Ancient figurines give clues to Neolithic rituals
ESKİŞEHİR
Revelations regarding Neolithic building closure rituals have emerged following the discovery of four headless female figurines, dating back approximately 8,000 years, at the Kanlıtaş Mound in the central province of Eskişehir.
Excavations at Kanlıtaş Mound, considered the oldest known settlement of the Inner Western Anatolia region encompassing Eskişehir, Afyonkarahisar and Kütahya, have been carried out by Anadolu University since 2013.
Researchers led by Professor Ali Umut Türkcan of the Department of Archaeology at Anadolu University identified four clay female figurines with detached heads dating to approximately 6000 B.C. The findings suggest that the figurines provide important evidence about belief systems and ritual practices during the final phase of the Neolithic era in Central Anatolia.
Türkcan said Kanlıtaş Mound is among the earliest dated settlements associated with the cultural sphere known as the “Porsuk culture” in Inner Western Anatolia.
Excavations have revealed numerous rectangular buildings and rooms, where archaeologists found female clay figurines embedded in floor-level fill layers.
The figurines vary in size, with the largest and most distinctive example measuring 12 to 13 centimeters in length, while the others are generally 5 to 6 centimeters long.
Although figurine use was widespread across Neolithic Anatolia, Türkcan said the Kanlıtaş examples stand out for several distinctive features.
“The fact that female figurines found in different spaces that appear to have been intentionally sealed are also headless or have detached heads suggests that they may have been left behind as offerings when the buildings were closed,” he said.
Türkcan noted that similar building closure rituals involving figurines have also been documented at Çatalhöyük.
He added that the Kanlıtaş finds differ from many Anatolian examples because of the pronounced emphasis on the hip area, a characteristic that closely resembles early female figurines from the Balkans, particularly those associated with the former Yugoslav region.
According to Türkcan, Kanlıtaş Mound and the Porsuk culture have long been linked to and regarded as predecessors of the Vinča culture of the Balkans. Radiocarbon dating results, he said, support this interpretation by indicating that the Porsuk culture predates Vinča.
Türkcan emphasized that buildings that had reached the end of their use during the Neolithic period may have been deliberately sealed through various rituals, and the evidence from Kanlıtaş Mound points to the continuation of this tradition.
He added that the discoveries provide important clues about cultural traditions that spread westward from Central Anatolia and said the team plans to publish the excavation results in a comprehensive scientific monograph and a separate reference volume.