Archaeologists excavating the prehistoric site of Karahantepe in southeastern Türkiye have discovered an extraordinary 11,000-year-old stone sculpture depicting a human figure seated on the back of a leopard, adding another remarkable find to a region transforming our understanding of early Neolithic societies.
The sculpture, measuring approximately 70 centimetres (28 inches) long, was uncovered during the 2026 excavation season at Karahantepe, near Şanlıurfa.
Türkiye’s Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced the discovery on Tuesday, describing the artefact as a “composite sculpture” representing a style not previously encountered at the site.
The unusual scene appears to show a human figure positioned on the back of a leopard, bringing together human and animal imagery in a single sculptural composition.
Its meaning remains uncertain, but the discovery is expected to generate new debate over the symbolism, beliefs and social practices of communities living in the region more than 10,000 years ago.
Sculpture Found Inside Prehistoric Structure
Archaeologists discovered the sculpture positioned on a bench running along the wall of a circular structure approximately three metres (10 feet) in diameter.
The building’s floor had been carefully paved using flat stones.
Its placement within an architectural setting could prove important as researchers attempt to understand both the purpose of the sculpture and the activities that took place inside the structure.
Ersoy said the discovery opens the door to new questions concerning the earliest periods of human history and predicted that it would have a significant impact within the scientific community.
Excavations are being conducted as part of Türkiye’s “Heritage to the Future” programme, an initiative aimed at expanding archaeological research, conservation and preservation across the country.
Karahantepe and the Mysterious ‘Stone Hills’
Karahantepe lies approximately 30 kilometres (19 miles) from Göbeklitepe, one of the world’s most famous prehistoric archaeological sites.
Both belong to a much larger concentration of Neolithic settlements in southeastern Türkiye collectively known as Taş Tepeler, or the “Stone Hills”.
More than a dozen archaeological sites form part of the wider project.
Dating back more than 10,000 years, they represent a crucial period in human history when communities were moving away from mobile hunter-gatherer lifestyles and developing increasingly settled ways of living.
The monumental architecture and sophisticated artwork emerging from these sites have provided evidence that early Neolithic communities were capable of organising major construction projects and creating elaborate symbolic imagery long before the development of cities, writing and later complex states.
A Region Transforming Prehistoric Archaeology
Göbeklitepe remains the best known of the Stone Hills sites.
Although first identified during archaeological surveys in the 1960s, extensive excavations beginning in the 1990s revealed monumental enclosures containing enormous T-shaped stone pillars, many decorated with carvings of animals and other symbols.
The site’s antiquity and sophisticated monumental architecture challenged traditional ideas about the relationship between permanent settlement, agriculture, ritual activity and organised society.
Karahantepe has subsequently emerged as another major piece of this prehistoric puzzle.
Systematic excavations began there in 2019, revealing monumental buildings alongside an extraordinary collection of human and animal representations.
These discoveries have demonstrated that Göbeklitepe was not an isolated phenomenon. Instead, it formed part of a much broader cultural landscape stretching across the Şanlıurfa region.
Humans and Wild Animals
The newly discovered leopard sculpture is particularly intriguing because representations of animals are a prominent feature of Neolithic art from the region.
Wild creatures appear repeatedly in sculpture and carved stone, sometimes alongside highly stylised representations of people.
The Karahantepe discovery is unusual because it combines the two directly, apparently portraying a person physically positioned upon the animal.
Exactly what the scene represented to the people who created it approximately 11,000 years ago remains unknown.
It could eventually provide new evidence for how early Neolithic communities understood relationships between humans, dangerous wild animals and the symbolic world around them. Any interpretation, however, will require further archaeological study and consideration of the sculpture’s precise context.
New Questions About the Neolithic World
Karahantepe and the wider Stone Hills region are becoming increasingly important for understanding one of the most profound transformations in human history.
During the early Neolithic period, communities across Southwest Asia underwent major changes in settlement, subsistence and social organisation. The discoveries around Şanlıurfa show that sophisticated architecture and symbolic expression were already integral parts of these societies.
Sources : AA
