Due to low water levels in the Atatürk Dam reservoir in Adyaman, a monumental Pre-Pottery Neolithic (PPN) archaeological site has emerged in the area, providing important new evidence related to the ‘Tas Tepeler’ (Stone Hills) cultural phenomenon. The site has been exposed due to a significant drop in water levels within the reservoir basin and contains important findings, including ritual construction and T-shaped stone pillars, which were built before the arrival of permanent urban civilization. Archaeologists from Adhyaman University and local museum personnel have begun to carry out immediate rescue operation activities on these artefacts, so that they can once again document the contents before they sink into the water. According to the study published in The Archaeologist, the discovery provides evidence that these sophisticated symbolic and architectural traditions, previously thought to have existed only in Gobeklitepe, actually extended across the Euphrates Basin and thus represent a larger geographic area than previously recognized as having potential Neolithic activity. Therefore, the information provided by this site is important for expanding knowledge of the Neolithic period and dramatically changes the perspective of this region as one of the original areas of human ritual and social complexity.
A structure from the Neolithic period was discovered turkey
After experiencing a significant recession in the level of its reservoir, archaeologists from the Adyaman Museum Directorate have discovered T-shaped stone pillars near the village of Kızılöz in the Samsat district. Mustafa Celik, deputy director of the Adyaman Museum, said, ‘There is evidence that these monuments were originally buried two to three meters deep and have now been exposed due to erosion by the dam water.’ According to experts, these pillars and associated courtyards are typical of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period, estimated to be around 11,000 years old.
architectural identity of tas tepeler culture
Adyaman University professor Dr. Sabahattin Ezer said the structures represent evidence of the ‘Tas Tepeler’ culture, which is characterized by a large number of monumental, human-shaped, vertically oriented, stone columns in the area. The same type of shallow, hole-shaped construction, surrounded by large, flat, rectangular stones, with a T-shaped pillar in the middle, was described as a ‘ritual centre’ located at Sanliurfa. The findings suggest that the cultural influence of the ‘Stone Hills’ extended further north into the Euphrates River corridor than other previously documented archaeological sites.
Rescue operations and conservation efforts at the Ataturk Dam site
Being within the reservoir area, the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism has classified the site as a ‘rescue excavation’. Fluctuations in dam levels pose a risk of additional erosion or permanent inundation by water. To preserve and display many of the movable artifacts, archaeologists have moved them to the ancient city of Pere. Meanwhile, archaeologists are working rapidly to document the remaining structures before the water rises to its maximum pool height.