GGöbekli Tepe Visit

OBJECT RECORD · REPORTED · CHECKED 2026-10-22

Nested stone vessel with fox, vulture and wild boar figures

Karahan Tepe

Overview of the excavated area at Karahan Tepe.
Site view at Karahan Tepe: Overview of the excavated area at Karahan Tepe.Photo: Frantisek Trampota, Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsPhoto credits & licences
View of Karahan Tepe.
Site view at Karahan Tepe: View of Karahan Tepe.Photo: Campels, CC0, via Wikimedia CommonsPhoto credits & licences
T-shaped pillars in an excavated building at Karahan Tepe.
Site view at Karahan Tepe: T-shaped pillars in an excavated building at Karahan Tepe.Photo: tobeytravels, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsPhoto credits & licences
Bedrock pillars and a carved head in Structure AB at Karahan Tepe.
Site view at Karahan Tepe: Bedrock pillars and a carved head in Structure AB at Karahan Tepe.Photo: tobeytravels, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsPhoto credits & licences
A porthole stone and pillar-like sculpture at Karahan Tepe.
Site view at Karahan Tepe: A porthole stone and pillar-like sculpture at Karahan Tepe.Photo: tobeytravels, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsPhoto credits & licences
A fox relief carved on a pillar in Structure AD at Karahan Tepe.
Site view at Karahan Tepe: A fox relief carved on a pillar in Structure AD at Karahan Tepe.Photo: tobeytravels, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsPhoto credits & licences
A seated human statue from Karahan Tepe in the Şanlıurfa Archaeology Museum.
Site view at Karahan Tepe: A seated human statue from Karahan Tepe in the Şanlıurfa Archaeology Museum.Photo: Marco Restano, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsPhoto credits & licences
A carved head from Karahan Tepe in the Şanlıurfa Archaeology Museum.
Site view at Karahan Tepe: A carved head from Karahan Tepe in the Şanlıurfa Archaeology Museum.Photo: Marco Restano, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsPhoto credits & licences
Stone objects from Karahan Tepe displayed in the Şanlıurfa Archaeology Museum.
Site view at Karahan Tepe: Stone objects from Karahan Tepe displayed in the Şanlıurfa Archaeology Museum.Photo: Marco Restano, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsPhoto credits & licences
A stone stela from Karahan Tepe in the Şanlıurfa Archaeology Museum.
Site view at Karahan Tepe: A stone stela from Karahan Tepe in the Şanlıurfa Archaeology Museum.Photo: Marco Restano, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsPhoto credits & licences
A weathered stone figure of a person bent forward beneath a leopard, shown in close-up.
Site view at Karahan Tepe: The Karahantepe sculpture labelled “Human Carrying a Leopard on Back” at the Şanlıurfa Archaeology Museum.Photo: Dosseman, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsPhoto credits & licences

Record

SiteKarahan Tepe
Location nowRecovered in a nested vessel assemblage; context reported from excavations but awaiting full excavation publication.
DiscoveredAnnounced in 2025 reporting.
DatingNeolithic; an object-specific calibrated date has not been published.
DimensionsReported measurements vary slightly: about 1.3 inches (3.3 cm) to about 4 cm each.

What is carved

A lidded small stone vessel nested within a larger one contained figures identified by excavation director Necmi Karul as a fox, vulture and wild boar. Each figure’s head was set in a small stone ring.

[1][2]

Interpretations

Speculation

Karul described the arrangement as an intentional three-dimensional narrative. No specific story has been deciphered, and this remains a field interpretation.

[1][2]

By Necmi Karul, in a 2025 interview and field reporting

Glossary

Related Field Log entries

Continue through the record: Glossary · Chronology · Show Karahan Tepe on the map · Plan a visit

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