Source 1- Skeleton of child found underneath village with adornments and ochre |
While there are no written records of the religious practices of Çatalhöyük's society, much can be learnt from their burial practices by analysing the ancient remains that have been found. Source 1 supports the theory that the people of Çatalhöyük practiced ancestral worship. Archaeologists via excavations at the site have uncovered numerous graves like the one to the left that were buried directly underneath their houses. The close proximity of the graves to their living quarters and attention to detail, such as burying objects and possessions with them, suggests burial and ancestral worship was practiced in this society. Children were believed to hold special significance for the people of Çatalhöyük. This is reinforced by the decorations used for child burial as in Source 1. The skeletons were painted in ochre and buried with beads and extra adornments unlike the adults. Perhaps the extra care taken with child burials was because of the high rate in infant mortality. This could also reflect the belief that children had a greater symbolic connection to the spiritual world, a belief also shared by other societies such as the Native American Indians. By examining the ancient remains we can get an insight into the religious practices of the people of Çatalhöyük. |
Source 2- Fertility Goddess/Mother Goddess |
The presence of what is thought to be a female religious figure, shown in source 2, reveals the likelihood that the people of Çatalhöyük worshipped a fertility goddess. The statue, made from various materials such as basalt, marble and clay, illustrates an enthroned women flanked by lions. These large women may have symbolized power and fertility and maybe functioned as wish tokens or were used to ward off bad spirits. By investigating this statue we can start to grasp the religious practices among the people of Çatalhöyük and their beliefs. |
Additional Information on the Religious Practices of the People of Çatalhöyük
Much can be revealed about social hierarchy via examination of ancient remains. According to Ian Hodder, who undertook the excavations of Çatalhöyük, an indicator of higher social status was
when the body and head where separated at
burial. Due to the equal number of male and female skulls
found separated from bodies, it is assumed that there was gender
equality amongst the people of the Çatalhöyük. By attempting to understand religious beliefs we can learn a lot about the social structure of the people at Çatalhöyük.