Archaeologists find ancient matrilineal society in Turkiye’s Catalhoyuk

Key points

• About 9,000 years ago, the Neolithic settlement of Catalhoyuk was an egalitarian, matrilineal society with no evidence of organised violence.
• Catalhoyuk, Turkiye – About an hour southeast of Konya lies one of the most exciting Neolithic finds of the 20th century – the densely populated settlement of Catalhoyuk.
• Occupied for 1,000 years from about 7000 to 6000 BC, Catalhoyuk has drawn archaeologists since its discovery in 1958 as they have tried to piece together how its society worked.
• A recent genomics study published in the journal Science revealed that Catalhoyuk’s gender dynamics made it unique among European Neolithic settlements.
• The discovery centres around matrilocality, the fact that women remained in their homes while males were more likely to move away when they reached adulthood.