DistantNews
Support us
🇮🇱 Israel /Culture & Society

More Than 20 Stone Age Turtle Figurines Found in Turkish Cave, Report Says

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • About 25 limestone turtle figurines were discovered in a cave at Turkey’s Gedikkaya Hill and are believed to date back as far as 16,500 years.
  • Researchers say the roughly shaped and sometimes incomplete objects, some covered in clay, may have served ritual purposes during the Epipaleolithic period.
  • Archaeologists are examining whether the figurines’ arrangement reflects beliefs that the hill resembled a turtle, while cautioning that it is too early to call the site a mountain cult.

About 25 limestone turtle figurines, some of them incomplete and roughly shaped, have been found inside a cave at Gedikkaya Hill in northwestern Turkey. Researchers believe the objects may be up to 16,500 years old.

Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported that radiocarbon dating places the finds in the Epipaleolithic period, between 14,500 and 11,200 BCE. Several figurines were covered in clay. The largest measures about 30 centimeters long and 20 centimeters wide.

Deniz Sari of Bilecik Seyh Edebali University identified the cave as an archaeological site during surface surveys in 2017. Excavations followed in 2019 and 2023, and current work is being conducted under a presidential decree by a team led by Sari.

The artifacts show us that this was an important cult and ritual area. The turtle figurines we discovered this year have added a new dimension to the ritual context of the cave.

· Deniz SariThe archaeologist’s assessment of the figurines and the cave’s possible ritual use.

“The artifacts show us that this was an important cult and ritual area,” Sari said. “The turtle figurines we discovered this year have added a new dimension to the ritual context of the cave.” Researchers found a circular architectural arrangement in the cave, with limestone turtle figurines placed upright in the soil around it.

The team is also examining whether prehistoric communities thought Gedikkaya Hill resembled a turtle, possibly linking the site to mountain worship. Sari said it was too early to describe the location as a mountain cult, but noted that many figurines had been intentionally placed in the form of the hill. The objects were transferred to the Bilecik Museum and Bilecik Seyh Edebali University for examination and restoration.

There is a circular architectural arrangement here [in the cave]. Around it, we found turtle figurines made from limestone, many of them incomplete or quickly shaped, inserted upright into the soil.

· Deniz SariDescription of the arrangement in which researchers found the figurines.
About this summary

Originally published by Jerusalem Post in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog