Religion As Anthropomorphism at Çatalhöyük

At Çatalhöyük, a Neolithic site, religion was not a distinct concept but woven into the cultural fabric. This study proposes that religion at Çatalhöyük can be understood through anthropomorphism—the attribution of human traits to non-human entities—explaining the vitality and animacy observed in objects like ancestral remains, houses, leopards, and teeth/claws embedded in walls. The research challenges conventional notions of religion as a separate entity with institutional coherence, instead framing it as part of broader human thought and action. By analyzing these objects, the study offers a novel perspective on how early societies conceptualized spirituality and animacy.

Guthrie, S. E. (2014). Religion As Anthropomorphism at Çatalhöyük. Religion at Work in a Neolithic Society, 86–108. https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9781107239043.006