Achaeologists in southeastern Türkiye have uncovered two human face reliefs believed to be more than 10,000 years old, offering rare new insights into artistic expression during the Neolithic period.
The discovery was made at Sefertepe, one of the sites within the Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s “Şanlıurfa Province Neolithic Age Research – Stone Hills Project.”
Excavations are led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Emre Güldoğan of Istanbul University’s Department of Prehistoric Archaeology. Güldoğan explained that the reliefs were carved onto the front surfaces of four limestone blocks forming a platform that likely had a ceremonial function.
Both faces are oriented toward the north and have stylistic features that distinguish them from other well-known Neolithic sites in the region, including Göbeklitepe, Karahantepe, and Sayburç.
“One was created in low relief, the other in high relief, and the stylistic differences are clear,” Güldoğan explained. “In the high-relief example, the pupils, eye contours, brow ridges, nose, and mouth were rendered with exceptional precision. Even the ears are fully visible. The low-relief figure, by contrast, shows closed eyes and a simplified mouth and nose, unlike the full-lipped depictions common at Karahantepe.”
These variations, he noted, suggest that Sefertepe had its own artistic vocabulary, challenging the assumption that Neolithic communities across the Şanlıurfa region shared a uniform style. The importance given to the eye, ear, and nose details sets these figures apart.
“These human faces demonstrate the artistic diversity and regional stylistic differences of the period,” he said, noting that the discovery adds a new dimension to the growing archaeological map of the Stone Hills region.
Further analysis and excavation at Sefertepe are expected to continue shedding light on how early settled communities communicated identity, symbolism, and belief through stone.
Header Image Credit : AA
Sources : AA
