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Çatalhöyük just seems a smear of mud and bone, born around 7500 BC, maybe long before. Excavactions show there where no streets, no plazas or market placed, just a heap of homes mashed together like clay clenched in a fist - like a gigantic beehive. Roofs were the roads, ladders dropped you in, and the dead slept under the floors. They feared the ancestors, but did not want to be separated from their good spirit. This was rawer than first mesopotamien settlements like Ur or Uruk, it was quieter, the first stutter of humans piling up to stay.
Walls of sun-baked brick, so tight you could hear your neighbor breathe. No doors—just holes above, spilling you into dim rooms with hearths flickering. They painted bulls on the plaster, wild and red, and tucked skulls into corners like keepsakes. Up to 8000 souls lived here, not roaming, not scattering, but rooted. They grew wheat, herded sheep, traded obsidian sharper than flint. It wasn’t chaos - it was a knot, tied by need and something deeper.
Society here wasn’t loud with hierarchy. No palaces, no thrones - just families, equal in their huddle, was it a clan-dominated cooperation that gave society stability? It's probable. Archaeologists find no grand tombs or hoarded gold, just shared spaces and tools. Power, if it existed, hid in the quiet - maybe in those who knew the seasons, who led the hunts, who painted the walls. Women and men worked the fields, wove baskets, shaped clay (we all know the wonderful legend that in the end the cultivation of grain, which was necessary for brewing alcohol, led to man becoming sedentary). Burials show little difference - bones wrapped in cloth, tucked beneath floors, equal in death as in life. It’s like they ruled themselves, a community stitched by survival, not scepters.
The economy was agricultural-based. They farmed emmer wheat and barley, grinding it into bread with stones. Sheep and goats grazed nearby, giving meat, milk, hides. But obsidian was the pulse — black glass from volcanic hills, traded far beyond the plains. It cut cleaner than flint, and Çatalhöyük sat on the route, swapping it for shells, flint, ideas. No coins, no markets - there was just barter as form of exchange, hands to hands. Homes doubled as workshops; beads, tools, pots piled up beside the hearths. Food wasn’t scarce—grains stored in bins, bones tossed in middens. They had enough to settle, to paint, to pray.
And what about Safety? Walls block wolves and raiders. Warmth, too, with fires and bodies pressed tight. They buried their dead beneath them, keeping ancestors close, not cast out. Shrines rose, plastered with horns and art, whispering of spirits they couldn’t name. Staying put had weight—literally, in the bones below, and spiritually, in the bulls above. Çatalhöyük isn’t grand. No ziggurats, no wheels. Yet it’s the seed —before Jericho’s walls, before Sumer’s tablets. A city not because it roared, but because it held. People stopped wandering, started stacking, started marking their place. From that cramped huddle came the itch to settle, to grow, to last. The archaeological excavation field will probably offer generations of archaeologists and us the opportunity to keep discovering new things from this bygone era. Çatalhöyük didn’t know it was first. It just was.
A short video by 'History with Cy': https://shorturl.at/3spr1
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The reality check is imminent for EU Europeans. Of course, we could also come to our senses and seek negotiated solutions on a cooperative partnership basis, for example with the Russians, the world's largest supplier of energy and raw materials. But whether the parasites in London, Brussels and the other capitals of the European Union are in a position to do so remains in doubt
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The withdrawal of the USA from the financing of the Ukraine project has startled them all and has made Europeans aware of their own economic and military impotence these days. The high point of this awakening was the fact that the USA is negotiating exclusively with Russia and no longer even reserves a seat at the cat's table for the Europeans when it comes to the European issue of Ukraine.
Trump has thus revealed that all the sabre-rattling by the Europeans in the Russia affair, all the sanctions packages were nothing more than the barking of a disabled dog that is no longer even able to adequately stake out its original territory.
In this context, the question of how to deal with the Russian assets frozen by the European Union, especially those of the Russian Central Bank, is raised time and again. As an economic background, it is important to know that the European Union has immense liquidity problems, especially in its banking sector and in view of the problems in the eurozone and the immense distortions in the common currency; they need new collateral in order to be able to create new credit.
And this is exactly where the Russian assets come into play. the expropriation, which I will describe in more detail below, comprises around 235 billion dollars in assets, which the European Union would very much like to use as the initial financing for so-called Eurobonds, the common financing of the European Union's immense mountain of debt, in order to buy itself a few more years and remain liquid. Similar ideas also apply to Russian reparations payments in the event of Moscow's defeat, which would above all help the Bank of England, one of the main guarantors of Ukraine's national debt, to get back on its feet.
It is precisely these kinds of mind games that keep resonating in the Europeans' attempts to escalate the Russian war. In order to achieve this goal, London in particular had firmly counted on the military intervention of the Americans, who have now done a 180 degree turnaround, leaving the Europeans naked.
To emphasize this turnaround once again, Selensky was expelled from the White House. It can therefore be assumed that the issue of Russian assets will be raised again in the coming days and weeks. Finally, let's take a look at the structure of these assets.
Overview of Frozen Assets
The EU has imposed sanctions in response to Russia’s actions, particularly following the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. These sanctions include asset freezes targeting both Russian state entities (such as the Central Bank of Russia) and private individuals or companies (e.g., oligarchs and sanctioned entities).
The frozen assets fall into two main categories:
State-owned assets, primarily reserves of the Central Bank of Russia.
Private assets, belonging to individuals and entities listed under EU sanctions.
1. Central Bank of Russia Assets
Total Value: Approximately €210 billion (around $215 billion USD, depending on exchange rates) of Russian Central Bank reserves have been immobilized in the EU as of mid-2023, with updates suggesting this figure has remained stable or slightly adjusted by 2025.
Nature of Assets: These are primarily financial reserves held in foreign currencies, securities, and other liquid instruments. Most of these assets are managed by central securities depositories (CSDs) like Euroclear in Belgium, which holds the largest share.
Location: The majority is held in Belgium, with smaller portions distributed across other EU countries such as Germany, France, and Luxembourg.
Legal Status: These assets are "immobilized" rather than confiscated, meaning they cannot be accessed or managed by Russia but remain in place pending further legal or political decisions. The EU has begun using the extraordinary profits (e.g., interest) from these assets, estimated at €2.5–3 billion annually, to support Ukraine as of May 2024.
2. Private Assets of Individuals and Entities
Total Value: As of late 2022, the EU had frozen €17.5 billion worth of assets belonging to Russian oligarchs, individuals, and companies. Earlier figures from June 2022 cited €12.5 billion, indicating a significant increase over time. Posts on X and other sources suggest that by 2025, the total value of frozen private assets may exceed €20 billion, though no official update confirms this precisely as of March 1, 2025.
Number of Targets: Over 1,350 individuals and entities are subject to asset freezes, including oligarchs, government officials, and companies linked to Russia’s war efforts.
Types of Assets:
Real Estate: Luxury properties such as villas, mansions, and apartments across EU countries, particularly in France, Italy, Spain, and Cyprus. Examples include properties owned by oligarchs like Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman.
Yachts: High-profile seizures include superyachts like the Dilbar (owned by Usmanov, seized in Germany) and the Amore Vero (linked to Igor Sechin, seized in France). These vessels are often valued in the tens or hundreds of millions of euros.
Helicopters and Private Jets: Aircraft owned by sanctioned individuals have been grounded and frozen, such as those linked to Gennady Timchenko and Alexey Mordashov.
Art and Valuables: Paintings, sculptures, and other high-value items, including collections seized from oligarchs’ residences or storage facilities.
Financial Assets: Bank accounts, investments, and shares in EU-based companies controlled by sanctioned persons. For instance, accounts tied to Petr Aven and Mikhail Fridman in Alfa Group were frozen in 2022.
Business Holdings: Stakes in EU-based firms or subsidiaries owned by Russian entities, such as those linked to Rostec or Sovcomflot, have been subjected to asset freezes.
Oligarchs’ Assets: By June 2022, €12.5 billion in private assets were reported frozen, doubling from earlier estimates in April. This included yachts, helicopters, and real estate.
Entities: Companies like Sogaz (insurance), Alfa Bank, and Russian Railways faced asset freezes, impacting their financial holdings and operational assets in the EU.
Additional Details
Windfall Profits: Since May 2024, the EU has redirected net profits from immobilized Central Bank assets (e.g., €557 million earned between February and April 2024) to Ukraine, with 90% allocated for military support and 10% for reconstruction.
Updates in 2024-2025: The 15th sanctions package (December 2024) added 54 individuals and 30 entities, further expanding the scope of frozen assets, though specific values for these additions are not yet detailed.
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The power of his language, the deep dives into his soul and his fight for liberty made clear why Friedrich Nietzsche, without admitting it, was inspired heavily by this author. I highly recommend Stirner's ''The Unique and its property'' and I can promise those who don't know about him a unique discovery... greets. T
"The Unique and Its Property" (originally "Der Einzige und sein Eigentum") is a philosophical work by Max Stirner, first published in 1844. Central to the book is the concept of the individual's absolute autonomy and the critique of all institutions, ideologies, and systems that seek to impose limitations on individual freedom.
Stirner argues that most social constructs, such as religion, state, and society, limit the individual by imposing fixed ideas or "spooks" (German: "Spuk"). These "spooks" are mere illusions that people become enslaved to, sacrificing their own desires and autonomy for these abstract concepts.
From a libertarian perspective, Stirner's emphasis on individual autonomy resonates strongly with the idea of personal freedom and resistance against external impositions. While he does not promote a particular political or economic system, his skepticism towards all forms of authority and collectivism can be seen as an argument for minimal government interference and individualist anarchism.
However, it's important to note that Stirner's egoism goes beyond just political libertarianism. He asserts that individuals should act based solely on their own interests and desires, without regard for morality, social conventions, or any external authorities.
In essence, "The Unique and Its Property" is a radical call for individuals to recognize and embrace their own uniqueness and autonomy, challenging the very foundations of established norms and institutions.
Here You can listen to the audiobook:
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