25 turtle figurines dating back 16,500 years found in Türkiye

Archaeologists have discovered around 25 turtle figurines believed to be up to 16,500 years old at an excavation site in northwestern Türkiye.

The objects were uncovered at the Gedikkaya Hill and In Cave Archaeological Excavation Site in the Inhisar district of Bilecik province.

Excavations were conducted between May 18 and July 18 by a 14-member team led by Professor Deniz Sari of Bilecik Seyh Edebali University's Department of Archaeology, on behalf of the Culture and Tourism Ministry.

The figurines were made from limestone, with some covered in clay. The largest measures approximately 30 centimeters long and 20 centimeters wide.

Radiocarbon dating of the archaeological context placed the finds between 14,500 and 11,200 BC, during the Epipaleolithic period. Researchers believe the figurines were produced for ritual purposes and deliberately placed inside the cave.

'Important cult and ritual site'

Sari said archaeological material inside the cave was first identified during surface surveys in 2017.

Rescue excavations were subsequently conducted under the direction of the Bilecik Museum between 2019 and 2023, before the university began work at the site this year under a presidential decree.

"The artifacts show us that this was an important cult and ritual area," Sari said. "The turtle figurines we discovered this year have added a new dimension to the ritual context of the cave."

Most of the figurines were roughly shaped, which researchers believe supports the theory that they were produced specifically for rituals rather than as finely crafted decorative objects.

Sari compared their placement with practices associated with Hidirellez, a traditional spring festival during which people write down wishes before burying or leaving them at symbolic locations.

"There is a circular architectural arrangement here. Around it, we found turtle figurines made from limestone, many of them incomplete or quickly shaped, inserted upright into the soil," she said.

Researchers are also examining whether prehistoric communities may have believed that Gedikkaya Hill itself resembled a turtle, possibly contributing to the development of a form of mountain worship.

Sari cautioned that it might be too early to definitively describe the site as evidence of a mountain cult, but said many of the small figurines appeared to have been intentionally shaped in the form of Gedikkaya Hill.

She added that turtle symbolism was widespread in the Natufian culture of the Near East and in earlier Upper Paleolithic communities.

Turtles have represented longevity and endurance in many cultures, which could also explain their ritual significance at the site, she said.

The figurines have been transferred to the Bilecik Museum and Bilecik Seyh Edebali University for examination and restoration.