Neolithic figurine, over 7,000 years old, unearthed at Turkey’s Çatalhöyük

Neolithic figurine, over 7,000 years old, unearthed at Turkey’s Çatalhöyük

An 8,000-year-old statuette of what could be a fertility goddess has been unearthed at a Neolithic site in Turkey, according to archaeologists.

The figurine, discovered at Çatalhöyük in central Turkey, was wrought from recrystallized limestone between 6300 and 6000 B.C. That material is rare for an area where most previously discovered pieces were sculpted from clay, the researchers said.

The archaeologists think this figurine, which is conventionally associated with fertility goddesses, is also representative of an elderly woman who had risen to prominence in Çatalhöyük’s famously egalitarian society.

Goddess figurines were common in the Neolithic period, with those found at Çatalhöyük usually depicting a plump woman with her hair tied in a bun, sagging breasts and a pronounced belly, they said.

The newfound figurine differentiates itself from similar statuettes not only in its material and quality but also in its craftsmanship, according to Ian Hodder, a professor of anthropology at Stanford University who is overseeing the Çatalhöyük site. Hodder said that he “realized immediately that it was a very special find.”

At 6.7 inches tall (17 centimetres) and 4.3 inches (11 cm) wide, the figurine has fine details such as elaborate fat rolls on the limbs and neck.

Unlike other goddess statuettes, the limestone figurine also depicts the woman with her arms separated from her torso and an undercut below the belly to separate it from the rest of the body.

These finer details would have only been possible with thin tools, like flint or obsidian, the researchers said, which suggests that the carving could only have been made by a practised artisan.

With its fine artistry and its discovery in the newer, shallower parts of the site (meaning that it was likely buried later), Hodder said that the figurine might signal a shift from a sharing economy to an exchange economy, where resources could be accumulated unevenly.

“We think society was changing at this time, becoming relatively less egalitarian, with houses being more independent and more based on agricultural production,” Hodder said in a statement.

The archaeologists think that the figurine was made after Neolithic Çatalhöyük, where resources were often pooled, and changed toward a more stratified society.

The fatness of the goddess statue could represent high status rather than an elevated place in a society of equals, Hodder said.

Whatever the shift, it did not happen overnight. Humans first settled in Çatalhöyük around 7500 B.C., with the society reaching its peak around 7000 B.C., according to archaeologists. The ancient settlement was abandoned around 5700 BC.

Related Posts

“Stone-Cold Enigma: The Astonishing Transformation of a Mythical Giant Snake into Stone Baffles Scientists”

Scientists were left Ьewіɩdeгed when they discovered that the ɩeɡeпdагу giant snake had been mysteriously petrified Receпtly, archaeologists have discovered a vast “fossil” of aп aпcieпt sпake…

Reindeer Herders Stumble Upon 10,000-Year-Old Woolly Mammoth Skeleton With Ligaments Intact

Researchers have already retrieved part of the mammoth’s pelt and are hoping to find bits of preserved brain in its skull. Artem Cheremisov/Gov. of Yamalo-Nenets of Russia…

Sʜᴏᴄᴋɪɴɢ!!More thaп 9,000 years old giaпt boпes have beeп foυпd iп Greece

sʜᴏᴄᴋɪɴɢ!! ʜᴜɢᴇ 𝟿𝟶𝟶𝟶-ʏᴇᴀʀ-ᴏʟᴅ sᴋᴇʟᴇᴛᴏɴ ғᴏᴜɴᴅ ɪɴ ɢʟɪsʜ. ɢɪᴀɴᴛ ʙᴏɴᴇs ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴ 𝟿,𝟶𝟶𝟶 ʏᴇᴀʀs ᴏʟᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ғᴏᴜɴᴅ ɪɴ ɢʀᴇᴇᴄᴇ. ʙᴇʟɪᴇᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɢɪᴀɴᴛs ᴏɴᴄᴇ ᴇxɪsᴛᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴ sᴋᴇʟᴇᴛᴏɴ…

The Most Mysterioυs Αпd Rare Gold-cast Coffiп Iп The World, 10 Years Still No Oпe Dares To Opeп It

Dυriпg the past 10 years, experts had hoped to υпcover the mystery iпside the rare goldeп coffiп with the help of special techпiqυes. However, besides still пot…

The owner was ѕᴜгргіѕed when his ріɡ was born with the ability to ѕtапd and walk on two legs has been found in China

She was borп with oпly two legs bυt rather thaп kіɩɩ her at birth her owпer deceid to keep her aпd traiп her to walk. Image “My…

Perfectly preserved lion cubs that died 44,000 years ago ‘after being abandoned by mum’ found in Siberia

‘Male siblings born 44,000 years ago’ found ten metres apart in Yakutia but the truth is rather different – amid hopes to bring species back to life….

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *