Murals

The mural paintings at Çatalhöyük are the oldest in the world on human built structures. The most spectacular murals found so far at Çatalhöyük are those from building F.V.1, which portray a variety of animals and human figures. These murals are on all four inside walls of the building but probably represent more than one composition or scene. What do these murals mean? Notice how the people seem to be interacting with the animals, pulling tongues, pulling tails, jumping on their backs. The animals shown have been identified as bulls, horses, stag deer, bear and wild boar, all of which are large and powerful and potentially dangerous to humans. Some of the acts shown appear to be things a person could never actually do with these animals. What is going on here?

Mystery -what do they mean? Are they decorative, representational or symbolic?