---
title: Seated Woman of Çatalhöyük
author: Carole Raddato
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/13585/seated-woman-of-catalhoyuk/
format: machine-readable-alternate
license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)
updated: 1970-01-01
---

# Seated Woman of Çatalhöyük

_Authored by [Carole Raddato](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/FollowingHadrian/)_

## Image File

[![Seated Woman of Çatalhöyük](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/13585.jpg)](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/13585.jpg)

## Image Caption

The Seated Woman of Çatalhöyük is a 8,000-year-old [Neolithic](https://www.worldhistory.org/Neolithic/) baked-clay figurine unearthed at Çatalhöyük, a Neolithic and Chalcolithic proto-[city](https://www.worldhistory.org/city/) settlement in southern [Anatolia](https://www.worldhistory.org/Asia_Minor/) which existed from approximately 7100 BCE to 5700 BCE (inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012). It depicts a nude female seated between feline-headed arm-rests. Generally thought to depict a fertile Mother Goddess in the process of giving birth, a handful of scholars now suggest that such figurines (found in great numbers at Çatalhöyük) may represent elderly [women](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/women/) who had risen to prominence and achieved status in Çatalhöyük. The [sculpture](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Sculpture/) is on display at the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara, [Turkey](https://www.worldhistory.org/Asia_Minor/).

#### Editorial Review

This human-authored image has been reviewed by our editorial team before publication to ensure accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic standards in accordance with our [editorial policy](https://www.worldhistory.org/static/editorial-policy/).

## Bibliography

- [Archaeologists from Stanford find an 8,000-year-old ‘goddess figurine’ in central Turkey](https://news.stanford.edu/2016/09/29/archaeologists-find-8000-year-old-goddess-figurine-central-turkey/ "Archaeologists from Stanford find an 8,000-year-old ‘goddess figurine’ in central Turkey"), accessed 9 Mar 2021.

## About the Author

Carole maintains the popular ancient history photo-blog Following Hadrian, where she travels the ancient world in the footsteps of Emperor Hadrian.
- [Facebook Profile](https://www.facebook.com/FollowingHadrian)
- [X/Twitter Profile](https://twitter.com/carolemadge)

## Cite This Work

### APA
Raddato, C. (2021, March 09). Seated Woman of Çatalhöyük. *World History Encyclopedia*. <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/13585/seated-woman-of-catalhoyuk/>
### Chicago
Raddato, Carole. "Seated Woman of Çatalhöyük." *World History Encyclopedia*, March 09, 2021. <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/13585/seated-woman-of-catalhoyuk/>.
### MLA
Raddato, Carole. "Seated Woman of Çatalhöyük." *World History Encyclopedia*, 09 Mar 2021, <https://www.worldhistory.org/image/13585/seated-woman-of-catalhoyuk/>.

## License & Copyright

Submitted by [Carole Raddato](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/FollowingHadrian/ "User Page: Carole Raddato"), published on 09 March 2021. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en). This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.