10 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

New Discovery at Karahan Tepe: The Figure of a Running Wild Donkey Carved on Stone

The figure of a running wild donkey carved on a stone was discovered during excavations at Karahan Tepe, a Pre-Pottery Neolithic site located in Şanlıurfa, southeast Türkiye.

Karahan Tepe is one of the Pre Pottery Neolithic Sites emerging in what is known as the Taş Tepeler Region of Southeast Turkey in the province of Şanlıurfa. Located just 23 miles (37 km) southeast of Göbekli Tepe, Karahantepe is part of the Taş Tepeler (Stone Hills) project.

Taş Tepeler simply means stone hills and is an apt description of a region producing numerous sites characterized by T-shaped anthropomorphic pillars of the type that first came to prominence at Göbekli Tepe.

2024 excavations continue in Karahan Tepe, where more than 250 obelisks in the ‘T’ shape were found. In this context, a depiction of a running wild donkey figure was uncovered on one of the stones paved on the floor.

Karahan Tepe Excavation Head Prof. Dr. Necmi Karul told AA correspondent that excavation works are continuing at 10 points including Karahan Tepe within the scope of the Taş Tepeler (Stone Hills) Project.

Stating that they have been working on other public buildings and huts around the central public building in Karahan Tepe this year and that they started to open one of them a few weeks ago, Karul said:

‘The building is sunken into the ground and has a wattle and daub roof system over a short stone wall. We understand that the floor was paved with large flat stones. Some of these stone pavements were used as grinding stones and on one of them we came across a wild donkey motif. There are animals that are decisive in the iconography of this period. We divide them into 2 categories. The first one is the animals whose eeriness is emphasised, and we see these especially on the obelisks. Another group consists of birds and the most consumed animals, among which the gazelle is the most popular. Wild donkeys are also among the other consumed animals. We can say that these animals were the animals that people were around, consumed and lived with during this period, compared to the scary ones. Similarly, this wild donkey is a figure placed in a base with grinding stones and carved in motion. In this respect, we have encountered some figures on building bases in Göbeklitepe before, but this is the first time we have encountered such a moving wild donkey motif. This is a find that will contribute a little more to our understanding of the animal iconography and the relationship between man and his environment.’

Photo: Minister of Culture and Tourism

Stating that the structures they are currently working on are places dating back to 11 thousand years ago, Karul pointed out that the presence of grinding stones in them indicates that daily life activities were also carried out here.

Stating that the presence of such animal depictions or obelisks in these places also proves that there are symbolic aspects, Karul said:

‘The donkey figure found is a figure of about 20 centimeters in length placed right next to the grinding stone, but the fact that it is mobile rather than its dimensions and that it is depicted in proportion to the stone on which it is carved, is again an indicator of the skill of the artists of this period. This is the first example we have encountered as a figure on the floors of buildings in Karahan Tepe. This, of course, shows that there may be similar ones. We have not yet reached the floor levels of many of the huts mentioned here. We are deepening them in different structures. There are other places where we will reach those levels.’

Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Minister of Culture and Tourism, shared on his social media account that Karahan Tepe sheds light on the depths of history as one of the most important settlements of the Neolithic Age and that the Stone Hills project continues to shed light on world history.

Cover Image: Minister of Culture and Tourism

Related Articles

Nearly 1,000-year-old Native American canoe recovered from Lake Waccamaw

18 April 2023

18 April 2023

A 1,000-year-old Waccamaw Indian dug canoe was retrieved from Lake Waccamaw near Wilmington, North Carolina after it was discovered by...

Roman-era chambers and clay offering vessels found in Antiocheia Ancient City, in southern Turkey

24 October 2022

24 October 2022

During excavations in southern Turkey’s ancient city of Antiocheia, archaeologists discovered late Roman-era chambers and clay offering vessels. Antakya, better...

Over 20 terracotta warriors have been discovered in the Terracotta Army pit in China

24 January 2022

24 January 2022

More than 20 Terracotta Warriors were unearthed from the Terracotta Army pit in Xi’an, northwest China’s Shaanxi province, according to...

The First Native Americans were Among the First Metal Miners in the World

20 March 2021

20 March 2021

An arrowhead made of pure copper 8,500 years ago dates the history of the copper age to an earlier period,...

19 funerary tombs from Roman times were discovered in Tartus, Syria

27 May 2022

27 May 2022

During search and excavation operations in the archaeological area of Amrit in Tartus, Syria, a joint excavation team from the...

Central Turkey’s largest Byzantine mosaic structure found

28 October 2021

28 October 2021

A 300-square-meter (3,330 square feet) ​floor mosaic belonging to the Late Roman-Early Byzantine period was discovered during excavation work in...

A 2900-year-old collection of fossilized shark teeth found in the City of David, one of Jerusalem’s oldest Parts

5 July 2021

5 July 2021

Scientists discovered an inexplicable collection of fossilized shark teeth at a 2900-year-old archaeological site in Jerusalem’s City of David, one...

2000-year-old Ancient Greek ‘graduate school yearbook’ carved in stone found

5 June 2022

5 June 2022

Historians have discovered that an ancient Greek inscription on a marble slab in the collection of the National Museums of...

Saudi Arabia’s “Gates of Hell” and Mysterious Structures

30 March 2024

30 March 2024

The region of Saudi Arabia, where the mysterious neolithic structures called the “Gates of Hell” are located, has around 400...

Places to Visit in Oman

6 February 2021

6 February 2021

There are many places to visit in Oman. In this article, we wanted to talk about a wonderful country that...

Archaeologists Unearth Prehistoric Fishing Evidence on the Makran Coast of Iran

20 May 2025

20 May 2025

The Makran coast, a historically rich coastal stretch along the Sea of Oman, has once again drawn archaeological attention with...

Danish museum says Vikings had stained glass Windows

15 October 2023

15 October 2023

New research shows that  Viking Age windows were created using stained glass in the 9th century, contrary to popular belief...

Remarkably Preserved Bronze Age Urns, Thousands of Years Old, Unearthed in Germany

13 May 2025

13 May 2025

What appeared to be an ordinary stretch of County Road 17 between the towns of Moisburg and Immenbeck has turned...

Well-Preserved Wooden Houses Over 2,000 Years Old Discovered in Zhejiang, China

15 March 2025

15 March 2025

In a remarkable archaeological find, researchers in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, China, have uncovered exceptionally well-preserved wooden houses dating back over...

Human Activity on Curaçao Began Centuries Earlier Than Previously Believed

28 March 2024

28 March 2024

New research co-led by Simon Fraser University and the National Archaeological Anthropological Memory Management (NAAM Foundation) in Curaçao extends the...