The discovery some 40 years ago of an unknown 8000 year old civilization in central Turkey urban, agricultural, artistically sophisticated and remarkably peaceful, apparently without fortifications, weapons or wargods very greatly in creased knowledge of Neolithic life and culture. Catal Huyuk, near present day Konya, was one of the world's earliest towns, a human settlement of 5000 inhabitants or more much larger than jerico, thought unfortunately only one of its 32 acres (13 hectares) has so far been excavated.