Archaeologists excavating a cave in northwestern Türkiye have discovered around 25 limestone turtle figurines dating back as far as 14,500 BC, providing rare evidence of ritual practices among prehistoric communities at the end of the last Ice Age.
The figurines were uncovered at İn Cave, near Gedikkaya Hill in the İnhisar district of Bilecik Province, during excavations led by Professor Deniz Sarı of Bilecik Şeyh Edebali University.
Radiocarbon dating indicates that the objects were created between approximately 14,500 BC and 11,200 BC, placing them within the Epipalaeolithic period.
25 Turtle Figurines Unearthed
A 14-member archaeological team conducted excavations at the site between 18 May and 18 July.
Around 25 turtle-shaped objects were recovered. Most were fashioned from limestone, while some had also been covered with clay.
The largest measures approximately 30 centimetres long and 20 centimetres wide.
Evidence of archaeological material inside the cave was first identified during surface surveys in 2017. Rescue excavations subsequently took place between 2019 and 2023 under the direction of the Bilecik Museum.
The latest discoveries, however, have provided researchers with stronger evidence that the cave served a ceremonial rather than purely domestic purpose.
“The artefacts unearthed showed us that this is an important cult and ritual area,” Sarı said. “With the turtle figurines we found this year, the ritual context of the cave has been taken to a different dimension.”
Figurines Found Around Circular Structures
Many of the turtles appear crudely or hastily fashioned, with some seemingly left unfinished.
Rather than viewing the rough craftsmanship simply as a lack of skill, archaeologists believe it could provide clues about why the objects were created.
The figurines were discovered inserted into the ground around architectural features forming circular arrangements inside the cave.
Sarı suggested they may have been created specifically for ceremonies before being deliberately placed in the ground, rather than being intended as carefully finished decorative objects.
He compared the practice with much later traditions in which people create simple objects or written wishes as part of vows or ceremonies before depositing or burying them.
Did Prehistoric People See the Hill as a Turtle?
Researchers are also examining a more unusual possibility: that prehistoric inhabitants interpreted the shape of Gedikkaya Hill itself as resembling a turtle.
Sarı said some of the smaller objects appear to have been deliberately designed in a form reminiscent of the hill.
If confirmed, the connection could indicate an early form of reverence associated with the surrounding landscape — potentially what archaeologists describe as a mountain cult.
However, Sarı cautioned that it remains too early to establish such an interpretation conclusively.
Turtle symbolism is already known from other prehistoric societies, including the Natufian culture of the Near East and even earlier Upper Palaeolithic contexts.
Across numerous later cultures, turtles became associated with qualities such as longevity and resilience, although establishing whether prehistoric communities at İn Cave attributed similar meanings to the animal will require further research.
Rare Window Into Ice Age Rituals
The dating of the figurines makes the discovery particularly significant.
The period between 14,500 BC and 11,200 BC predates agriculture and the emergence of the earliest large permanent settlements in much of the region. Communities were still predominantly hunter-gatherers, but archaeological discoveries increasingly show that they could develop sophisticated symbolic and ceremonial traditions.
The turtle figurines and their deliberate arrangement could therefore provide researchers with an unusual glimpse into the beliefs of people who inhabited Anatolia thousands of years before the rise of the region’s first cities and civilisations.
The artefacts have been transferred to the Bilecik Museum and Bilecik Şeyh Edebali University, where they will undergo further examination, conservation and restoration.
Sources : AA
