Archaeologists digging at the Neolithic site of Çatalhöyük in Central Anatolia, Turkey, have discovered an ancient female figurine, about 8,000 years old.
8,000-year-old female figurine from Çatalhöyük, Central Anatolia, Turkey. Image credit: Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
The ancient figurine measures 6.7 inches (17 cm) long and weighs 2.2 pounds (1 kg), and was carved from a marmoreal stone.
The statuette was unearthed earlier this year by an international team led by Stanford University archaeologist Professor Ian Hodder.
The remarkable object is “considered unique due to its intact form and fine craftsmanship,” according to a statement from the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
The archaeologists said the figurine was probably used in rituals.
The ancient female figurine from Çatalhöyük. Image credit: Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
The site of Çatalhöyük where the figurine was found is one of the largest and best preserved Neolithic sites in the world.
It is located southeast of the modern Turkish city of Konya, about 90 miles from Mount Hasan.
The settlement was founded around 7500 BC and was inhabited for more than two millennia.
This is an artist’s impression of Çatalhöyük. Image credit: Dan Lewandowski.
The site was discovered in the early 1960s by British archaeologist James Mellaart.
Excavations at the site produced a huge number of artifacts and ancient structures including a 10-foot-wide wall painting of the town and two peaks, sometimes referred to as the world’s oldest map.
