12.000-Years-Old Younger Dryas Site of Çakmaktepe

Precisely 60 km due west of Karahan Tepe is one of the 12 Tas Tepeler sites of SE Anatolia, a site with origins older than Göbeklitepe, Karahantepe, Harbetsuvan Tepesi, Sefer Tepe and Sayburç.

This is Cakmaktepe, an early Pre-Pottery Neolithic A site that was discovered using satellite image analysis in 2021. In the same year it was discovered, excavation work began, a joint project by archaeologists from Çukurova University and Şanlıurfa Museum, part of the Tas Tepeler Project. In 2022, the University of Tsukuba, Japan, was also included in the excavations.


I made a video on this long-lost settlement 2 years ago, but with more excavation and new published information, I thought it was time to re-visit Cakmaktepe, and give you an up-to-date overview of this very important site.


00:00 - Introduction

02:59 - Çakmaktepe: Location and Size

04:33 - Ancient Dwellings & Enclosures

05:46 - Special Purpose Buildings

07:26 - Wooden Pillars not Stone T-Shapes

09:07 - Animal Skull Rituals

09:43 - Finds and Artefacts

11:22 - Concluding Remarks



Matt Sibson
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