HEAS Seminar Series – Archaeological Science
29. Juni 2026 @ 10:30 - 12:00
As part of the HEAS Seminar Series in Archaeological Science, Patrycja Filipowicz from the University of Poznan will give a talk on Transformations in Late Neolithic Imagery at Çatalhöyük and South- Central Anatolia on the 29th June 2026 at 10:30 in the 3rd floor Seminar Room in the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Georg-Coch-Platz 2, 1010 Vienna.
Abstract:
The Neolithic World Heritage site of Çatalhöyük is renowned for its rich visual culture, including wall paintings, reliefs, and figurines. During the Late Neolithic period, this imagery underwent a striking transformation, marked by the abandonment of in-house static elements in favor of mobile and portable objects.
Twenty-five years of Polish archaeological research across three distinct areas at Çatalhöyük have enabled a comprehensive understanding of the settlement’s character during its final three centuries. Since 2018, excavations have focused on the previously unexplored eastern part of the site (the so-called East Area), where a complex of non-residential buildings has been uncovered. This represents the first documented example of free-standing non-residential architecture at Çatalhöyük and is distinguished by a remarkable concentration of decorated objects.
This lecture presents the corpus of Late Neolithic imagery from Çatalhöyük, with particular focus on recent discoveries from the East Area. These finds are examined within the broader context of changes in the settlement’s final phase. The assemblage includes a variety of clay, bone, and stone objects, among them exceptional examples of female figurines. Notably, many of these items were recovered from special depositional contexts. The lecture will explore these transformations in visual culture in relation to broader developments across the Neolithic landscapes of South-Central Anatolia.