GGöbekli Tepe Visit

OBJECT RECORD · REPORTED · CHECKED 2026-10-22

Seated human statue with emphasized ribs and spine

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 nowFound fixed into a bench within a building at Karahan Tepe.
DiscoveredAnnounced 30 September 2023.
DatingNeolithic; the public announcements give no calibrated date for this statue.
DimensionsReported as 2.3 m high by the Ministry and Anadolu Agency; a Stockholm University summary gives 2.45 m.

What is carved

A seated human figure has emphasized ribs, spine and shoulder bones. A vulture sculpture in a nearby wall and stone plates on the floor were reported in the same area.

[1][2]

Interpretations

Scholarly debate

The Ministry said the emphasized ribs and spine evoke a dead person, while the upright seated pose can also suggest a living person; this is an interpretive reading.

[1][2]

By T.C. Ministry of Culture and Tourism, relayed by Anadolu Agency

Glossary

Related Field Log entries

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

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