A Critical Review of Catalhoyuk: a Leopard's Tale
ARTS 2180: Topics in archaeology | A Critical Review of“Catalhoyuk: The Leopard’s Tale” | Final Assignment | | By Chin Wei Yi | |
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Introduction
Çatalhöyük, located in the Konya Plain in central Anatolia, Turkey is one of the earliest densely populated civilizations known to date. It was inhabited from about 7400 BCE towards the end of the Neolithic age through to the Chalcolithic (Copper Age) in 6000 BCE. The site is renowned for a number of reasons. It was an unusually large settlement for its age, extending over 13.5 hectares, housing thousands of people at a time. Nevertheless, its most striking feature is the degree of symbolism imbedded within the society which can be seen in wall art, burials and material culture. James Mellart discovered the site in 1958 and led excavations from 1961- 1965. In 1993, excavations were resumed led by Ian Hodder.
The book reviewed is Çatalhöyük: The Leopard’s Tale by Ian Hodder. This review will first provide a summary of the main themes of the book, assess the validity of Hodder’s arguments and finally, address the main controversial aspects of Çatalhöyük.
Main Themes
Hodder’s goal in writing this book was to provide his own understanding of the living conditions of the people living in Çatalhöyük and how the society functioned. He attempts to rationalize the mysteries of the site and why they occurred at that time and place. The Leopard’s Tale comprises of 11 chapters, each devoted to a particular aspect of the site; the settlement as a whole, the house, art, gender roles, demography, patterns of exchange and production, history and myth, individuality and the community. Hodder identifies four spheres of activity which he used as the basis of his explanations and discussions throughout the book; domestic activity, exchange, ancestry and community. These spheres are separate to some extent but are inextricably linked.
Production was primarily domestic rather than communal. According to
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Introduction
Çatalhöyük, located in the Konya Plain in central Anatolia, Turkey is one of the earliest densely populated civilizations known to date. It was inhabited from about 7400 BCE towards the end of the Neolithic age through to the Chalcolithic (Copper Age) in 6000 BCE. The site is renowned for a number of reasons. It was an unusually large settlement for its age, extending over 13.5 hectares, housing thousands of people at a time. Nevertheless, its most striking feature is the degree of symbolism imbedded within the society which can be seen in wall art, burials and material culture. James Mellart discovered the site in 1958 and led excavations from 1961- 1965. In 1993, excavations were resumed led by Ian Hodder.
The book reviewed is Çatalhöyük: The Leopard’s Tale by Ian Hodder. This review will first provide a summary of the main themes of the book, assess the validity of Hodder’s arguments and finally, address the main controversial aspects of Çatalhöyük.
Main Themes
Hodder’s goal in writing this book was to provide his own understanding of the living conditions of the people living in Çatalhöyük and how the society functioned. He attempts to rationalize the mysteries of the site and why they occurred at that time and place. The Leopard’s Tale comprises of 11 chapters, each devoted to a particular aspect of the site; the settlement as a whole, the house, art, gender roles, demography, patterns of exchange and production, history and myth, individuality and the community. Hodder identifies four spheres of activity which he used as the basis of his explanations and discussions throughout the book; domestic activity, exchange, ancestry and community. These spheres are separate to some extent but are inextricably linked.
Production was primarily domestic rather than communal. According to
Bibliography: Hodder, I. “Women and Men at Çatalhöyük,” Scientific American 290, no. 1 (2004): 67–73 In this article, Hodder explores the gender roles of Çatalhöyük society Hodder, I, “Çatalhöyük: The Leopard’s Tale”, (London: Thames and Hudson, 2006) The critical review is based on this book Lewis- Williams, J.D. “Constructing a Cosmos: Architecture, Power and Domestication at Çatalhöyük” Journal of Archaeology 4 (2004): Pp. 28-59 This journal entry focuses on the significance of the design of the buildings in Çatalhöyük Mellart, J. “Çatalhöyük: A Neolithic Town in Anatolia” (London: Thames and Hudson,1967) Mellart was the first lead excavator of Çatalhöyük Rountree, K. “Archaeologists and Goddess Feminists at Çatalhöyük: An Experiment in Multivocality” JFSR 23.2 (2007) Rountree assesses the debate on the existence of a Goddess custom in Çatalhöyük [ 2 ]. C,Scarre, “The Human Past: World Prehistory & the Development of Human Societies” ,(London: Thames and Hudson, 2005) p.223 [ 3 ] [ 10 ]. J.D, Lewis- Williams, “Constructing a Cosmos: Architecture, Power and Domestication at Catalhoyuk” Journal of Archaeology 4 (2004): Pp. 28-59 cited by Hodder pg. 197 [ 11 ] [ 14 ]. K, Rountree, “Archaeologists and Goddess Feminists at Catalhoyuk: An Experiment in Multivocality” JFSR 23.2 (2007), p. 17 [ 15 ] danger at Çatalhöyük” Archaeological Dialogues 14 (1) 91–111 (2007) Cambridge University Press [ 17 ]