Archaeologists have unearthed ancient structures in Turkey that could represent the world’s earliest human settlement.
The discovery was made at Mendik Tepe, near Göbekli Tepe, the 12,000-year-old site known for its monumental stone pillars and early rituals.
Experts noted that the new structures may predate Göbekli Tepe and are likely nearly 7,000 years older than Stonehenge, placing them at the very cusp of the Neolithic Revolution.
The site, located in the rural Payamlı neighborhood of Şanlıurfa’s Eyyübiye district, is part of a network of prehistoric settlements that are transforming our understanding of early human societies in the Fertile Crescent.
Unlike Göbekli Tepe, famous for its T-shaped pillars adorned with intricate carvings, Mendik Tepe features upright rectangular stones, suggesting a distinct architectural and cultural identity.
Since excavations began in 2024, the team has uncovered a range of oval-shaped structures, some with elaborate stone walls and fragments of decorated stone vessels.
These findings indicate a sophisticated society capable of complex construction and artistic expression.
Dr Necmi Karul, project coordinator, said: ‘Mendik Tepe is an extremely important site for understanding the first settlers in the region.’
The team uncovered buildings used for food storage, dwellings and ritual spaces
The structures vary significantly in size and function, offering clues to the social organization of these ancient communities.
Smaller buildings, measuring a few feet across, may have served practical purposes such as storage or food preparation, while medium-sized structures could have been dwellings.
Larger buildings, some reaching 13 to 16 feet in height, feature meticulous stonework that suggests ritual or communal significance.
Professor Douglas Baird, leading the excavations, highlighted a large structure’s stonework, noting it may have served a ritual or communal purpose.
Preliminary findings suggest Mendik Tepe may date to the earliest phases of the Neolithic period, potentially predating both Göbekli Tepe and Karahantepe, another nearby site known for its anthropomorphic pillars.
This chronology positions Mendik Tepe as a critical piece in understanding Neolithization, the process by which humans adopted agriculture and settled communities.
The Taş Tepeler Project, launched by Türkiye’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, encompasses a dozen Neolithic sites across Şanlıurfa, including Göbekli Tepe, Karahantepe, Çakmak Tepe, and Sayburç.
These sites, dating back approximately 11,500 years, are rewriting the history of human development by revealing evidence of monumental architecture, social institutions, and early plant cultivation.
Experts noted that the new structures may predate Göbekli Tepe and are likely at least 7,500 years older than Stonehenge, placing them at the very cusp of the Neolithic Revolution
Mendik Tepe’s discoveries challenge earlier assumptions that Göbekli Tepe was primarily a ritual site, as its mix of domestic and ceremonial structures suggests a more complex settlement pattern.
The presence of cereal processing and water management systems at nearby sites further indicates that these communities were experimenting with proto-agriculture, a precursor to the agricultural revolution.
‘This year, we will focus on understanding the functional differences between these structures,’ Professor Baird told AA.
‘Were the smaller ones for storage or food preparation? Were the larger ones residences or ritual spaces? These questions are key to unlocking the site’s story.’
Geographically, Mendik Tepe is a hill with an elevation of approximately 3,346 feet, located in a sparsely vegetated region with a Mediterranean climate.
The site is considered a precursor to Göbekli Tepe, which features monumental round, oval, and rectangular megalithic structures built by hunter-gatherers during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period, between 9,600 and 8,200 BCE.
The Göbekli Tepe site is the oldest man-made structure ever found.
It features T-shaped stones while the newly found sit was designed with smaller, rectangular stones
These monuments were likely associated with rituals, most probably of a funerary nature.
The distinctive T-shaped pillars, carved with depictions of wild animals, offer valuable insight into the lives and beliefs of people living in Upper Mesopotamia around 11,500 years ago.
Archaeologists recently identified the structures as an ancient calendar, making it the oldest in the world.
The findings suggested that ancient humans had accurate ways to keep time 10,000 years before it was documented in Ancient Greece in 150 BC.
The 2024 research also revealed carvings depicting a comet strike that triggered a 1,200-year mini ice age, leading to the extinction of large animals and spurring the development of agriculture and complex societies.
Experts said the memorialized event served as the defining moment that forced the ancient people to switch from hunter-gatherer lifestyles to more permanent settlements.
The site features several stone pillars, and after a recent analysis, researchers at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland concluded that one structure was carved to be a calendar.
In 2024, researchers found that Göbekli Tepe was constructed to be a calendar
The pillar featured a ‘V’ symbol to represent a single day, which the team found 365 etched throughout.
The structure also included 12 lunar months with 11 additional days.
The pillar was divided into two sections with rows of ‘V’ symbols at the top and smaller box symbols in the lower main portion, which shows a bird holding a circular disc symbol above a scorpion.
According to the study, published in Time and Mind, the pillar features a disc that represents the sun and the scorpion is representative of the Greek Scorpion constellation.
The team also identified a tall bird bending down toward a wriggling snake, which could depict the autumnal constellation Ophiuchus.
The discovery has suggested that people recorded dates using precession, the wobble in Earth’s axis which affects the movement of constellations across the sky.
