Konya Plain, central Turkey. Around 7400 BC, the city of Catalhoyuk was founded and remained populated for approximately 1,500 years. It covers 13 hectares and has approximately 5,000 inhabitants, yet it has no recognizable center, nor any streets or shared buildings: it is simply a dense cluster of houses, all of similar layout and size, each accessible by a ladder from the roof. Inside, the houses are decorated with skulls and horns of cattle and other creatures, and the remains of deceased family members are also kept (from 6 to 60 per house!). The livestock are not farmed, but are ferocious wild aurochs. This is not an agricultural or herding society. At Catalhoyuk, any top-down organization of society, be it religious, administrative, or military, seems to be absent.
