This book is about the role of religion in early human societies and is the result of a unique collaboration between an archaeological team and a range of specialists in ritual and religion. The contributors discuss the early farming village in Turkey called Çatalhöyük, which has been excavated since 1993 by Ian Hodder and an international team of collaborators.

This book tackles the topic of religion, a broad subject exciting renewed interest across the social and historical sciences. The volume is tightly focused on the early farming village of Çatalhöyük, which has generated much interest both within and outside of archaeology, especially for its contributions to the understanding of early religion. The volume discusses contemporary themes such as materiality, animism, object vitality, and material dimensions of spirituality while at the same time exploring broad evolutionary changes in the ways in which religion has influenced society. The volume results from a unique collaboration between an archaeological team and a range of specialists in ritual and religion.