Modes of Religiosity and the Evolution of Social Complexity at Çatalhöyük

Research at Çatalhöyük suggests that religious routinization played a pivotal role in the emergence of complex Neolithic societies. The study proposes that as rituals became more frequent, they transitioned from binding small tribal groups to fostering larger, more diffuse identities, coinciding with agricultural intensification. This shift in religion's vitality—from esoteric mystery cults to more ideologically uniform practices—facilitated the evolution of social complexity, though elite exploitation of this religious structure occurred later. The findings reconcile the dual roles of religion as both a source of social cohesion and a tool for legitimizing hierarchical structures.

Whitehouse, H., Mazzucato, C., Hodder, I., & Atkinson, Q. D. (2014). Modes of Religiosity and the Evolution of Social Complexity at Çatalhöyük. Religion at Work in a Neolithic Society, 134–156. https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9781107239043.008