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Yann Arthus-Bertrand / Corbis

The 32-acre mound of Catalhoyuk rises more than 60 feet above Turkey’s flat Konya Plain, 150 miles south of Ankara. Built up over a period of 1,200 years, from about 7400 B.C. to 6200 B.C., the tell comprises 16 occupation levels. By examining the layers of plaster on the interior walls of Catalhoyuk’s houses, James Mellaart determined that each dwelling was occupied for about 80 years before being dismantled and leveled to provide a foundation for a new house.