Living with Animals: Human–Animal Relations and Society at Çatalhöyük
Neolithic Çatalhöyük (7100-5950 BCE) is infamous for its sensational and curious material culture. Although the so-called mother goddess figurines have always been a source of great media attention, the vast majority of the visual expressions at the site are not anthropomorphic, but instead centered...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
University of Chicago Press
[2020]
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| In: |
Near Eastern archaeology
Year: 2020, Volume: 83, Issue: 3, Pages: 136-145 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Anthropology
/ Animals
/ Çatal Hüyük
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| RelBib Classification: | HA Bible NBE Anthropology TC Pre-Christian history ; Ancient Near East |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Neolithic Çatalhöyük (7100-5950 BCE) is infamous for its sensational and curious material culture. Although the so-called mother goddess figurines have always been a source of great media attention, the vast majority of the visual expressions at the site are not anthropomorphic, but instead centered on wild and dangerous creatures. Many studies have previously considered the Çatalhöyük animal iconography in the context of symbolism and/or religion (Hodder and Meskell 2011; Stordeur 2010; Cauvin and Watkins 2007; Mellaart 1967). Far fewer works have scrutinized how these materializations speak to the connections forged between people and animals. This article explores the way in which animals were embedded within the social bonds and ontologies of the site through ritual practice. Ritual is not a synonym for religion, but in this study is defined as repetitive, patterned, and symbolic activity that is socially sanctioned (Firth 1963). In doing so, we can gain new insights into the complexity of the relationship between humans and animals and how this relationship endured across more than a thousand years of continuous occupation. |
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| ISSN: | 2325-5404 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Near Eastern archaeology
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1086/710095 |