New findings from the Karahantepe excavations in southeastern Türkiye reveal that gazelle meat and legumes played a dominant role in the diet of people who lived in the region around 12,000 years ago.
Karahantepe is one of the key excavation sites under the Stone Hills (Taş Tepeler) Project, one of the most extensive archaeological initiatives in the history of the Republic. Excavations in the area, located in Şanlıurfa, have been ongoing for seven years.
The site, situated within the Tek Tek Mountains National Park and 46 kilometers from the city center, features more than 250 T-shaped standing stones similar to those at Göbeklitepe, as well as human figurines and animal depictions dating to the Neolithic period.
Speaking to state-run Anadolu Agency, Professor Necmi Karul, Karahantepe excavation head and coordinator of the Stone Hills Project, said new laboratory analyses provided important insights into ancient dietary habits.
“We found traces of predominantly gazelle consumption at both settlements, but at Göbeklitepe we were also able to identify the consumption of a wide range of animals living in different ecological zones, from plains to higher mountainous areas,” Karul said.
He noted that earlier assumptions had focused mainly on grain consumption, but new data showed that legumes also played a significant role in the diet of Neolithic communities at Karahantepe.
“For the people living here at that time, legumes were an important part of their nutrition,” he added.
Karul said the findings were based on ongoing comparative studies between Göbeklitepe and Karahantepe, with further data expected in the upcoming excavation season.
He also highlighted that the Stone Hills Project is not limited to archaeological digs but includes ecological, geological and cultural heritage studies, aiming to better understand both ancient and present-day environments in the region.
“We should not think of Stone Hills merely as excavation sites. It is a much more comprehensive project involving environmental research, cultural heritage management and public engagement,” Karul said.
He added that the region represents one of the earliest known examples of settled life and provides crucial evidence of symbolic thinking, technological development and social organization in the Neolithic period.
According to Karul, the archaeological record from Karahantepe continues to show that early communities in Anatolia were highly advanced for their time, particularly in art, engineering and adaptation to their environment.
The Stone Hills Project also includes the newly launched “Stone Hills Ecology Project,” which aims to document both ancient and modern ecosystems in the region through interdisciplinary research.
