Neolithic Site of Catalhoyuk

Property names are listed in the language in which they have been submitted by the State Party.

	Turkey (Europe and North America)
Date of Submission:	06/02/2009
Criteria:	(ii)(iii)(iv)
Category:	Cultural
Submitted by:	Ministry of Culture and Tourism
State, Province or Region:	Cumra, Konya
Ref.:	5410

Description

Çatalhoyuk lies on the Konya plain on the southern edge of the Anatolian Plateau at an elevation of just over 1000m above sea level; the highest point of the East mound of Çatalhöyük is 1020.3m above sea level, 16 m above the surrounding plain. Çatalhöyük lies within the village boundaries of Küçükköy, a small village of approximately 100 hundred houses located one kilometer to the north of the site. The sub-province centre of Çumra is 12km south/southwest of the site and the provincial capital of Konya is 60 kilometers away in northwestern direction.

The site Çatalhöyük is made up of two mounds: Çatalhöyük East and Çatalhöyük West. The east mound is clearly visible from some distance: the west mound is much lower with gently sloping topography. Çatalhöyük east consist of 21m of Neolithic deposits dating from 7400-6200 B.C. with some later deposits consisting mainly of Byzantine burials and rubbish pits. Çatalhöyük West is 6m high and is almost exclusively Chalcolithic (6200-5200 B.C.), again with the presence of some Byzantine burials.

The two mounds built up on either side of the Çarşamba Çay River which ran between the two mounds during the Neolithic period. Çatalhöyük was discovered in the 1950s by James Mellart. It was the largest known Neolithic site in the Near East at that time. Çatalhöyük East is 450m in length and 275m in width, approximately 23 acres.

The site represents significant social change and development: hunting taking place alongside the domestication of plants, the invention of pottery, and coming together of 1000s of people in a permanent settlement. Furthermore the two mounds span over 2000 years and indicate a high degree of continuity though time.

Excavations which restarted in 1993 and continue today have reached the bottom of the East Mound and have discovered a total of 18 levels of occupation. Sampling has been undertaken of the whole site and society was egalitarian without large-scale centralized administration. Shelters have been built over excavated portions of the site, a Visitor Centre and experimental house have been constructed, facilities have been provided, and there is a Site Management Plan.

Justification for Outstanding Universal Value

Justification of Outstanding Universal Value

Although other Neolithic sites have been discovered in the region of Anatolia and the Middle East, Çatalhöyük East remains outstanding due to its unique combination of size, concentration of population, strong artistic and cultural traditions and its continuity though time. The site evokes a number of fundamental questions about human development: why did humans decide to settle permanently in one place? Why did the inhabitants choose to live in such a close community? How did they manage this egalitarian way apparently without centralized organization? What sparked the transition from hunting to agriculture? What is the impulse for such an outpouring of human artistic abilities? Following its discovery in the 1960s the site quickly became famous, and it continues to capture the imagination of academics and the public alike.

The site management plan (2004) describes the significance of the site as

1- One of the first early agricultural sites developed outside the Near East

2- Is a large settlement in comparison to many of its contemporary sites in Anatolia and the Near East

3- Contains evidence of significant advancement in the arts (wall painting and sculpture) and in craft traditions (basketry, pottery, wood and lithics) in comparison to other sites in Anatolia and the Near East.

Criterion (ii): Çatalhöyük represents an important period of human development with the shift from hunting to agriculture, and the move to sedentary, communal living. The building plans, internal structures and so arguably the way of life were repeated over several generations, for around 2000 years.

Criterion (iii): Çatalhöyük bears unique testimony to a key period of human development. Evidence at the site, such as wall paintings, figurines and burial rituals, attests to strong cultural and artistic traditions, the concentration of which is unique to this period in Asia Minor. Although settlement at Çatalhöyük came to an end in 5200 B.C., excavations have revealed evidence of artistic traditions that have continued to influence Mediterranean, European and Middle Eastern traditions to this day.

Criterion (iv): Two mounds at Çatalhöyük, and particularly the Neolithic East mound, are outstanding examples of an architectural ensemble which indicates a significant stage in human history: the decision to live together as a collective, maintaining the same location within the landscape for over 2000 years. There is a unique settlement pattern of back-to- back houses with roof access into buildings.

Satements of authenticity and/or integrity

Çatalhöyük is protected according to 2863 numbered Law for the Protection of Cultural and Natural Heritage of Turkey. The Neolithic and Chalcolithic remains at Çatalhöyük (East and West Mounds) are registered as a First Degree Archaeological Site, the Hellenistic and Byzantine settlement to the south of the Çatalhöyük East is registered as a third degree archaeological site.

It is fenced and has permanent guards.

Comparison with other similar properties

None of the existing World Heritage sites in Turkey or in the wider area of the Near East date from the Neolithic and so do not reflect this important period when a number of fundamental human developments took place in this region. The site holds archaeological information previously unknown to the study of the region. As new excavations recommenced in 1993, new archaeological information will be coming to light.

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