Ancient People In World’s Oldest City Painted Skeletons Of The Dead, Buried Them In Their Homes

University of Bern researcher Marco Milella excavating a skeleton buried in a building covered with wall paintings at the Catalhoyuk Neolithic settlement in Turkey. (Jason Quinlan, Catalhoyuk Research Project/Zenger)

The inhabitants of the “world’s oldest city” — now a UNESCO World Heritage Site — painted the skeletal remains of their dead and buried them within the structures of their homes, painting the walls as part of the burial ritual, according to researchers.

They would sometimes later dig them out and pass around parts of the skeletons, including their skulls, among the community before burying them again and repainting the walls.