Çatalhöyük was composed entirely of domestic buildings, with no obvious public buildings. While some of the larger ones have rather ornate murals (such as this one), these rooms' purpose remains unclear; generally they are referred to as domestic shrines or public meeting areas. The sculpture under the arc - above the three auroch’s heads (= wild cattle) in the center of the picture - represents a mother goddess (fertility goddess).

Çatalhöyük (çatal is Turkish for "fork", höyük for "artificial mound, result of long-term human settlement") was a very large Neolithic and Chalcolithic proto-city settlement in the Konya plain (southern Anatolia), which existed from approximately 7500 BC to 5700 BC, and flourished around 7000 BC. It is in the world the largest and best-preserved Neolithic site found to date.

Correspondent: J.M.Criel, Antwerpen.
Source: (among others) ‘Anadolu Uygarlıkları’ (Anatolian Civilisations) – Prof.Dr. Ekrem Akurgal.