Evidence of agriculture found is CATALHOYUK   

Çatalhöyük is a Neolithic site 25 kilometres south of Konya near Çumra.

The site dates from around the tenth to eighth millenium BC making it one of the worlds oldest archeological sites. The Neolithic settlement was discovered in the 1961 by a British archeologist named James Mellaart.

Evidence of agriculture found has shown that grains, seeds and nuts were extensively cultivated and animal husbandry was probably practiced however, hunting was still the primary source of food.

There is also evidence to suggest that women may have had an equal role in the leadership of the settlement. There is little to see at Catalhoyuk.

      

The site is made up of two flat topped hills and this is from where it’s name is derived (Çatalhöyük means forked mound in Turkish). Thirteen different layers have been discovered, the oldest dating from 6800 BC and the latest from 5500 BC.

Evidence shows that the rectangular mud brick houses at the site were built crammed together without being separated by roads or streets and were entered through holes cut into the roofs.

The houses contain a hearth, oven and platforms for sleeping, sitting and working. Archeologists have found wall paintings of animals and also paintings of men being eaten by vultures. Human bones wrapped in straw have been found in a burial chamber and heads of animals stuffed with clay have also been excavated. These are thought to have been trophies. There is also what is thought to be the worlds first landscape painting showing a volcano erupting, this could be the nearby Hasan Dağı.

Many small statues of a mother goddess thought to be related to the Phrygian goddess Cybele have been discovered, the most interesting of which are now in the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara. The Neolithic settlement was abandoned before the Bronze Age. A few hundred metres to the east of the site there is evidence of a Byzantine settlement.

In 1996 Çatalhöyük was put onto a list of archeological sites in danger due to disintegrating trenches and walls but excavations at Çatalhöyük are continuing today under an international team of archeologists and using the money from international sponsors. The best time to visit is when excavations are taking place during the summer months.

How to get there?
To get to Catalhoyuk take a dolmus (shared taxi) from Konya to Çumra and then a taxi from Çumra to the site. If you have your own transport then the site is signposted from Çumra.

Çatalhöyük is usually visited as a daytrip and as such there are no places to stay near the site. It is best to find accommodation in nearby Konya in hotels such as Hotel Bera, Hotel Dundar, the three star Balıcılar Hotel or Yeni Sema Hotel.