17 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

8,500-year-old marble statuette found in Çatalhöyük

In the 29th season of the excavations in Çatalhöyük, one of the first urbanization models in Anatolia, in the Çumra district of Konya, located in the middle of Turkey, an 8,500-year-old marble statuette was found.

A 5 cm tall prismatic figurine with an indeterminate gender and a leaning back human shape thrilled the excavation team at the 9,000-year-old Neolithic City of Çatalhöyük, where the female figure usually stands out.

Head of Excavation, Anadolu University Faculty Member Assoc. Dr. Ali Umut Türkcan told Anadolu Agency that they closed the second season with important findings such as the new neighborhood and street unearthed in the summer, during the excavations carried out under his leadership.

8,500-year-old marble statuette found in Çatalhöyük
Photo: AA

Latest explaining that the most recent excavations in 2016 found marble female statuettes in the southern mound, Türkcan said:

“This year, we opened a large area called ‘North Terrace’. During the excavations carried out in this area, a marble human statuette was found at the foot of a plastered wall while excavating parts of ‘Place 66’, which is filled with rubble and has burn marks at the base, which was also used as a warehouse. The find was found placed next to an obsidian arrowhead and a lump of lime that we don’t fully understand. Like other similar finds, we can say that it is an example that repeats the way it was found with a votive obsidian tool in abandoned and buried structures.”



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



Türkcan emphasized that this marble statuette is a piece that is rarely seen.

Photo: AA

“This example of ours is reminiscent of figurines identified as male, leaning back slightly and reminiscent of figurines thought to be on an animal, similar to those found in excavations in the past. When Çatalhöyük is mentioned, it is thought that there is always a female representation and a center associated with female fertility.”

“The shaping elements of the head of our marble figurine, which is this year’s find, are slightly different from those found in classical Çatalhöyük. It is seen that his head is elongated and is depicted with a triangular head in the extension of his body. Very fine processing details seem on the figurine, even the chisel marks on the neck.”

Türkcan added that Çatalhöyük is always open to big surprises.

Çatalhöyük ancient city
Çatalhöyük ancient city.

Çatalhöyük

Çatalhöyük is 10 kilometres east of Konya’s Çumra Township. The tumulus is a hill with two flat areas with different altitudes. Because of these two elevations, it is called “çatal,” meaning fork.

Çatalhöyük was first discovered by J. Mellaart in 1958. There were a number of excavations here in 1961-1963 and 1965. The studies made on the western slope of the hill revealed 13 layers. The earliest settlement in the first layer dates back to 5500 B.C. This dating done by examination of style was also proved using the Carbon 14 dating method. The first settlement was a center that sheds light on the history of humanity with the first house architecture and remains of the first sacred structures.

Related Articles

A Batavian Cavalry Mask was found on the Battlefield of Roman Comrades

22 July 2022

22 July 2022

Archaeologists have discovered that a rusty corroded plate they found 4 years ago at an old battlefield in the city...

Little Known Powerful Kingdom of History’s “Mitanni Kingdom”

3 February 2021

3 February 2021

Hurrians; They became a state organization with a warrior and ruling class of Indo-Aryan origin who came from North-West Mesopotamia...

3000 Years Old Bronze Age Settlement Unveiled Ahead of New Stadium Construction

27 July 2025

27 July 2025

Archaeologists have uncovered an expansive Late Bronze Age settlement in Wolmirstedt, Saxony-Anhalt, ahead of the construction of a new multimillion-euro...

14,000 years old vessels made by Hunter-gatherers in Japan

1 May 2022

1 May 2022

The Late Pleistocene inhabitants of Tanegashima Island were making pottery about 14,000 years ago. In the Jomon period, people obtained...

A prehistoric monument consisting of three round enclosures, one of which resembles a horseshoe, was discovered in France

7 April 2024

7 April 2024

Archaeologists from the French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP) unearthed an unusual, prehistoric monument in the shape of...

A First in Anatolia: Rare Egyptian God Statue Unearthed in Commagene’s ‘Stairway to Eternity’ Tomb

1 September 2025

1 September 2025

In the ancient city of Perre, once a flourishing capital of the Commagene Kingdom in southeastern Türkiye, archaeologists have uncovered...

The Largest Circular Tomb of the Ancient World Is Opening

16 February 2021

16 February 2021

The restoration of Augustus’ colossal tomb, which is expected to be opened in 2014, has been completed. The Augustus mausoleum...

Archaeologists Discovered One of the Earliest Christian Buildings in Bahrain

14 July 2024

14 July 2024

Archaeologists have uncovered one of the earliest known Christian buildings in the Arabian Gulf, located in Samahij, Bahrain, and providing...

1400-Year-Old Folding Chair Found in a Woman’s Grave in Germany

30 August 2022

30 August 2022

In Steinsfeld, in the German state of Ansbach, archaeologists have unearthed a 1,400-year-old folding chair from an early medieval woman’s...

The 1,800-year-old ‘Iron Legion’ Roman Legionary Base uncovered at the foot of Tel Megiddo

14 February 2024

14 February 2024

The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced that a recent excavation at the foot of Tel Megiddo, near the ancient village...

10,500-year-old stone Age Hunter-Gatherer settlement found in England

20 January 2023

20 January 2023

A team of archaeologists from the University of Chester and Manchester has discovered a stone age Hunter-Gatherer settlement during excavations...

Teymareh Petroglyphs, One of the World’s Largest Rock Art Collections, at Risk of Disappearing Due to Mining Activities

20 August 2024

20 August 2024

Petroglyphs are among the world’s oldest practiced art forms and are as diverse as the wide-ranging cultures and civilizations that...

A cave painting found in Egyptian Sahara depicts a nativity scene 3,000 years before Jesus’ Birth

21 December 2023

21 December 2023

5,000-year-old rock art depicting the oldest nativity scene ever found has been found in Egypt’s Sahara Desert: A newborn between...

Unprecedented necropolis site found in Cappadocia, one of Türkiye’s most important tourism centers

8 July 2024

8 July 2024

In Cappadocia, located in the Central Anatolia Region of Türkiye, known for its unique moon-like landscape, underground cities, cave churches,...

3,500-Year-Old Human-Bodied, Eagle-Headed Seal Discovered in Central Türkiye

9 September 2025

9 September 2025

Archaeological excavations at Karahöyük in central Türkiye have led to a remarkable discovery: a 3,500-year-old human-headed, eagle-bodied seal. According to...