New statues unearthed in Türkiye's ancient Gobeklitepe, Karahantepe sites

By Mehmet Tosun

The first painted statue and one of the most realistic human statues were unearthed in Türkiye’s ancient Gobeklitepe and Karahantepe sites.

New findings are coming to light in southeastern Sanliurfa province, according to the Culture and Tourism Ministry.

A life-size wild boar statue made of limestone was found in the "D structure" of Gobeklitepe, an ancient site famed as the "zero-point of history.”

The work, which shows red, white and black pigment residues on its surface, was the first painted sculpture found from its period to the present day.

The archeological dig site is located in Sanliurfa and features relics that date 12,000 years.

The famed ancient site was discovered in 1963 by researchers from Istanbul and Chicago universities.

In joint work at the site since 1995, the German Archaeological Institute and Sanliurfa Museum have found T-shaped obelisks from the Neolithic era towering three to six meters (10 - 20 feet) high and weighing 40 - 60 tons.

During excavations, diverse 12,000-year-old artifacts, such as human statuettes 65 centimeters (26 inches) high, were unearthed.

- Human statue unearthed in Karahantepe

A human statue was unearthed during excavations in Türkiye’s Karahantepe, considered one of the most important settlements of the Neolithic period.

The 2.3-meter high human statue, which is a candidate for one of the most impressive examples of prehistoric art with a realistic facial expression, was found fixed to the ground on a bench.

A vulture status and stone plates were also found in the area.

Research efforts have since gathered pace, including the launch of the Gobeklitepe Culture and Karahantepe Excavations project in 2017.

Excavations at the site have led to the discovery of more than 250 T-shaped obelisks similar to those at Gobeklitepe, an official UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the world’s oldest temple and dubbed the “zero point of history.”

*Writing by Gozde Bayar