Çatalhöyük

Record summary

AI-recalled lead: Çatalhöyük is a densely built Neolithic settlement known for wall paintings, burials beneath houses, figurines, and access patterns involving roofs. It matters for comparing urbanism, household organization, symbolism, gender interpretations, and the relationship between domestic and ritual activity. Older accounts sometimes portrayed it as an egalitarian proto-city or a goddess-centered society, whereas later work emphasizes variation, practice, and changing deposits over time. The site is well documented, but individual paintings and figurines remain open to competing interpretations.