by
ALVINO

NEW DISCOVERIES

RETHINKING OUR PREHISTORY.

Paleolithic (roughly 40,000 BC - 12,000 BC) images of the Goddess -- the ancient ancestors of the Neolithic (around 12,000 BC - 4,000 BC) Goddess imagery of Catal Huyuk (7,000 BC - 5,000 BC)

Note:

All my archaeological research has been from digging in the Public Library System or plowing my way through the Internet to some fascinating archaeological sites.

Most exciting to me is the recent renewal of excavations (after a delay of some 32 yrs.) at Catal Huyuk -- a treasure chest of goddess art.

Images from Mellaart's book

Note on spelling:

James Mellaart, the 1st archaeologist to excavate this site, published his archaeological findings in a book he entitled, Catal Huyuk,which is the name of the neolithic settlement. However, on the Internet it is listed variously as "Catalhoyuk", "Catal Hoyuk", "Catal Huyuk", or "Catalhuyuk" depending on which searcher you're using. So, if one doesn't work try an alternative spelling!) Catal Huyuk is located in the ancient Anatolia area which is approximately the plains in Central Turkey.

IT IS THE OLDEST CITY TO BE UNEARTHED -- 1000's of yrs. older than Sumer or anything in Egypt.

Catal Huyuk had been an incredible site for Goddess Neolithic Art.
 
 

Archaeologically discovered in the 1950's & excavated by James Mellaart from 1961 - 1963.

His publications, Catal Huyuk
 
 

and Halcilar (another neolithic site nearby) along with the work of the late UCLA scholar, MARIJA GIMBUTAS -- Professor emerita of European archaeology,

MADE OBSOLETE MOST OF WHAT WE LEARNED IN SCHOOL ABOUT THE "EARLIEST CIVILIZATIONS" & "EARLIEST CITES" BEING IN MESOPOTAMIA & EGYPT.

Catal Huyuk pushes back the date of the earliest civilizations some 4000 yrs. as it dates begin around 7000 or 6500 B.C to around 5500 B.C.

It is a huge site - some 32 acres of which only about 1 acre had been excavated by Mellaart.

Unfortunately, Mellaart and the Turkey government had a falling out that reads like a script from a mystery movie.

Scene #1: Mellaart is traveling on a train in Turkey. An attractive Greek woman takes the seat across from him wearing what appears to be an authentic ancient bracelet which Mellaart, who is a specialist in Trojan artifacts, notices. He gets into a conversation with her, the beautiful Anna Papastrati, & finds out she has more of it at home.

Scene #2: Mellaart completely changes his plans & gets off the train with Anna. There's an all night carriage ride through a misty fog so he does not know exactly where they are.

Scene #3: They arrive at her home where she stuns him with an incredible display of Trojan artifacts: bracelets, necklaces, figurines, etc. She won't let him take any photos but he is allowed to draw the pieces. They part.

Scene #4: Mellaart returns to England & receives a strange letter from her in which she complains that he seemed more interested in the artifacts than he was with her but she does give him permission to use the drawings.

Meanwhile, Mellaart has published his drawings but is unable to located the real items. This eventually causes Mellaart to have a falling out with the Turkish government as they become very suspicious of him & the lost Trojan artifacts. He is not allowed to excavate until -- Cut to 32 yrs. later.

Scene #6: 1995. a team of professionals are again excavating at Catal Huyuk.

For those who want to read the whole story, check out:THE DORAK AFFAIR, by Kenneth Pearson & Patricia Conor. Subtitle: A True Tale of Archaeology and Intrique in Turkey.

Web Address: http://www.focusmm.com.au/civcty/cathyk

The following is taken from their "Mission Statement":

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Catalhuyuk is an example of the important Anatolian contribution to the development of Mediterranean societies. A site of this importance for the Mediterranean heritage needs careful conservation and presentation to the public. It poses problems of conservation of mud brick and wall plaster, and problems of site management which have a wider applicability to many sites in the Eastern Mediterranean.
 

Excavated by James Mellaart in the early 1960s, the site has been widely recognised as of unique international significance. The popular Collins guide to Turkey is one of many that describes Catalhuyuk as 'probably the most important archaeological site in Turkey'. It is the first urban centre in the world (at 7000BC) and it has the first wall paintings and sculptures. The spectacular art provides a direct window into life 9000 years ago, and the site is an internationally important key for our understanding of the origins of agriculture and civilisation.

Given its international importance and its attractive and evocative art, Catalhuyuk should be an exciting and popular place to visit. Between Cappadocia and the resorts of the south coast the site could attract a large number of visitors. The museums in the nearby town of Konya receive 1.3 million visitors a year. And yet at present few make the trip to Catalhuyuk. Most guide books warn that there is little to see. The trenches of the excavations are worn away, there are no paintings to see, there is no museum and few visitor facilities. Apart from a very helpful pair of guards, there is little more than an eroded mound.

The solution at Catalhuyk is full-scale modern archaeological excavation and conservation, and promotion of the site for visitor access. Archaeological excavation and conservation by an international team started in 1993 under the direction of Dr Ian Hodder of the Catalhuyuk Research Trust, Cambridge University, under the auspices of the British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara, with a permit from the Turkish Ministry of Culture, and in close collaboration with the Middle Eastern Technical University and Ankara University. The work aims at extensive uncovering of new areas of the site and the recovery, conservation and presentation of paintings and sculpture. The work is planned to continue over 25 years.

The ultimate aim is to provide the Turkish Ministry of Culture with a well planned heritage site. Visitors will be able to experience the site in a number of ways. A conservation laboratory will be built and the latest techniques applied. Visitors will be able to see this conservation at work. The conserved wall paintings, sculptures, textiles, wooden and ceramic artifacts will then be placed on display in an on-site museum, enhanced by virtual reality techniques and interactive video. Some of the paintings will also be placed back in conserved houses on the site. Part of the site will be covered so that the ancient houses are protected and so that visitors can walk around a Neolithic village. By providing a range of visitor experiences the full heritage potential of the site can begin to be exploited.
 

A shrine reconstruction

The main research direction is to place the paintings and symbolism within a full environmental, economic and social context. Central questions concern the origins of the site and its early development, social and economic organisation and variation within the community, the reasons for the adoption and intensification of agriculture, the social context for the early use of pottery, temporal trends in the life of the community, trade and relations with other sites in the region.

The above is an example of my ongoing research into the evidence for a Goddess society that existed in our PREhistory where the relationships betwen men & women was more of PARTNERSHIP RELATI0NSHIP rather than a DOMINATOR RELATIONSHIP.

These terms are taken from Riane Eisler's book:

which, along with Terance McKenna's works,

stimulated me into this research some 10yrs. ago.

This research ended up in a document I've variously titled:

l. What is meant by the Archaic Revival and the Goddess culture in our             prehistory

2. What is the archaeological evidence for such an Archaic world and a    Goddess Society:

3. What a transformative difference it can make in our time as we shift from a

The general idea is that if we had such a society once (in our prehistory) we can create it again and what a transformation this would be. Imagine our relationships truly coming from partnership rather than domination! (Playing in the background: John Lennon's "Image all the people...")