Abstract

Cultural artifacts in museums often lose their complex histories, reduced to isolated objects with symbolic meanings. Actor-Network Theory (ANT) offers a framework for highlighting the interconnected roles of human and non-human actors, such as curators, archaeologists, visitors, replicas, exhibition spaces, and digital tools, which collectively shape the interpretation of artifacts. This article employs ANT to critically examine the representations of the Seated Woman Figurine of Çatalhöyük, a Neolithic artifact discovered in Turkey, across various exhibitions. The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, where the figurine has been housed since 1962, labels it the Goddess Figurine and emphasizes its symbolic meanings. Similarly, at the 2010 World Expo in China, Turkey presented a large-scale replica of the figurine as an icon representing the nation’s ancient history and its identity, further simplifying its archaeological context. In contrast, Ian Hodder’s interpretive archaeology and exhibitions aim to demystify such narratives by situating artifacts within their material and social contexts. The New Visitor Center at Çatalhöyük builds on this approach, utilizing digital tools to highlight excavation methods, daily life, and environmental conditions, reframing the figurine as a representation of community respect for elders in an egalitarian society. This research focuses on analyzing these exhibitions to demonstrate how incorporating thoughtful exhibition design, scientific data, and diverse perspectives can lead to more accurate, trustworthy, and technologically informed displays.