ancient statue at Catal Hoyuk, Turkey

A striking feature of Catalhoyuk are its female figurines. Mellaart, the original excavator, argued that these well-formed, carefully made figurines, carved and molded from marble, blue and brown limestone, schist, calcite, basalt, alabaster and clay, represented a female deity. Although a male deity existed as well, “…statues of a female deity far outnumber those of the male deity, who moreover, does not appear to be represented at all after Level VI” (James Mellaart, Catal Huyuk: A Neolithic Town in Anatolia. McGraw-Hill 1967, p. 181).

These careful figurines were found primarily in areas Mellaart believed to be shrines. One, however – a stately seated Goddess flanked by two lions – was found in a grain bin, which Mellaart suggests might have been a means of ensuring the harvest or protecting the food supply (Mellaart, p. 180).

...found under the religion heading here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%87atalh%C3%B6y%C3%BCk

another version of this statue is here: www.pbase.com/andrys/image/38738750

flickr site for current excavation: www.flickr.com/photos/catalhoyuk/

More on Catal Hoyuk here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%87atalh%C3%B6y%C3%BCk

and here: www.smithsonianmag.com/issues/2005/may/seeds_civilization...