Çayönü
Türkiye · Diyarbakır
In brief
Çayönü near Ergani is a key site for research into the Near Eastern Neolithic, with traces of settlement beginning around 10000 BC. Excavations document changes in architecture, early settled life and burial practices.
What was found?
- 1Burial from the Channelled Buildings Phase
The burial, dated to 9000–8800 BC, was found at the western edge of a building belonging to the Channelled Buildings Phase. It documents that areas around buildings were also used for burial during the Neolithic period.
- 2Human burials beneath house floors
Ancient DNA analyses of individuals buried in the same houses have shown that they were mostly close relatives. This group of finds allows family ties in early village life to be investigated.
- 3Skull with traces of trepanation
This is an example of trepanation showing intervention on the skull. It is among the early evidence of practices involving the body in Neolithic communities.
- 4Early Bronze Age jar and cist graves
The graves dated to 2950–2900 BC include jar burials and cist graves with stone covers. They show that different forms of burial were used during the same period.
- 5Grave vessels and offering pits
Nine complete vessels were found inside the graves. The placement of an additional five complete vessels in one of two nearby offering pits also documents offering practices outside the graves.
What does it point to?
According to researchers, the fact that people buried in the same houses were mostly close relatives shows the importance of family ties in social organization. The Early Bronze Age graves and vessel offerings reveal that the site also witnessed burial and ritual practices in much later periods.
What did it teach us?
- Ancient DNA analyses have revealed that close biological kinship was common among Neolithic burials within the same house.
- The genetic data show that the Çayönü community interacted with people from surrounding regions.
- Jar, cist, and simple pit graves document the concurrent use of multiple burial forms in the Early Bronze Age.
- The pits containing vessels outside the graves show that offerings were not placed solely inside graves.
Images
Videos
Record
- Culture
- Neolithic communities of Upper Mesopotamia
- First modern dig
- 1964
- Team / historical
- Savaş Sarıaltun / Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University
- Coordinates
- 38.2181°, 39.7255°
Sources
Nearby excavations
- Nemrut Dağ 90 km
- Zerzevan Castle 96 km
- Arslantepe Mound 120 km
- Karahantepe 131 km
- Göbekli Tepe 131 km
- Sayburç 157 km
- —
- —
- 12.000
From beneath the soil: latest discoveries
- 2,600-year-old mudbrick structure identified beneath the city of Buto in Egypt
The walls of a large mudbrick structure identified through satellite and geophysical surveys were confirmed by a trial excavation. According to the researchers, a layer of sand placed beneath the foundations may have helped protect the structure in the waterlogged ground of the Nile Delta.
Heritage Daily ↗ · Excavation notebook - Celtic woman's grave containing jewelry and animal remains found in Germany
A woman's skeleton, heavy bronze anklets, a sapropelite arm ring, and the remains of a lamb or kid were found in the grave in Bavaria. According to the researchers, placing the animal in the grave as a food offering represents an unusual example of Celtic funerary practices in the region.
Arkeofili ↗ - Cupboard containing personal belongings, childhood amulets and coins found in Pompeii
Grooming items, 38 bronze coins and a necklace made up of at least 24 amulets were found in a cupboard in a house in Pompeii that had remained closed since the eruption in AD 79. The preservation of these objects together provides detailed information about everyday life and personal mementos in Roman times.
Arkeofili ↗ · Excavation notebook - Lead seal of a bishop named Stefan found in Croatia
Excavations on the islet of Lukovac uncovered a document seal bearing the name Stefan and the title of bishop in Latin. According to the researchers, the seal, tentatively dated to the 6th–7th centuries, offers rare evidence of early church administration in a region with limited written sources.
Heritage Daily ↗ - Roman-period sarcophagus of a child buried with toys found in Romania
A wheeled toy horse, a rooster-shaped rattle, jewelry and organic remains were recovered from a sealed child’s sarcophagus dating back approximately 1,800 years in the ancient city of Tomis. The preservation of wooden coffin fragments and the shroud also offers a rare opportunity to study child burials in Roman times.
HeritageDaily ↗ - Roman-period grave found in the seating area of the ancient theater in Gölyazı
A tile-covered grave dating to the 1st century AD and containing cremated human remains was uncovered in the theater of Apollonia ad Rhyndacum. Why the burial took place in the theater despite the city having a separate cemetery remains unknown; the find raises new questions about the use of public spaces.
Arkeofili ↗ - Marble portrait of Antinoos and 13 inscriptions found at Teos
A marble portrait of Antinoos and 13 inscriptions on reused stone blocks were found around the Temple of Roma and Augustus at Teos. The inscriptions shed light on the city’s political and legal relations, while researchers say the portrait and inscription fragments show that the temple was also connected to the cult of Antinoos.
Arkeofili ↗ · Excavation notebook - New prehistoric settlement identified on the shore of the Dardanelles
A newly published study presented Yaylatepe Höyük, identified during surface surveys in 2024, and its pottery spanning the end of the Late Chalcolithic to the beginning of the Late Bronze Age for the first time. According to the researcher, the settlement, which has a visual connection with Asartepe on the opposite shore, contributes to understanding prehistoric coastal connections along the strait.
Arkeoloji Dergisi ↗
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