Archaeologists have uncovered 12 human skulls at Sefertepe, a major site in southeastern Turkey’s Taş Tepeler Project. The remains, dated to more than 10,500 years ago, add to evidence that the settlement served as a center of ritual practices during the Neolithic era.
The excavations are led by Assoc. Prof. Emre Güldoğan of Istanbul University’s Department of Prehistoric Archaeology, under the “Şanlıurfa Neolithic Age Research – Taş Tepeler Project” initiated by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
Expanding the “skull room”
Last year, archaeologists uncovered a chamber at Sefertepe known as the “skull room,” where 31 skulls and fragments were recovered. This season, the team found eight additional skulls in the same chamber and four more in a nearby cell. The discoveries raise the total significantly and suggest a long-term tradition of ritual activity.
🚨 BREAKING: Archaeologists in Şanlıurfa’s Sefertepe have unearthed 12 human skulls, dating back about 10,500 years. Found in two chambers—eight in the “skull room” and four elsewhere—all part of the Neolithic Tas Tepeler Project. Previous finds include 31 skulls ranging from… pic.twitter.com/487L2ome3H
— History Content (@HistContent) September 14, 2025
This year’s work involves 39 specialists, students, and workers across six trenches, Güldoğan explained. “Each new find strengthens our understanding of the cultural and social networks of the Neolithic age. Sefertepe is proving to be a key site in understanding not only architecture but also the symbolic world of these communities.”
Anthropological findings
Prof. Dr. Yılmaz Selim Erdal of Hacettepe University is studying the skulls. Previous analysis of last year’s samples revealed individuals ranging from infants as young as six months to adults around 40 years old.
Şanlıurfa Sefertepe kazılarında 12 insan kafatası bulundu:
📌 Kafataslarının yaklaşık 10 bin 500 yıl öncesine ait olduğu belirlendi.
📌 Kafataslarının, 6 aylık bebekten 40 yaşındaki yetişkinlere kadar farklı yaş gruplarına ait olduğu bildirildi. pic.twitter.com/keHZSWqjgo— Onedio (@onediocom) September 14, 2025
Erdal said the wide age range indicates the remains were not tied to a single catastrophic event but reflected ritual practices carried out over generations. Researchers believe this supports the interpretation of Sefertepe as a ritual hub, much like its sister site Göbeklitepe, where ancestor worship and symbolic traditions played a central role.
Architecture, farming, and restoration
Excavations have also exposed the floor of a special building associated with the skulls. The bedrock had been deliberately leveled, and carved pits suggest the structure was designed for ceremonial use. Restoration work continues on broken standing stones found in earlier seasons, thought to have been used in rituals similar to those at Göbeklitepe.
This year, researchers also began botanical studies at Sefertepe to investigate early plant use and the beginnings of agriculture. The work could shed light on how local hunter-gatherer groups transitioned into settled farming communities.
A wider cultural network
Sefertepe is one of 12 sites in the Taş Tepeler, or “Stone Hills,” Project in Şanlıurfa. Together, these sites, dating between 9,000 and 12,000 years ago, represent the earliest known examples of monumental ritual architecture.
While Göbeklitepe is often called the “zero point of history,” archaeologists say Sefertepe is emerging as a key location in its own right. The discoveries suggest it was part of a broader cultural landscape where interconnected communities shared architecture, belief systems, and rituals.
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