Nov 4, 2022
Archaeologist Ian Hodder visits Google to discuss the origins of
settled life in the Middle East.
Recent archaeological discoveries have upturned our theories about
the origins of agriculture and the dawn of settled life. While
climate change and economic adaptation have long been seen as prime
causes, recent work at Göbekli (Guh-BEK-li) and Çatalhöyük
(CHATAL-hoyuk) in what is now Turkey has shown that social
gatherings at ritual centers played a key role. The remarkable
finds at Göbekli include 6 meter high stone monoliths carved with
images of animals and birds, forming ritual enclosures. Recent
research at Çatalhöyük shows a fully fledged town in which wild
bulls, leopards and the severed heads of ancestors were important
social monuments.
Ian Hodder was trained at the Institute of Archaeology, University
College London and at Cambridge University where he obtained his
PhD in 1975. His main large-scale excavation projects have been at
Haddenham in the east of England and at Çatalhöyük in Turkey where
he has worked since 1993.
Originally published in May of 2015.
Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.