Stone figurines reveal traces of prehistoric storytelling in Türkiye

ISTANBUL, Türkiye (MNTV) — A set of carved stone animal figurines unearthed in southeastern Türkiye is offering rare insights into how prehistoric communities conveyed stories, archaeologists have said.

The fox, vulture, and wild boar sculptures—dating back around 11,500 years—were discovered at the Karahantepe archaeological site in Şanlıurfa province, according to Daily Sabah.

Experts believe the arrangement of the figures marks the earliest known example of objects being deliberately placed to communicate a narrative.

“These artefacts demonstrate shared memory within a community, revealing the presence of storytellers and artists in Neolithic society,” said Necmi Karul, who leads excavations at Karahantepe, one of the world’s oldest known settlements.

The miniature carvings, each about 3.5 centimetres tall, were found in a stone-covered container within a larger vessel. 

Their heads were inserted into a limestone ring, a composition archaeologists say reflects intentional design rather than random placement.

Karul noted that earlier finds at Neolithic sites largely featured two-dimensional depictions carved into immovable structures, while the Karahantepe discovery represents a shift to three-dimensional narrative expression.

“Sedentism changed everything,” Karul explained, referring to the transition from hunter-gatherer lifestyles to permanent settlement. “These shared stories likely served as the social glue of the new order.”

The artefacts, first unearthed last year, are now on display at the Presidential Complex in Ankara alongside other objects from Karahantepe, which dates back to 9,500 BC.

Karahantepe spans 14 hectares but only a small portion has been excavated since work began in 2019. Archaeologists have uncovered circular communal structures, relief-decorated pillars, and even a human head carved directly into the bedrock.

Nearby Göbeklitepe, already listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, forms part of the wider “Taş Tepeler” (Stone Hills) project, which studies early Neolithic settlements across Şanlıurfa.

“Modern society often assumes it stands at the peak of human achievement,” Karul said. “But discoveries like these show how advanced people were in art and storytelling 11,000 to 12,000 years ago.”