Amphitheater-like Neolithic structure unearthed at Karahantepe

ŞANLIURFA

A Neolithic architectural structure resembling an amphitheater has been uncovered at the Karahantepe archaeological site in the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa, shedding new light on ritual practices and communal spaces dating back nearly 11,000 years.

Located 46 kilometers from the city center inside Tek Tek Mountains National Park, the site continues to yield significant finds that illuminate the early stages of settled life. As part of the ministry’s Heritage for the Future Project, recent work at Karahantepe has brought to light an area used for rituals and a human-figured sculpture.

Karahantepe Excavation Director Professor Necmi Karul told state-run Anadolu Agency that settlement at the site began around 9400 B.C. and continued into the 8000s. He noted that excavations have identified three phases of architecture: Round plans in the earliest phase, rounded-corner rectangular buildings in the second and true rectangular structures in the latest. Each phase includes both public and domestic architecture.

Karul said excavations have continued across residential areas and in the zone where a 2.3-meter-tall sculpture was previously found. “We reached the bedrock level throughout the entire structure, which measures roughly 17 meters in diameter,” he said. “Inside, we came across human heads set into the walls and seated human statues found on the floor. These are highly unique finds that show a shift from an emphasis on animal symbolism in earlier periods to increasing human symbolism.”

Pointing to the arrangement of the space, Karul described a distinctive architectural layout: “The focal point contains a sculpture, but opposite it there are three very broad, multi-layered benches, almost like an odeum or amphitheater. The size and depth of these tiers suggest that groups of people may have sat here. This is a newly encountered architectural design,” he said.

Karul added that the site will become more clearly understood once restoration is complete and the pillars are reerected. The structures show evidence of large gatherings, with human and animal statues at their focal points.

“These buildings allow us to make certain inferences about their function,” he said. “If they were temples, their roles would have been more limited. Instead, it appears that their primary function was to bring people together. This is a design that continues in later eras as amphitheaters and odeums. With the beginning of settled life, communities needed spaces that encouraged cohesion and collective motivation, and this may have driven the construction of such buildings.”