11 December 2024 The Future is the Product of the Past

A relief of a man holding his Phallus was found in Sayburç, one of the Taş Tepeler

In Sayburç, one of the Taş Tepeler in Şanlıurfa, a five-figure scene consisting of humans, leopards, and a bull was unearthed.

In the figures that are thought to be related to each other, there are two leopards with their mouths open on either side of the male figure holding his phallus with one hand. To the left of them, there was a man holding a snake and a bull standing in front of him with his big horns.

Sayburç was found in 2021 after the Şanlıurfa Archeology Museum was informed that obelisks parts were used in the garden walls of the village. Considered to be contemporary with the last periods of Göbekli Tepe, the Sayburç is also one of the Taş Tepes in Şanlıurfa, which consists of Göbekli Tepe and eleven other archaeological sites around it.

The excavations carried out by Istanbul University and Şanlıurfa Archeology Museum are led by Associate Professor Eylem Özdoğan.

During the 2021 excavation season, a circular planned pit-bottomed building was found that into the limestone bedrock. Along the wall of the building, which is about 11 meters in diameter, there is a bench about one meter high, again formed from the bedrock. In a small area that survived the destruction at the rear end of the 60-70 cm wide bench, the covering wall of the building still stands.

Sayburç, Sanliurfa
Sayburç, Sanliurfa

On the front of the bench, there takes place five interrelated figures in reliefs carved into the bedrock surface. In the three figures in the eastern part, there is a human depicted from the front and two leopards facing humans on either side, which are identical in form. Both leopards are sideways, their mouths open, their teeth visible, their tails depicted above. The male figure in the middle is holding his phallus with his right hand, and his left hand is on his stomach. The lines in the form of a triangular necklace or collar around the neck of the male figure are seen in many of the Neolithic human figures in the region.

To the west of the scene is another person, whose back is turned to these figures, and who is understood to be a male by the extension of the phallus. This figure, depicted from the side like a leopard, is facing a bull. This person, who appears to have six fingers on his left hand, is holding an upside-down snake with his left arm up, with his right hand. The face of this figure is looking towards the bull.

Leopard and human, Sayburç, Sanliurfa
This person, who appears to have six fingers on his left hand, is holding an upside-down snake with his left arm up, with his right hand. The face of this figure is looking towards the bull.

The earliest examples of Phallus

As an archaeological object, it is possible to see that the phallus was made for different purposes and forms.

In the last Paleolithic period, the concept of the phallus began to be embodied. The first incarnation of the phallus is the Cosquer Cave, near Marseille. A phallus is depicted in one of the halls of this cave, which is dated 27-19 thousand years ago. This painting, made by scraping, is the oldest phallus painting in the world, at least for now. The oldest known three-dimensional phallus to date was found in the HohleFels Cave, near the city of Ulm, Germany. The phallus found in the archaeological excavations in the cave in 2005 is 20 cm long and 3 cm in diameter. This early phallus statue, dated to approximately twenty-eight thousand years ago, is the oldest example of this sign. The production of the phallus indicator, which started with art, has continued uninterruptedly and in almost every geography and culture until today. (Wunn ve Urban 2015; Ellis 2009: 481)

Related Articles

Nearly 300-million-year-old Oldest known fossilized reptile skin found in Oklahoma cave resembles that of modern crocodiles

17 January 2024

17 January 2024

Paleontologists say they’ve identified and described the oldest fossilized reptile skin ever found. A team of paleontologists from the University...

Deadly 7.7 quakes hit Turkey destroys historical Gaziantep Castle

6 February 2023

6 February 2023

A deadly 7.7 magnitude earthquake that rocked the southern province of Kahramanmaraş, with tremors felt in the neighboring provinces, has...

Archaeologists uncover ancient mosaic of the living room of brutal Publius Vedius Pollio

13 December 2022

13 December 2022

In the Pausilypon Archaeological Park, archaeologists from the University of Naples’ “L’Orientale” uncovered an ancient mosaic. The park is located...

A Fig Dating Back Over 2,000 Years has been Discovered in North Dublin – A First of Its Kind for Ireland

28 November 2024

28 November 2024

The discovery of a fig dating back 2,000 years during an archaeological excavation of Drumanagh in north Dublin, has been...

The oldest evidence of human use of tobacco was discovered in Utah

11 October 2021

11 October 2021

According to recent research, burnt seeds discovered in the Utah desert suggest that humans used tobacco initially and that some...

2000-year-old dagger reveals the site of a long-forgotten battle between the Roman Empire and tribal warriors

16 December 2023

16 December 2023

In Switzerland, a volunteer archaeologist and dental student Lucas Schmid discovered in 2019 a 2000-year-old silver and brass dagger. It...

3D Scans reveal details of ‘unusual’ Roman burial ritual

6 June 2023

6 June 2023

Archaeologists at the University of York, have used 3D scans to study the Roman burial practice of pouring liquid gypsum...

Analysis of 13,000-Year-Old Bones Reveals Violent Raids in Prehistoric ‘Jebel Sahaba’

28 May 2021

28 May 2021

Since its discovery in the 1960s, the 13-millennium-old Jebel Sahaba cemetery (Nile Valley, Sudan) has been regarded as one of...

Scotland’s oldest tartan discovered in Highlands bog

1 April 2023

1 April 2023

According to new research, a piece of fabric discovered in a bog in the Scottish Highlands may be the oldest...

The unknown importance of Göllü Dağ on the route of the first humans’ Transition from Africa to Europe

4 October 2021

4 October 2021

The researches conducted in Göllü Dağ and its surroundings, located within the borders of Niğde province in Central Anatolia, and...

Traces of 9300-year-old settlement unearthed near Volcanic Cappadocia in central Turkey

28 August 2022

28 August 2022

During the most recent excavations at Sırçalıtepe Mound (Sırçalıtepe Höyük) in Türkiye’s central Niğde province, archaeologists discovered traces of a...

The human remains of 29 people buried as offerings in a pre-Inca temple were found at the Huaca Santa Rosa de Pucalá excavation site

23 October 2021

23 October 2021

The human remains of 29 people buried as sacrificial offerings have been discovered in a pre-Inca temple in northern Peru....

The tomb of the “Bird Oracle Markos” was found in the ancient city of Pergamon

31 August 2022

31 August 2022

During the excavations carried out in the Ancient City of Bergama, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List, the...

2.3-meter sword found in 4th-century tomb in Japan

27 January 2023

27 January 2023

The largest bronze mirror and the largest “dako” iron sword in Japan were discovered at the Tomio Maruyama burial mound...

Archaeological excavations started again after 50 years in Tunceli Tozkoparan mound

28 June 2021

28 June 2021

Archaeological excavations at the Tozkoparan Mound in Turkey’s Tunceli province are anticipated to turn the city into one of eastern...