Genetic mapping made for people who lived at ancient hill

DİYARBAKIR

The genetic map of people who lived some 12,000 years ago at Çayönü Tepesi (Hill) in Diyarbakır’s Ergani district is being reconstructed through analyses of skeletal remains uncovered at the site.

Çayönü, located on the banks of the Tigris River in the Ergani Plain, features settlement phases dating back to around 10,000 B.C. and was first discovered during surface surveys in 1963. The earliest excavations were launched in 1964 under the leadership of Halet Çambel and Robert J. Braidwood.

Considered one of the sites that shed light on the transition from nomadic life to settled communities and from hunting and gathering to agriculture, Çayönü Tepesi holds major significance for world civilization history.

Excavations, which were halted in 1991 for security reasons and resumed 10 years ago, are now revealing all stages and details of uninterrupted habitation at the site.

The latest excavation season began in May 2025 under the direction of Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University faculty member Associate Professor Savaş Sarıaltun and coordinated by Hacettepe University Anthropology Department faculty member Professor Ömür Dilek Erdal. The season concluded in December.

Findings unearthed at the site are individually recorded at the Çayönü Tepesi Excavation House before being sent to Hacettepe University’s Anthropology Department, where specialists analyze them to collect data on the life histories of ancient individuals.

Recent discoveries at the site include a roughly 9,500-year-old “Public Building,” believed to have hosted gatherings and events, four grid-plan structures dating to the Neolithic period, a water channel from the Bronze Age and eight graves, further underlining Çayönü’s importance in the history of civilization.

‘A dense cemetery area’

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Sarıaltun said intensive excavations were carried out over an area of 3,200 square meters for eight months in 2025, with academics from 10 Turkish universities contributing to the work.

He said excavations revealed four grid-plan structures dated to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B phase (9000–8500 B.C.), as well as dense architectural remains from the Pottery Neolithic period (7000–6000 B.C.).

“One of our most significant discoveries is a cemetery area dating to the Early Bronze Age, around 2900–2750 B.C.,” Sarıaltun said. “We identified a dense burial area with architecture. We worked on eight graves, seven of which belong to the Early Bronze Age and one to the Neolithic period.”

Sarıaltun noted that the graves provide valuable insights into social structure, age differences, diseases, social organization and socioeconomic life. Almost all graves contained burial gifts, including pottery, copper and bronze objects, tools and daggers.

He also pointed to the discovery of two seals near the cemetery, saying they suggest the existence of trade networks and possible social differentiation within the community.

Sarıaltun said long-term DNA studies are underway to better understand the community’s connections.

“Using DNA data, we are resolving the sociocultural networks of the people who lived here, including their links with Mesopotamia, the Caucasus and Anatolia,” he said. “These are studies that will take years. We began working intensively in 2024 and aim to share results with the public in 2026–2027.”

‘About 255 individuals studied so far’

Professor Erdal said skeletal remains uncovered during excavation seasons are transferred to laboratories with permission from the Culture and Tourism Ministry, where they undergo cleaning, restoration and analysis in line with international standards.

“About 255 individuals have been studied so far,” Erdal said. “It is a very heterogeneous community with a high level of cultural variation, which also indicates interaction with different cultures.”

She said skeletal evidence suggests a largely peaceful community, with clear signs of daily labor and lifestyle practices. Even children were involved in agricultural activities and daily workloads at an early age, she added.

Erdal also noted that the settlement displayed a highly organized structure across different periods, pointing to some form of governance.

“Houses were built with the same plan and strategy in every period, which indicates an administrative system,” she said. “Despite this, the data do not confirm strict social stratification. People from both large and small houses worked, farmed, practiced animal husbandry and were buried with whatever goods they possessed.”

According to Erdal, DNA analyses show that the Çayönü community had strong external connections.

“This was a community with ties to Mesopotamia and the Caucasus,” she said. “We see that individuals from those regions settled in Çayönü and continued their lives here.”