The Seeds of Civilization is an article by Michael Balter published in 2005 in the Smithsonian Magazine. The author discusses the new findings of an ancient settlement in the Anatolian side of Turkey, near the city of Konya in south-central part of the country. The remnants of this Neolithic (or New Stone Age) settlement were found inside of a big mound still visible today and the site itself is believed to be 9,500 years old. Based on the findings, Balter tries to find out what could be the reasons of the ancient nomads’ decision to gather in groups and start living together.
In the beginning of the article, Balter describes the finding of a skeleton of an old woman with a plastered skull laid in a fetal position and her arms holding an unknown object. The author informs that it was common in the Near East to bury the dead under houses of their living relatives. However, finding a plastered skull in Catalhoyuk was important since this practice was rather uncommon at that time. Due to the fact that the found skeleton was buried with another human skeleton, one can suggest that there was a strong emotional bond between these people more than nine thousand years ago. The site of Catalhoyuk has many sculptures and paintings containing the images of animals and humans that, according to Balter, hold the key to the mentality of prehistoric people, of whom we know so little. When it comes to Catalhoyuk, the main question that the scientist are so interested about is that what exactly motivated the first nomads to settle together in permanent communities. Before the heyday of Catalhoyuk, the nomads of the Near East used to hunt animals and gather food without being settled as permanent groups of people. The main reason behind their decision to get organized in communities, live together, and invent farming remains unknown.
Before reading The Seeds of Civilization, I knew about the existence of the ancient settlement of Catalhoyuk. That is why Balter’s article was especially interesting to me. It expanded my knowledge not only on the site, but also on the first nomads’ way of living. I learnt that the nomads started to take first steps towards forming communities 14 thousand years ago. This decision was so important that it led to the Neolithic Revolution. Interestingly, the residents of Catalhoyuk not only created a community, but built their dwellings so close together that they had to use roofs to enter the houses.
The information that the author presents is well organized and the text itself is an easy read. Balter not only lists the findings, but carefully provides useful backup information. Besides, instead of jumping to conclusions, he backs up his conjectures. According to Hoddler, it was the major change in the nomads’ psychology and cognition that urged them to start living together. Another important reason could be the first people need for spirituality and artistic expression that could be promoted in communities. Balter finds these ideas worth closer analysis, but does not completely agree with them. At the same time, he is convinced that the first settlement in Catalhoyuk and gave rise to the development of our civilization with its religions, cities, cultures, writing, etc. In this regard it can hardly be overestimated. All of these changes were caused by the first people’s decision to form communities. Another strong side of the article is Balter’s writing style. He describes the routine excavation process at an archaeological site not in official scientific manner, but in a simple language that cannot but attract the reader’s attention. Overall, the article sparked my interest and motivated to learn more about the first nomads.
- Balter, Michael. “The Seeds of Ciivilization.” Smithsonian Magazine, May 2005.
//www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-seeds-of-civilization-78015429/?no-ist=. Accessed 29 Sep 2018.
