Catatal Höyük: The Eight Traits Of Civilization

Historians have constantly debated the definition of a civilization. The word civilization comes from the Latin word civis, meaning citizen. A civilization demonstrates human advancement through agricultural surplus and specialized occupations. Civilizations generate opportunities for humans to progress and reach its paramount potential. When historians study early human civilizations, they attempt to determine if it was truly complex enough to be deemed a civilization. The Eight Traits of civilization are accepted to delineate a civilization. More specifically, the eight traits of civilizations are cities, a form of systematic government, specialization, social classes, technology, religion, and infrastructure. A firm case of five traits suffices for a society to be named a civilization. Çatal Höyük was located in modern-day Turkey near the volcano of Mount Hasan and a channel of the Çarşamba River. It existed between 7000-5000 BCE. Based off of observations made by archaeologists we can infer that Çatal Höyük was not a civilization but

Cities exhibited a grid-like pattern and were constructed from mud and brick. Houses were clustered close together most likely for defense. Because of this close proximity, there were no central roadways. Instead, people walked on top of the buildings and used the chimney as a door. The citizens of Çatal Höyük buried the deceased in their houses. The Mother Goddess is believed by some to represent fertility whereas others think she represented agricultural rites. Temples were painted red because red was the color of the womb. People in Çatal Höyük saw the bull as their sacred animal and most of religion was based off of nature. Even though no distinguishable temples have been found, the graves, murals, and figurines suggest that the people of Çatal Höyük were rather religious. Rooms with consolidation of these objects may have been shrines or public meeting