A Critical Review of Catalhoyuk: a Leopard's Tale

The animals ranged from horses to rhinos, and even cave lions. The drawings were detailed enough to allow scientists to decipher the paintings and learn what they were witnessing at that period of time. Along with the paintings of the animals, bones were found in the cave and that also revealed more about the life in the cave other than just the cavemen and women. Using all of this information given to them, the scientists were able to learn not only how the cavemen and women lived but how animals lived during this time. The drawings in the cave in Southern France seemed to be quite anatomically correct to the animals roaming Earth today. The drawings are so detailed that there is not much hesitation on what type of animal they could have been drawing, it is obvious what their intent was. A surprise regarding the animal paintings was the lack of anything other than mammals. Throughout the cave there were a handful of paintings depicting insects such as butterflies and the one sole drawing of a human, but besides that they animals were mammals.

Many of the local villages shared in the same customs as the Cahokians, because of the same beliefs one could easily see a centralized city forming. The construction of modern developments, makes it difficult to know what Cahokia was like at its height. Because a modern highway system is now in the same spot of Cahokia, archeologists often have trouble doing work. Though learning about the scope of Cahokia may be difficult, archaeology research can still show us many things, one of which was the idea of outdoor games. Games played a very important role in the social

Göbekli Tepe is a very interesting archaeological site that is located at the top of the mountain limestone ridge in Southeastern Turkey near the Syrian border (Banning 620). It is known as the earliest monumental building, or temple, that mankind has ever created and it was built even before the stage of agriculture, which dates back to some 11,600 years ago (Mann 1st page). Göbekli Tepe belongs to the PPN (Pre-Pottery Neolithic) in terms of its chronological context in world prehistory (Banning 620). In fact, the site can be divided into three different stratigraphic levels that are level 3, level 2A, and level 2B (Banning 620). Level 3 is the oldest level which appears to date back to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A (PPNA) (Banning 621). Each of the buildings measured 15 m by 10 m and contained T-shaped monoliths surrounded by a wall made of stone and mortar (Banning 621). Two U-stone shaped entrances could by identified in two of the buildings (Banning 621). However, the most monumental aspect of the Göbekli Tepe can be attributed to the sophisticated carvings of wild animals, such as scorpions and boars, on the pillars which appears in the pillars of level 3 and level 2A (Banning 621). Moreover, Level 2A, which dates to Middle PPNB, has smaller and more rectangular buildings than Level 3 and it contains delicately implemented tiled floors and T pillars without any decorations (Banning 621). Level 2B dates to the time between level 3 and level 2A, however,

The concept of individuality is one that has been debated over the decades. Each person holds their own definition of this vague idea, but no one truly knows it at all. The theory of conformity versus nonconformity is based on how a person reacts to society. To be a nonconformist includes questioning society and going against the norm. Society as a whole is typically at odds with others who reject the standards. They are seen as weird or freaks and shamed for being themselves. Logan Feys “The Sociology of Leopard Man” is an informative article that touches down upon this subject, written in 2016. He states that individuality requires individual tastes, value, talents, and goals. Along with that, he expresses how society weighs down upon people and forces them to change. To a degree, Feys is correct. To be an individual and truly unique person one needs their own values, however not their own tastes, and society does put pressure on people to change.

The Tlingit Community House is an example of the totem of Tlingit (Frank, 2014). A symbolic of animal form that is laid out in a two-dimensional abstract pattern, with an extensive gently slanted roof, attractively painted façade (Frank, 2014). The flat surfaces of the Tlingit Community House show geometric shapes of beavers, bears, also whales, and ravens. Furthermore, the totem pole in the center contains stacked images that help a family are a clan to reminisce about their history back to mythological periods (Frank, 2014). Also, the Tlingit community house is characteristic of the art and style of that region (Frank, 2014). However, a totem is an object such as an animal or plant that operates as a symbol of a family or tribe (Frank,

Starting in AD 800 and hitting its peak from 1050- 1200 AD, Cahokia covered six square miles with a population between 10,000 and 20,000 people (Jarus 1). During their 500 years, the Cahokians developed America’s first city and arguably the greatest civilization of its time, and then seemingly disappeared without a trace. But, despite Cahokia’s disappearance, a significant amount of history was left behind through earthen mounds, evolved social structures, advanced cultural practices, and Cahokia’s unexplained demise.

Since Catalhuyuk was such a small Neolithic village it does not have enough evidence for scholars to draw their conclusions. Therefore there is a passionate debate since little evidence is

Cahokia is arguably one of the most influential cities in its time. Although there is little known about Cahokia, aspects of their culture (like games, artifacts, and religious aspects) can be found throughout the Americas. If so much of the area had not been bulldozed before being excavated, we may have known more about the area. Cahokia had such an impact during its time, traces of Cahokia can be found in other communities such as the Osage, Pawnee, and many more.

Cahokia was a large, complex settlement built by Native Americans that lived along the Mississippi River in about 950 C.E. near present-day St. Louis and East St. Louis, Illinois. At the city’s peak at around 1150 C.E., nearly ten thousand citizens lived on more than five square miles of 120 earthen “mounds.” At the time, Cahokia was the third-largest city in the Americas, and it contained multiple residential neighborhoods, plazas, and religious sites. Scientists and historians widely agreed that corn had been cultivated in this region since as early as the year 1000 C.E. At the location of the ancient city, archaeologists discovered corn fragments, such as kernels and cobs, in sites that were dated to the year 1000 C.E. and earlier. Several

Then there’s Mound 34 where an excavation team found an Ancient Cahokian copper workshop, although they’re not quite sure how early this technology was discovered (sometimes-interesting). Although the Cahokians had all of these structures accomplished, they only controlled the surrounding farmlands there. Until 1050 AD, when a Cahokian chief decided to take over the smaller surrounding tribes. After that the Cahokians ruled much of the Midwest and the areas around the Mississippi river, and made their original city the capital of it all

(Haviland et al 2011: 241) Trade increased and many settlements became wealthy. These wealthy communities could support some people as artists and priests. Catal Hyuk is an example of astounding neolithic art, much of which adorns religion shrines. (Levack et al 2009:5)

The largess of Monk’s Mound showed that Cahokia was powerful and consisted of a lot of inhabitants, which most likely, was foreboding to enemies. Monk’s mound is speculated to have been used for ritual; structures could have been built on the flat terraces that could have served as places of worship or sacrifce. This mound could have also been used for the powerful leaders in the society, a place for them to be seen by society at all times, be a constant presence in people’s lives. However, as Glenn Hodges (2011) states, “ we do not know if Cahokia had a single leader, we don’t even know what this place was called, the name Cahokia is borrowed from a tribe that lived nearby in the 1600s, or do we know what the people who lived here called themselves.” Overall, the knowledge and the data collected at Monk’s Mound are meager, and do not provide much insight into the largest human-made structure of the Mississippian

The ancient Egyptians are known for their fondness for animals, and the cat was a favorite household companion. Cats were common in ancient Egyptian art that depicted domestic scenes since they were greatly appreciated as killers of rodents, snakes, scorpions, ect. Typically homes with cats had less sickness, and fewer deaths. But beyond these roles, cats were cherished as pets and even worshipped. The ancient Egyptians revered and worshipped many animals, just as other ancient civilizations did, but none were worshipped as reverently as the cat. This essay will carefully analyze the Egyptian relief

I will see what the artworks mean to me, and I will make my own interpretations as to why their art is this way. Moreover, I expect look at many of their varying art forms and see how the use of animals differs between them. This is because I believe different kinds of art are able to impact people in different ways, and have an implication that is unlike the other. I plan to analyze the assorted characteristics and traits of the various art forms the ancient Egyptians practiced to see similarities and differences, and consider in what way this influences the meaning of the works.

Thesis/Preview: Today, I about the interesting history and mythology of cats: ancient Egyptian cats, negative cultural superstitions, and modern day domesticated cats.