Archaeologists working in southeastern Türkiye have uncovered a 10,000-year-old settlement that may reshape current theories about how and when humans began living in permanent communities. The site, known as Şika Rika 5, lies in the limestone foothills of Tur Abdin in Mardin province—an area previously little explored compared with the well-studied valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates.
The discovery, led by archaeologist Ergül Kodaş of Mardin Artuklu University, dates to the late Epipalaeolithic and Pre-Pottery Neolithic periods, roughly between 12,000 and 10,000 years ago. This era marks a critical transition in human history, when mobile hunter-gatherer groups began adopting more settled ways of life. The findings have been published in the journal Antiquity.
Şika Rika 5 is not an isolated thing. Surveys conducted since 2022 have identified at least 20 prehistoric settlements spread across nearby hills, all within a few hundred metres of each other.
These sites are constructed on artificial mounds, or höyük; layers of human settlement have been present at each site over time. At Şika Rika 5, clear circular structures have been identified, and they may be the remains of long-term habitation.
Material remains from the site provide insight into the daily lives of its inhabitants. Stone tools made primarily from flint dominate the assemblage, alongside smaller quantities of obsidian, a volcanic glass likely sourced from distant regions. This indicates the presence of exchange networks connecting communities across considerable distances.
Among the most notable finds are numerous small, finely crafted tools known as “lunates”, used in composite implements such as knives or projectile points. Their abundance suggests a sophisticated technological tradition.
Grinding stones and pestles have also been discovered, indicating the processing of wild cereals, legumes, and other plant resources. Together with animal bone remains, these finds point to a mixed subsistence strategy combining hunting, gathering, and early forms of plant exploitation.
The site also yielded ornamental beads and other artefacts, hinting at symbolic or social practices within the community. All recovered materials are currently housed in the Mardin Museum.
The broader region of southeastern Anatolia is already recognised as a key area for studying the origins of sedentary societies. Major sites such as Göbekli Tepe and Boncuklu Tarla have demonstrated that complex social organisation emerged earlier than once believed. The discovery of Şika Rika 5 adds further depth to this picture, highlighting a dense network of settlements during a pivotal period of human development.
Importantly, the findings dispel the myth that sedentary lives started only after the advent of agriculture. It is suggested from Şika Rika 5 that some people formed semi-permanent or even permanent settlements before they developed farming practices themselves.
In this scenario to some extent, sedentarism likely came on over time that benefited from the heavy use of local resources, only to be followed by agriculture later. Şika Rika 5 has helped paint a very different picture of one of the major changes in population development in human life from one point of movement to one of home life.
Header Image Credit : E. Kodaş
Sources : Mardin Artuklu University
