Why is Catal Hoyuk an important archaeological find?

Why is Çatalhöyük an important archaeological find?

In a place located in the city of Konya, buried in the earth there stood a very important village. Çatalhöyük was a Neolithic Village built about 9,000 years ago. Now archaeologists are very slowly unearthing Çatalhöyük to find the remains of lifestyles, farming and beliefs of the people who lived many years ago. Archaeologists are studying this site to learn more about the new Stone Age and the Neolithic period, they also trying to find out when early people started to domesticate the animals and plants. But why is this site so important? In my opinion this site is important because it shows a direct view of how agriculture and civilization started. Without these findings of Çatalhöyük, archaeologists now would have a very hard time trying to decide when farming and permanent settlements began, and how cities, villages and communities have become a huge part in the development of humans.

Archaeologists have found that Çatalhöyük is about 32 acres, holding about 5,000 to 6,000 people. That’s a lot of people for a small amount of land, also a lot of mouths to feed. How could a large civilization survive in a small amount of land? Agriculture and domestication was the answer. Daily life 9,000 years ago included a lot of farming and raising and domesticating animals. Farming and agricultural was important to the Çatalhöyük community because it made them self-sufficient. With their fertile land producing various plants and the live stalk slowly growing, Çatalhöyük became a very important city. This city was not just important because of the agriculture, but the trading.

Back then it was logic to the Çatalhöyük to trade, it was something they had to do in order to get what they didn’t have. If they had some resource that another community didn’t have, and the other community had something that they didn’t have. The simple solution that they came up with was trading. A an apple for an orange it’s simple and fair. This was very important to the Çatalhöyük society because it made their economy boom even more! Archaeologists have found some traded items 600 miles away from Çatalhöyük. When things are traded between people along comes new ideas, traditions and viewpoints. Trade helps one great idea develop into an even bigger and better idea.

The question comes up again, how did 5,000 people live in just 32 acres of land? In their minds it was simple; they just live on top of each other. Out of learning and observing there environment the Çatalhöyük people began to build two roomed houses on top of each other. In Colorado, my family has a cabin close to the New Mexican border. Every time we go to our cabin we make sure to have a short stop in Taos, a city close to the border of Colorado and New Mexico. I remember one time that we went there; we did some touring around, and saw the Taos Pueblo. When I read the section on the Çatalhöyük houses I immediately thought of the Taos Pueblo! I did some research and found that the Taos Pueblo was built around 1000 and 1450 A.D.; Çatalhöyük was built around 7500 B.C. This means that Çatalhöyük was built way before Taos Pueblo was built. The question is, do great minds think alike or was it not a coincidence?

 

Çatalhöyük represents how much we have changed in the thousands of years we have been alive. This community also shows how much we have learned about the environment we are living in, it also shows how much more there is to be learned. Without the findings of Çatalhöyük we probably wouldn’t have the knowledge of how are great civilizations started and survived.