Conceptualization of the Neolithic world in incised equid phalanges: anthropomorphic figurine from Çatalhöyük (GDN Area)

The opening of the final excavation area in Çatalhöyük and the zooarcheological research conducted there have revealed an equid phalanx with incision marks shaped to resemble eyes. We argue that the choice of bone as raw material for the artifact (the first bone figurine from Çatalhöyük) is related to its anatomy and to availability. We show that the figurine and other modified equid first phalanges at Çatalhöyük were associated with food storage rooms, which exclusively represent the late phases of occupation. In these terms, they differ from the known practices of the Near East.