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SETTLEMENT REGION - CATAL HOYUK

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It is not surprising that an extraordinary settlement such as Catal
Hoyuk is in the heart of Anatolia which has been a cradle to many
civilisations. In order to fully understand and appreciate why an
important group of the Neolithic Age chose to establish itself in the
Konya region, we need to examine and become familiar with this area.
Catal Hoyuk is situated to the south-east of Konya where the Carsamba
river nourishes the fertile plains.

Catal Hoyuk's settlement site was found by archaeologist James Mellaart
in 1951. At the time he was working at the British Institute of
Archaeology at Ankara. Though the site was initially recorded in 1952
the first detailed research of the area began in 1958 by Mellaart and
two colleagues because of difficult and inaccessable conditions.

Scattered surface findings have yielded an array of obsidian tools
specific to the Neolithic Age. The obsidian stone with its glass like
quality was the most important tool making material of this age. It is
estimated that the obsidian stone was originally brought to the area
from the Hasan Mountain region as a means of bartar and trade.

Catal Hoyuk was the most suitable place for settlement during the
Neolithic Age. With a spectacular backdrop of mountain forests
stretching to the banks of rich marshland, Catal Hoyuk seems to have
been tailored for agriculture and the breeding of animals. Findings
suggest that the region was an abundant source of flora and fauna. The
reason behind this natural wealth is the existence of a large lake up
until 16000 years ago. The region's seemingly unending plains is the
result of this lake. Also, the lack of stones around the lush lake bed
meant that the people of the area used mud bricks as their primary
building material.

When this great lake began to dry approximately 16000 years ago, smaller
lakes and swamps emerged creating the Salt Lake of today. As a result of
the lake drying, large areas of land became available for animals to
graze freely. Due to the abundance of animals and wildlife flocking to
the area to drink there was no need to spend time on hunting. Also, much
time was not taken up by farming as the fertile soils yielded crops
readily. It is thought the the ample supply of meat and crops allowed
the people of Catal Hoyuk to spend most of their time involved in
religious activities and decorating the interiors of their homes.

The Konya Lowlands' largest river, Carsamba, fed the region and created
fertile alluvium soil. However, what at first glance appeared to be
ideal for agriculture slowly disintegrated due to salt deposits created
by vapourisation. The primary reason for weak plant distribution on the
plains today lies behind the salination of the land over the milleniums.

The first Neolithic settlement 7000 B.C. on this fertile lowland has
greatly challenged the earlier ideas about this age. Until 1951, a vast
number of Neolithic Age features had been attributed to the eastern
Mediterranean region, Syria and Mesopotamia instead of Catal Hoyuk. The
first early and second late Neolithic settlements were established on
adjacent east and west hills where the Catal Hoyuk people created one of
the most magnificent civilisations of history. The name "Catal Hoyuk"
originated from a forked road to the north of the hills. The words
"catal" meaning fork and "hoyuk" meaning mound. It is an interesting
coincidence that this name marks an important crossroad in the history
of civilisation.

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