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Catal HUyUk[kutAal´ huyook´] Pronunciation Key, Neolithic settlement on the Konya Plain in S Turkey that flourished c.6500–c.5800 B.C. The site, excavated (1961–65) by British archaeologist James Mellaart, occupies 32 acres (12.8 hectares) and is divided into 12 horizons (levels of development). Also found on the site is a shrine with paintings and reliefs of hunting scenes, animals, and geometric designs. The community's economy was apparently based on agriculture, along with a developing practice of cattle raising. Perhaps the largest Neolithic settlement known, Catal HUyUk has been studied intensively for clues to early religious and social development.
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