Seated Woman of Çatalhöyük

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Illustration

Carole Raddato
by
published on 09 March 2021
Seated Woman of Çatalhöyük Download Full Size Image

The Seated Woman of Çatalhöyük is a 8,000-year-old Neolithic baked-clay figurine unearthed at Çatalhöyük, a Neolithic and Chalcolithic proto-city settlement in southern Anatolia 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 who had risen to prominence and achieved status in Çatalhöyük. The sculpture is on display at the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara, Turkey.

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About the Author

Carole Raddato
Carole maintains the popular ancient history photo-blog Following Hadrian, where she travels the world in the footsteps of emperor Hadrian.

References

Cite This Work

APA Style

Raddato, C. (2021, March 09). Seated Woman of Çatalhöyük. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/13585/seated-woman-of-catalhoyuk/

Chicago Style

Raddato, Carole. "Seated Woman of Çatalhöyük." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified March 09, 2021. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/13585/seated-woman-of-catalhoyuk/.

MLA Style

Raddato, Carole. "Seated Woman of Çatalhöyük." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 09 Mar 2021. Web. 26 Mar 2023.

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