Çatalhöyük, located in modern-day Turkey, is one of the world’s oldest known urban settlements, dating back to around 7500 BCE. Unlike later cities with streets and public buildings, Çatalhöyük had a unique layout where homes were built directly next to each other, and people entered their houses through the roof.
The city’s architecture suggests a highly communal society. Homes were similar in size and structure, indicating relatively equal social status among inhabitants. Inside the houses, archaeologists found wall paintings, reliefs of animals, and symbolic imagery, suggesting strong religious and ritual practices.
Religion played a central role in daily life. Shrines within homes contained figurines, particularly of female forms often associated with fertility. The repeated imagery of bulls and wild animals points to a belief system connected to nature and hunting traditions. Burials were placed beneath the floors of houses, showing that ancestors remained spiritually connected to family life.
Çatalhöyük’s economy was based on agriculture, animal domestication, and trade. Residents cultivated wheat and barley, raised sheep and goats, and traded obsidian for goods from distant regions. The city’s sudden decline remains a mystery, possibly caused by environmental changes or social transformation.
Çatalhöyük challenges traditional ideas of early civilization and shows that complex societies existed long before kings, writing, or formal governments.
