28 August 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

An 8,200-year-old temple structure found in Çatalhöyük

An 8,200-year-old temple structure was found during the 30th excavation season of the excavations at Çatalhöyük, one of the first urbanization models in Anatolia and the world.

Çatalhöyük, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List, is located in the Çumra district of Konya province in the central part of Turkey.

Continuing their work on the eastern skirt of the mound in the 9,000-year-old Neolithic City of Çatalhöyük, the excavation team reached a special religious structure of approximately 30 square meters.

Head of the Excavation Delegation and Anadolu University Faculty Member Associate Professor Ali Umut Türkcan reminded the AA correspondent that a new neighborhood and street were found in the northern mound last year and that excavations are continuing in this area.

Professor Arkadiusz Marciniak, a lecturer at the Poznan University Institute of Prehistory in Poland, said that he started work on the eastern area of the southern mound in 2018 and that the area, which contains traces of the last periods of Çatalhöyük, gave a surprise this year.

Photo: AA

Associate Professor Ali Umut Türkcan stated that 48 of the 150 structures excavated in the first period in the 1960s were cult or belief structures called “shrines”, “We had not seen any of these structures since the 1960s until 2008. In 2008, there was only Building 77 in the northern area. There were murals and reliefs in a building measuring approximately 30 square meters, and we know that that building was specially covered. There were bull-heads and altars. We are now taking this area under protection with special techniques. We will examine it in more detail next year,” said.

“It is important in terms of showing the continuation of the worship tradition”

Emphasizing that the last temple found in Çatalhöyük is important in terms of showing the continuation of the worship tradition, Türkcan said that there is an altar area, benches decorated with bull heads, narrow private entrances, wall paintings, and reliefs.

Türkcan pointed out that the area was quite solid since the area was filled by the people of Çatalhöyük when the area was abandoned. ” Excavations at Çatalhöyük are carried out in two different areas. There are some unresolved questions at Çatalhöyük. We are trying to understand this. There was the phenomenon of no street, we found a street last year. Çatalhöyük covers an area of 14 hectares and we think that this settlement exceeded 7 thousand people at its greatest time. Considering that 6 to 10 percent of the area has been excavated for 61 years, the number of graves found is 830. If we multiply this by 9-10, the number will come out,” he said.

Photo: AA

“We understand that this area is a special structure made entirely for rituals”

Professor Arkadiusz Marciniak, who carried out the excavations at the site, said that he was able to give the plans of the structures beneath when 5-10 cm of the surface was scraped in Çatalhöyük, and that he had an idea about the structures as a result of the scraping he made in the area in 2018.

Explaining that he always thought that such a structure could exist in the area, Marciniak continued:

“This building is similar to the structures that were called a temple in the previous periods, but it belongs to else a late period. It is very important that the settlement was in a phase of abandonment. The feature that distinguishes this building from the buildings used as houses is that it does not contain any elements related to domestic use. There is only a hearth. The locations of the hearths are also in a different place. The square pillars you see here look like an altar area where bull heads are displayed. There is a raised fire place in the middle. It is also noteworthy that there is a narrow entrance on both sides that can be passed by crouching. We understand that this area was a special structure entirely built for rituals. We are very meticulous. In such structures, large boards and paintings come,”

Explaining that they know that there are at least three successive phases in this structure, Marciniak said, “We don’t have radiocarbon dating yet. When we make a relative date, the building belongs to the late periods of Çatalhöyük, according to the material found here. A belief structure of 8 thousand 200 years. We should not forget that Çatalhöyük is a settlement dating back to 1200 years. It is a rare settlement in the world with a long process with early, middle, and late stages.” used the phrases.

Related Articles

The ‘extraordinary’ Roman mosaic depicting scenes from Homer’s Iliad unearthed in a Rutland farmer’s field is the first of its kind in England

25 November 2021

25 November 2021

The 1,500-year-old mosaic discovered by a farmer was considered Britain’s “most exciting” Roman find. The artwork was discovered on private...

700-Year-Old Lord Vishnu’s Sculpture Washes Ashore on Pedda Rushikonda Beach

23 March 2025

23 March 2025

On a serene Friday evening, the tranquil shores of Pedda Rushikonda beach were disrupted by an extraordinary sight: a centuries-old...

Archaeological settlements dating back 3000 years found in Qurayat, Oman

2 October 2022

2 October 2022

Archaeological research in Oman’s Qurayat Province has revealed numerous archaeological and historical settlements, some dating back more than 3,000 years...

A bronze tablet from 2000 years ago proves that Greek was spoken in Anatolia and that a multicultural life existed ‘Anisa tablet’

12 April 2024

12 April 2024

The Anisa bronze tablet proves that Greek was used in Anatolia 2000 years ago and that a multicultural life existed....

Earliest Known Stone Mold for Coin Production in Roman Hispania Unearthed

27 March 2025

27 March 2025

Researchers from the University of Jaén have made a groundbreaking discovery at the archaeological site of Obulco, modern-day Porcuna, revealing...

4,000-year-old cylinder seal found in Blaundos excavations

29 September 2022

29 September 2022

A 4,000-year-old cylinder seal was found during the excavations of the ancient city of Blaundus (or Blaundos, as it is...

The first analysis results confirm that the grave in Tiarp is one of the oldest stone burial chambers in Scandinavia

31 January 2024

31 January 2024

In Tiarp, close to Falköping, Sweden, archaeologists from Gothenburg University and Kiel University have discovered a dolmen that dates back...

Antikythera underwater excavation digs up new discoveries “huge marble head”

20 June 2022

20 June 2022

The second phase of underwater archaeological research (May 23 to June 15, 2022) on the Antikythera shipwreck resulted in the...

The first ivory work of art recovered from the World Heritage cave Hohle Fels was believed to be a horse – until archaeologists made a new discovery-

30 July 2023

30 July 2023

For more than 20 years, the first ivory work of art recovered from the World Heritage cave Hohle Fels was...

“Oracle Bone Inscriptions”, the world’s oldest writing system that has not disappeared in history

5 June 2023

5 June 2023

“Jiaguwen,” or the oracle bone inscriptions, are thought to be the earliest fully-developed characters as well as the source of...

In France, a burial with six ankle bracelets was uncovered

22 December 2022

22 December 2022

An individual bedecked in copper jewelry was discovered during the excavation of a protohistoric necropolis in Aubagne, southeastern France. The...

Hima, a rock art site in Saudi Arabia, added to the UNESCO World Heritage List

24 July 2021

24 July 2021

The rock art site Hima in Najran has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, becoming the sixth registered...

Discovery Shedding Light on Ancient Maritime Trade: 1,500-Year-Old Trade Shipwreck Found off Türkiye’s Ayvalık

21 December 2024

21 December 2024

‘Turkish Sunken-Ships Project: Blue Heritage’, a 1500-year-old trade shipwreck was found off the coast of Ayvalık district of Balıkesir. Under...

‘Australia’s silk road’: the quarries of Mithaka Country dating back 2100 years

4 April 2022

4 April 2022

In Queensland’s remote Channel Country of red dirt and gibber rock, traditional owners and archaeologists have unearthed what researchers have...

In the 1,900-year-old underground temple of Mithras religion in Zerzevan Castle, an area where participants of secret rituals stayed was unearthed

23 July 2024

23 July 2024

Excavations at the  Zerzevan Castle in Diyarbakır province in the southeastern part of Türkiye have uncovered an area where participants...