A remarkable archaeological find in central Turkey has reignited speculation about our Stone Age past. The find in question is an 8,000-year-old marble figurine, approximately 18cm long, depicting a naked and rather corpulent woman. The figurine had been intentionally and carefully buried under the floor of a Neolithic house, giving rise to the questions: who was she, and what would motivate people to bury such a skilfully crafted artefact under the floor of their home?
Psychologists typically grapple with the behaviour, thought processes and motivations of the living. This is a difficult enough task in itself, especially when you factor in cultural differences.
Imagine, then, trying to untangle and explain the behaviour and intentions of our very distant, long-dead ancestors. This is where psychology meets archaeology, giving rise to a relatively new discipline known as cognitive archaeology.
In attempting to answer questions about how people used to think, context is critical.
Çatalhöyük, the location of the current remarkable find, is often hailed as the oldest city on Earth. Situated on the outskirts of the modern-day Konya, this once densely populated human habitation is about 9,000 years old. The site was continually inhabited for more than a millennium, with the population hovering around 5,000.
The recent find is the latest in a series of similar figurines unearthed at the site going back to the 1960s. The earlier finds of corpulent female figurines gave rise to the speculation that Çatalhöyük was a matriarchal society. One of the most famous artefacts from the site is the iconic figurine of an enthroned woman with her hands resting on the heads of two leopards.
It is on display at Museum of Anatolian Civilisations in Ankara. Several leading archaeologists have interpreted such finds as evidence of a “Mother Goddess” cult at Çatalhöyük.
Each year, coachloads of visitors descend on the site from all over the world. Many of these visitors are women from the “Goddess community”, a kind of vanguard of second-wave feminism. For these intrepid pilgrims, some from as far away as California, the corpulent females and the leopards depicted in the figurines represent female power, sovereignty and divinity: symbols of a long-lost gynocratic golden age.
Professor Ian Hodder, the director of research at Çatalhöyük, expresses scepticism about the idea of a mother goddess cult. He does, however, concede that the motivation for the settlement in the first place may well have been based on joint ritual and symbolic activities; what we might call religion.
This most recent figurine discovered at Çatalhöyük is intact and highly detailed. Most of the earlier finds were broken and not nearly so well preserved. The placement of the figurine under the floor of the home is in keeping with how the people of Çatalhöyük are known to have buried their dead.
The location of the find and its naturalistic detail suggest that this figurine depicts a specific person, an elderly woman known to the household. This might not fit with the idea of a mother goddess cult, but it certainly supports the notion of a Neolithic society in which female elders were held in particularly high esteem, depicted in art and honoured in death.
We can never know with absolute certainty what living people are thinking, so our speculation about this long-vanished society remains wide open to interpretation and reinterpretation. The cognitive archaeologist might never have a complete understanding of why we did what we did or how we used to think, but these are still great questions to ask.
These are the seemingly important questions that come automatically to mind, the type of questions we can’t help asking ourselves.
Dr Justin Thomas is an associate professor at Zayed University
On Twitter: @DrJustinThomas
Results
2.15pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 1,700m; Winner: AF Arrab, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer).
2.45pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 1,700m; Winner: AF Mahaleel, Antonio Fresu, Ernst Oertel.
3.15pm: Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum handicap (TB) Dh200,000 2,000m; Winner: Dolmen, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
3.45pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,200m; Winner: Amang Alawda, Sandro Paiva, Bakhit Al Ketbi.
4.15pm: The Crown Prince of Sharjah Cup Prestige (PA) Dh200,000 1,200m; Winner: AF Alwajel, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
4.45pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 2,000m; Winner: Al Jazi, Jesus Rosales, Eric Lemartinel.
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The Penguin
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Mykonos, with a flight change to its partner airline Olympic Air in Athens. Return flights cost from Dh4,105 per person, including taxes.
Where to stay
The modern-art-filled Ambassador hotel (myconianambassador.gr) is 15 minutes outside Mykonos Town on a hillside 500 metres from the Platis Gialos Beach, with a bus into town every 30 minutes (a taxi costs €15 [Dh66]). The Nammos and Scorpios beach clubs are a 10- to 20-minute walk (or water-taxi ride) away. All 70 rooms have a large balcony, many with a Jacuzzi, and of the 15 suites, five have a plunge pool. There’s also a private eight-bedroom villa. Double rooms cost from €240 (Dh1,063) including breakfast, out of season, and from €595 (Dh2,636) in July/August.
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MATCH INFO
Europa League final
Marseille 0
Atletico Madrid 3
Greizmann (21', 49'), Gabi (89')
Day 4, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Lahiru Gamage appeared to have been hard done by when he had his dismissal of Sami Aslam chalked off for a no-ball. Replays suggested he had not overstepped. No matter. Two balls later, the exact same combination – Gamage the bowler and Kusal Mendis at second slip – combined again to send Aslam back.
Stat of the day Haris Sohail took three wickets for one run in the only over he bowled, to end the Sri Lanka second innings in a hurry. That was as many as he had managed in total in his 10-year, 58-match first-class career to date. It was also the first time a bowler had taken three wickets having bowled just one over in an innings in Tests.
The verdict Just 119 more and with five wickets remaining seems like a perfectly attainable target for Pakistan. Factor in the fact the pitch is worn, is turning prodigiously, and that Sri Lanka’s seam bowlers have also been finding the strip to their liking, it is apparent the task is still a tough one. Still, though, thanks to Asad Shafiq and Sarfraz Ahmed, it is possible.
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The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
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The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
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Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
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Total funding: Self funded
Company profile
Company name: Suraasa
Started: 2018
Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker
Based: India, UAE and the UK
Industry: EdTech
Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding