Archaeologists in Turkey find evidence of ancient Stone Age civilization
2 May 22:45
Archaeologists in Turkey have found evidence of the existence of a Stone Age civilization, now known as the Tash Tepeler culture and considered the oldest in the world.
This was reported by the Independent, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
The civilization, which is about 11,500 years old, was probably the first in the world to develop monumental architecture, sophisticated sculpture, and advanced stone processing technologies.
The current discoveries are of great international importance.
It is believed that this was the first human culture to develop large settlements – embryonic cities with a population of up to a thousand people. So far, about 30 settlements have been discovered, and archaeologists expect to find at least 30 more.
Although two of these sites were excavated back in the 1990s, no one realized at the time that they represented a large and previously unknown ancient civilization.
The civilization, now known as the Tash Tepeler culture (literally “Stone Mounds”), also seems to have had a particular belief system centered on fertility.
It is more than twice as old as Ancient Egypt or even Stonehenge and almost five times as old as classical Greece.
The information obtained from the current excavations is likely to be important for understanding the origin of human civilization. The southeastern Turkish Stone Age culture that is now being discovered is important for three key reasons.
It is the oldest truly socially complex human culture ever discovered. Second, it is the oldest known example of monumental architecture and large settlements in human history.
Thirdly, it reflects the fragility of such cultures, because despite surviving for up to 1500 years, it declined and disappeared without a trace until its recent rediscovery.
The current research utilizes the expertise and resources of 33 academic institutions in Turkey and around the world. In addition to Turkish archaeologists, British, German, and Japanese scientists are involved in the research, and Chinese scientists will be assisting this summer.
