Why is Catal Hoyuk an important archaeological find?

Why is Catal Hoyuk an important archaeological find

Catal Hoyuk was an ancient Neolithic city that may have the biggest city around 9,000 years ago. It was built in what is now central Turkey just southeast of the city Konya. Back in the Neolithic times the land was very rich and green. It is often referred to as "the fertile crescent". We have been excavating it for a number of years and have found numerous artifacts that give us a clue what life was like back then. Catal Hoyuk is considered one of the of the most important Neolithic finds of the century.

Catal Hoyuk was once a thriving city, rich in export and trade. It rose up in the time period know as the agricultural revolution. The agricultural revolution is the time period when people decided to settle and plant crops as opposed to following their food in temporary settlements. The city was positioned next to a river and the land was very fertile and this is probably what compelled the nomads to stay. Once settled in, the nomads could plant crops in the fertile soil. When it came time to harvest, there was more than enough for everybody, so starvation was no longer a problem. Another great thing about harvest was that not everyone was needed. Other people could explore and excel in other activities such as crafting, taming animals, art, building, and preaching. From this the division of labor sprang up and then they had governments, farmers, and industry workers. Another thing that bubbled up along with the agricultural revolution was the specialization of labor. When people weren’t working in the fields they were experimenting with weaving, painting, tool making, and building. Sometimes people would excel in these tasks and that became their career. Along with this they were excellent traders. Archaeologists think that they may have had to walk about 120 miles to fetch rare obsidian rocks that formed from dry lava. Obsidian was easy to carve and once made into knives it was sharp and efficient, so it was a prized material in the Neolithic tomes. If they didn’t walk to get the obsidian they would cleverly trade and re-trade from other villages. The people living in Catal Hoyuk were extremely self sufficient and could easily provide for themselves. The people of Catal Hoyuk also had lots of culture. While uncovering the city, archaeologists found human remains under the floor of the houses. Archaeologists think that these ancient people though that a dead family member was still a part of the house, so they buried them there. Archaeologists have also uncovered paintings of special events, so the people of Catal Hoyuk must have retold their stories. Archaeologists have also found small shrines and a memorial to the dead with picture of some of the events in the person’s life.

Catal Hoyuk is one of the biggest and oldest ancient cities we have ever uncovered. Archaeologists have uncovered lots of the city and have found lots of artifacts that were used in daily life. This lets us see exactly how these ancient people lived and what technology, ideas, and theories were going on during the time of the agricultural revolution. We know have a clear idea of how the people of Catal Hoyuk and many of the ancient cities and towns around them lived. It was an amazing find because without it, we would know little about Catal Hoyuk or even the Neolithic period in general.