Does Çatalhöyük Painting Depict Ancient Volcanic Eruption?

From Science Daily

Neolithic Mural May Depict Ancient Eruption

Hasan Dagi volcano, Turkey. Photo from article. Awe inspiring.

Jan. 9, 2014 — Volcanic rock dating suggests the painting of a Çatalhöyük mural may have overlapped with an eruption in Turkey according to results published January 8, 2014, in the open access journal PLOS ONE by Axel Schmitt from the University of California Los Angeles and colleagues from other institutions.

Scientists analyzed rocks from the nearby Hasan Dagi volcano in order to determine whether it was the volcano depicted in the mural from ~6600 BC in the Catalhöyük Neolithic site in central Turkey. To determine if Hasan Dagi was active during that time, scientists collected and analyzed volcanic rock samples from the summit and flanks of the Hasan Dagi volcano using (U-Th)/He zircon geochronology. These ages were then compared to the archeological date of the mural.

Volcanic rock textures and ages support the interpretation that residents of Çatalhöyük may have recorded an explosive eruption of Hasan Dagi volcano. The dating of the volcanic rock indicated an eruption around 6900 BC, which closely overlaps with the time the mural was estimated to have been painted in Çatalhöyük. The overlapping timeframes indicate humans in the region may have witnessed this eruption.

Alternative interpretations of the mural include the depiction of a leopard skin, consistent with other art at the Çatalhöyük site. [A depiction of a volcanic eruption - or a leopard skin??? Okay...]

Schmitt adds, "We tested the hypothesis that the Çatalhöyük mural depicts a volcanic eruption and discovered a geological record consistent with this hypothesis. Our work also demonstrates that Hasan Dagi volcano has potential for future eruptions."


Another article with plenty of photos, including the mural, can be found at Sci-news.com: Çatalhöyük ‘Map’ Mural May Depict Volcanic Eruption 8,900 Years Ago

Totally cool!  It could be a depiction of two mountains with one of them showering rocks on the surrounding landscape, spitting streams of fire/smoke into the sky.  The orange-y color could depict the color of molten lava.  Or, it could be a leopard skin - a leopard skin depicted hovering over a settlement of close-packed structures.  Really?

Image credit: Ataman Hotel / John Swogger.

The actual mural is above, artist's depiction is below.  What do you think?  What about this -- did the ancient artist who painted that mural see the two-peaks mountain as a sometimes wrathful leopard hovering in the sky above the settlement?  Remember the "queen" sitting on her throne -- with a leopard on either side acting as the "arms" of the throne (or seated in front of those arms).  As the article noted, leopards were a continuing theme at Catalhoyuk.  Hmmm...