UC Merced

A 3D reconstruction of part of the Çatalhöyük ‘Shrine’ 10 sequence has been developed with the aim to analyze, visualize, and interpret a number of buildings rebuilt multiple times in the same place. More than twenty years of excavations on the East Mound at Çatalhöyük have produced comprehensive interpretations of the repetition of architectural elements and buildings over time, providing thorough understanding of social organization, property, power, and religion in early settled life. Current visualization technologies allow us to simulate the tridimensional context, shared material culture, and experiential aspects of the unique urban environment at Çatalhöyük. However, these modern applications require archaeologists to address methodological questions such as: “what is the significance of virtually rebuilding Çatalhöyük history houses?” and “Can a 3D visualization of a sequence of buildings tell us more about the religious rituals, social organization, and history making practices at Çatalhöyük?” This chapter discusses the 3D reconstruction and interactive exploration of three Çatalhöyük history houses (‘Shrine’ VIA.10, VIAB.10, and VII.10) with the objective to define a new approach to digital archaeology and heritage interpretation that integrates a plurality of data in a visual-analytical environment, where advanced interactive techniques simulate the cosmology, building practices, material culture, and history-making aspects of Çatalhöyük.