Catalhoyuk

Catalhoyuk is the largest and best preserved Neolithic site found to date. The meaning of Catal is fork on the Turkish language .was a very large Neolithic and Chalcolithic settlement in southern Anatolia, which existed from approximately 7500 BC to 5700 BC.Catalhoyuk is located overlooking wheat fields in the Konya. Konya is a city near to the captial of Turkey, Ankara. It's approximately 140 kilometers, which is equal to 87 miles. The entire settlement of Catalhoyuk was composed of domestic buildings. The site has no obvious public buildings. While some of the larger buildings contain rather ornate wall murals, the purpose of such rooms remains unclear. It also has something on top of it that helps it protect from to sun, like a shield, but the sides of it are open.Since 1993 an international team of archaeologists, led by Ian Hodder, has been carrying out new excavations and research, in order to shed more light on the people that inhabited the site.The Neolithic site of Catalhoyuk was first discovered in the late 1950s and excavated by James Mellaart between 1961 and 1965. The site rapidly became famous internationally due to the large size and dense occupation of the settlement, as well as the spectacular wall paintin gs and other art that was uncovered inside the houses.