Archeologist James Mellaart who unearthed Çatalhöyük passes away

1 August 2012 / İSTANBUL. Renowned archeologist James Mellaart, who was the first person to carry out excavations at one of the oldest known sites of human settlement discovered in Anatolia, Çatalhöyük, passed away on Sunday.

Calling himself a “lover of Anatolia,” Mellaart had recently spoken about the joy he felt when he heard that UNESCO had decided to add Turkey’s Çatalhöyük, a Neolithic settlement in southern Anatolia, to the World Heritage List in July. Listed among the most well-known archeologists in the world, Mellaart published many pieces on archeology and put forward several disputed theories related to the Neolithic period in Anatolia.

Born in 1925 in London, Mellaart worked at the British Institute of Archaeology in Ankara as an assistant in 1951. During a dig he conducted while working at the institute, he stumbled upon the first finds at Çatalhöyük. Between 1961 and 1963, he lectured at İstanbul University’s department of archeology.

Mellaart’s research was stopped by Turkish authorities following the Dorak affair, which involved the controversial disappearance of several artifacts. The archeologist was subsequently banned from entering Turkey by the government.

Mellaart’s discovery of Çatalhöyük was important in that it provided a specimen from the transition period in which villages gradually transformed into urban centers. The site contains 18 levels of Neolithic settlements, showing various cultural practices dating back to the Chalcolithic period, according to UNESCO’s website. With the addition of Çatalhöyük, the number of sites in Turkey that are included on UNESCO’s World Heritage List has increased to 11.

In addition to being an archeological site, Çatalhöyük is a major tourist attraction, featuring several wall paintings, sculptures and ornaments such as bracelets and necklaces, all of which can be seen by visitors. Testifying to a period of rich culture, the site also includes several Neolithic-era homes, all standing very close to each other with roofs that served as entryways; the inhabitants seem to have entered their homes through the roof. TODAY’S ZAMAN

Actualización 03-08-12. Fallece James Mellaart, el descubridor del afamado yacimiento neolítico de Çatalhöyük (Turquía)