back as 30,000 years in Europe, with the
earliest Australian Aboriginal rock painting probably as old as 50,000
years in age, but from a technically accurate layout, utilising
cartographic ideology, the coloured plan from Anatolia is a singularly
incredible entity; there is no doubt of this !

*SYMBOLISM OF THE PLAN*

Keeping in mind that writing was still another 2700 years away from
being developed, it is truly breathtaking that a map with such clear
symbolism could ever have been drawn at a time widely considered to be
primitive and inexpressive in a formal sense !

Spatial representation was as advanced to the Neolithic inhabitants of
Catalhoyuk, as any plan of individual tenements that has ever been
formulated, and consequently, not only is this amazing work an example
of cartography, but it is indeed the world's first cadastral plan as a
precise plan of the town as it had been subdivided !

Colour drawing of the Catalhoyuk Plan from the Museum's Promotional Book

One important point to note is that the remains of the plan were not
complete, with only the section on the northern wall well preserved,
while the segment left on the eastern wall suffered heavy damage, and
nothing at all remained on the other two walls.

The segment in good condition on the northern wall clearly shows a scale
representation of the town in plan view, with an erupting twin-peaked
volcano in elevation at the horizon. About 160 kilometres from the
village exists just such a twin-peaked mountain, now know as Hasan Dagi,
which, although now an extinct volcano, at the period during the
inhabitance of Catalhoyuk it was a fearsome and dangerous neighbour.
Because the twin volcanic peak of Hasan Dagi could not be seen from
Catalhoyuk, there have been suggestions that, perhaps, this plan in the
shrine of Catalhoyuk could be a traditional recollection of its sister
village, Asiklihoyuk, which itself lies in the shadow of Hasan Dagi, but
which dates to an earlier period some 1000 years prior to the subject
mound. Indeed, the housing of Asiklihoyuk bore stark similarities to
that at Catalhoyuk in that the residences were erected abutting each
other with entry through the roofs and built layer upon layer. Below:
Profile of Hasan Dagi

Each house appeared to closely resemble the actual dwellings, even to
the point of their correct orientation to each other, and were shown
using a red pigment on a plaster base. Spiritual significance came from
the fashion in which the erupting volcano loomed threateningly over the
township. Volcanoes had dual aspects as both life givers and life
takers, providing both wealth from obsidian (black glass) and danger
from lava, ash and gas. Even in current times volcanoes serve to
fascinate and imperil all those who live nearby to their imposing
countenances.

Left : One of the world's first mirrors made from obsidian (black glass
from lava) found at Catalhoyuk

The magnificent Town Plan of Catalhoyuk is on display at the Museum of
Anatolian Civilisations in the Turkish capital of Ankara, along with
some other astounding exhibits of the ancient cultures which once
flourished in this now rather sparsely inhabited area of the world. I
implore everyone to visit this museum, as well as as many of the truly
remarkable historic sites and buildings to be found in abundant
proportion throughout the superb country of Turkey.

*CONCLUSION*

The Town Plan of Catalhoyuk and its surrounding settlement have not yet
been thoroughly studied and analysed, and, until they are , there can be
no detailed research or authoritative journals in their regard. Until
such time as this more thorough excavation and consideration have been
carried out, we will have to be content with various articles and books
alerting our attention to the existence of such stimulating discoveries
so that at some time in the future we will indeed be able to appreciate
the advancement and intelligence of some of our prehistoric ancestors,
long thought to have been quite backward and much less advanced than
they really were.

*DEDICATION*

I hereby dedicate this paper to Husseyn Katircioglu, the beloved son of
Julia and Muhtar, and fiancée of Dilek, who was tragically stolen from
this world in a terrible accident shortly after the magnificent
International Map Collectors Symposium in Istanbul in 1999, at which
Husseyn brilliantly translated Pasha Cevat Ulkelul's presentation (in
Turkish) which introduced me to this wonderful and amazing ancient prize
- May God Bless You, Husseyn !

*REFERENCES*

1/ Ulkelul, Cevat, An 8,200 Year Old Plan - The Town Plan of Catalhoyuk,
(Donence, 1999, Istanbul)

2/ Brock, John and Fairall, Jon, The Town Plan of Catalhoyuk, M & M
magazine Issue
13, March-April 2001, Sydney, pages 16-19 inclusive.

3/ Grimal, Nicolas, A History of Ancient Egypt, (Blackwell, Great
Britain, 1995)

4/ Brock, John F., Essay - The Origins and Purpose of Egyptian Writing,
Macquarie
University Master of Arts (Egyptology) Degree Course Subject AHPG
867 -Prehistoric Egypt - 9th June, 1997 (available on request)

5/ Rudgley, Richard, Secrets of the Stone Age, (SBS, 2001)