Archaeologists have discovered new secrets of what is believed to be the world’s oldest civilisation in south east Turkey.
Turkish, British and other researchers have unearthed 20 previously unknown sites belonging to the Taş Tepeler culture, which dates back approximately 11,500 years.
The ancient society appears to have been the first to develop monumental architecture, sophisticated sculpture and advanced stone technology.
So far, around 30 settlements have been discovered and archaeologists expect to find at least 30 more across a region covering over 2000 square miles.
The ancient civilisation is double the age of Ancient Egypt and Stonehenge
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The civilisation is more than twice as old as ancient Egypt or Stonehenge and almost five times the age of classical Greece.
Although two sites were excavated in the 1990s, nobody realised they represented a vast ancient civilisation.
The civilisation appears to have been the first to create complex architecture with rock-cut subterranean domed rooms and large ritual halls up to 20 metres wide.
These structures featured vast timber, reed and mud roofs supported by highly decorated pillars up to 5.5 metres tall with some pillars weighed over 20 tonnes and likely symbolised giant ancestors or deities.
The excavations have revealed that these Stone Age people were prolific sculptors, creating giant works including a 2.45 metre tall statue of a likely revered ancestor.
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Archaeologists have unearthed images of leopards, crocodile-like creatures, snakes, wild boar, vultures and other animals perceived as powerful and dangerous.
Evidence suggests the 11,500-year-old culture was not only architecturally and artistically advanced, but also socially complex and developed.
Some artefacts bear what appear to be symbols, leading specialists to assess whether the civilisation developed a very early form of ideographic writing.
Some rooms at excavated settlements contained dozens of real human heads, suggesting head or skull traditions possibly connected to ancestor cults.
The excavations are ongoing
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Istanbul University’s Professor Necmi Karul has described the discoveries as of “huge international importance”.
Over the past 22 months, archaeologists made remarkable discoveries at key sites including Göbeklitepe, where they found the world’s oldest known life-size animal sculpture – a huge stone boar.
At nearby Karahantepe, they unearthed a spectacular ritual deposit containing wolf jaws, leopard and vulture bones, and fox claws that had been attached to skins.
The deposit also included animal figurines and 40 stone bowls and plates decorated with animal images.
Excavations at more than a dozen key Taş Tepeler sites will restart in just a few weeks, with further major discoveries expected, and will soon be joined by Chinese archaeologists.
