Çatalhöyük

Çatalhöyük was built in the Neolithic period - in 7500 BC.

In this picture, you can see Çatalhöyük. It is a settlement excavated by archaeologists in Turkey. Çatalhöyük was built in the Neolithic period around 7,500 BC.

The houses in Çatalhöyük could only be entered through the roof. People could get inside the houses with ladders and reach other houses from roof to roof. The houses stood right next to each other without roads.

Life took place on the rooftops. All the houses looked very similar, there were no mansions or palaces. Most likely, there was no distinction made between rulers and subordinates and people had equal rights. Çatalhöyük was built near a river, which was good, because access to water is important for people, livestock, and agriculture. Sheep and goats were the most important farm animals for the people of Çatalhöyük.

The settlement was abandoned around 5,600 BC. The inhabitants of Çatalhöyük founded new places. As mankind spread, so did knowledge of agriculture and domestic animals.