GGöbekli Tepe Visit

MOTIF RECORD · 3 OBJECT RECORDS · CHECKED 2026-10-22

Wild boar carvings at Göbekli Tepe and Karahan Tepe

Named wild-boar depictions appear on Pillar 27, the painted statue from Structure D and animals associated with a nested vessel assemblage at Karahan Tepe.

Interpretive note: Descriptions retain the wording and uncertainty of the cited sources; a motif tag records a described depiction, not an agreed meaning. Sources: Göbekli Tepe: The Imagery of the Pillars in the Monumental Buildings A–D, F and H 2025Tarihin Sıfır Noktasında İlk Boyalı Heykel Bulundu 2023‘The Earliest 3D Story’: Necmi Karul on Karahantepe’s Latest Discoveries 2025

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Göbekli Tepe · pillar · CHECKED 2026-10-22

Pillar 27

Enclosure C · PPNA, Layer III

Record sources: Göbekli Tepe – The first 20 Years of ResearchGöbekli Tepe: The Imagery of the Pillars in the Monumental Buildings A–D, F and H

Close view of a crouching feline carved in projecting relief on the stone face of Pillar 27.
Pillar 27: A feline predator relief on Pillar 27 at Göbekli Tepe.Photo: Dosseman, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsPhoto credits & licences

Depiction in cited source: A wild boar appears in lower relief below the predator. Göbekli Tepe: The Imagery of the Pillars in the Monumental Buildings A–D, F and H 2025

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Göbekli Tepe · statue · CHECKED 2026-10-22

Painted wild boar statue

Structure D (excavation context) · PPNB, c. 9th millennium BC (reported by excavators)

Record sources: First painted statue discovered at GöbeklitepePainted boar sculpture from Göbekli TepeŞanlıurfa Archaeology Museum (visitor and collection page)

Painted wild boar statue
No licensed photograph of this object is in the image register.

Depiction in cited source: The limestone statue is identified as a wild boar. Tarihin Sıfır Noktasında İlk Boyalı Heykel Bulundu 2023

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Karahan Tepe · object · CHECKED 2026-10-22

Nested stone vessel with fox, vulture and wild boar figures

Recovered in a nested vessel assemblage; context reported from excavations but awaiting full excavation publication. · Neolithic; an object-specific calibrated date has not been published.

Record sources: ‘The Earliest 3D Story’: Necmi Karul on Karahantepe’s Latest DiscoveriesTop 10 Discoveries of 2025: Tales from the Neolithic

Nested stone vessel with fox, vulture and wild boar figures
No licensed photograph of this object is in the image register.

Depiction in cited source: The vessel figures are identified by excavation director Necmi Karul as including a wild boar. ‘The Earliest 3D Story’: Necmi Karul on Karahantepe’s Latest Discoveries 2025

Interpretations recorded for this object

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Related glossary term

Wild boar motif — Wild boars appear on carved pillars and in sculpture, including the painted Göbekli Tepe statue and imagery associated with Enclosure C. Motifs do not provide a decoded narrative on their own.

Sources: Göbekli Tepe: The Imagery of the Pillars in the Monumental Buildings A–D, F and HRelationality, Immanence, Hierarchy: The Nature and Culture of Being(s) at Göbekli TepeTarihin Sıfır Noktasında İlk Boyalı Heykel Bulundu

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Sources

Source wording is attached to individual records above. The register includes sources used for depiction evidence and attributed interpretations.

  1. Göbekli Tepe: The Imagery of the Pillars in the Monumental Buildings A–D, F and HGerman Archaeological Institute / Reichert Verlag · 2025 · scholarly-monograph · retrieved 2026-10-22
  2. Tarihin Sıfır Noktasında İlk Boyalı Heykel BulunduT.C. Ministry of Culture and Tourism press office · 2023 · official-press-release · retrieved 2026-10-22
  3. ‘The Earliest 3D Story’: Necmi Karul on Karahantepe’s Latest DiscoveriesTheCollector, interview with Necmi Karul · 2025 · field-interview · retrieved 2026-10-22
  4. Göbekli Tepe – The first 20 Years of ResearchGerman Archaeological Institute · 2016 · excavator · retrieved 2026-10-22
  5. Painted boar sculpture from Göbekli TepeTepe Telegrams, DAI · 2023 · excavator · retrieved 2026-10-22
  6. Şanlıurfa Archaeology Museum (visitor and collection page)Ministry of Culture and Tourism · official · retrieved 2026-10-22
  7. Top 10 Discoveries of 2025: Tales from the NeolithicArchaeology Magazine · 2026 · archaeology-reporting · retrieved 2026-10-22
  8. Relationality, Immanence, Hierarchy: The Nature and Culture of Being(s) at Göbekli TepeE. D. Yurttaş, Cambridge Archaeological Journal · 2025 · peer-reviewed · retrieved 2026-10-22

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