Neolithic Figurines Uncovered in Northeastern Anatolia

ESKISEHIR, TURKEY—Four headless terracotta figurines have been unearthed at Kanlitaş Höyük, a Neolithic mound in northeastern Turkey, Türkiye Today reports. Ali Umut Türkcan of Anadolu University said that the artifacts, made in the Porsuk cultural tradition, were discovered in lower layers of fill in rectangular buildings at the site. He suggests that the heads may have been broken off the figurines when these buildings were ritually closed. The four baked clay sculptures all depict women. The largest measures almost five inches long, while the other three are just over two inches long. Similar figures have been found in other Neolithic settlements in Anatolia, but the ones found at Kanlitaş Höyük have a different shape, in which the hip area is emphasized. This shape has also been found in the Balkans, but dated to a later period, supporting the idea that the Porsuk cultural tradition may have traveled west. To read about animal figurines unearthed in a bowl at the site of Karahantepe, go to "Tales from the Neolithic," one of ARCHAEOLOGY's Top 10 Discoveries of 2025.

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Original author: Jessica Esther Saraceni