A bizarre, roughly 12,000-year-old statue from Sayburç has pronounced ribs, a mouth depicted as sewn shut, and mollusk-shell eyes. It was deliberately broken at the neck, a treatment also found on many statues at the site after their use. Pre-Pottery Neolithic A period, southeastern Türkiye.
New Sayburç statue has a mouth depicted as sewn shut and shell eyes
Site mentioned
📍 Sayburç🌍 Show on the globe
Key facts
- The statue was excavated at Sayburç in southeastern Türkiye in 2025 and dates to roughly 12,000 years ago, in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A period.
- It has pronounced ribs, a mouth depicted as sewn shut, and mollusk-shell representations for the eyes.
- Similar shell eyes occur on figures from the Levant.
- The statue was deliberately broken at the neck, and many other statues at Sayburç were intentionally broken after their use.
Sources
Ancient carving found in Turkey oldest of its kind | Miami Heraldmiamiherald.com
The Sayburç relief is the oldest narrative “scene” that has been discovered, giving researchers more insight into neolithic society. Photograph ...
The Sayburc Human Statue: A New Link Between Göbekli Tepe and ...karahantepe.net
A carved human statue with a rigid posture, clear rib markings, apparent shell-inlaid eyes, and a mouth that appears intentionally sewn. These ...
Sayburç - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
Sayburç is a Pre-Pottery Neolithic A (9th millennium BCE) archaeological site in Şanlıurfa, Turkey. The site is in the same geographical region as Göbekli ...
Archaeologists Have Discovered One of the World's Oldest Pieces of ...news.artnet.com
The 11000-year-old carving was found among the remains of a Neolithic communal structure in southeastern Turkey.
Scientists Uncovered a Spooky Figure With Its Mouth Stitched Closedpopularmechanics.com
It might be the face of an ancestor, or have had a ritual use that is still unknown. Because this and other figures discovered at Taş Tepeler ...
Ancient Statues In Turkey A 12000-year-old ...tt-coil.com
Ancient Statues In Turkey A 12000-year-old Statue Recently Discovered In Sayburç, It Features A 'stitched' Mouth And Eyes Filled With Mollusk ...
The Sayburç Sealed-Mouth Statue: A 2025 Neolithic Findsayburc.net
In 2025, excavators at Sayburç uncovered a statue of a figure with a sealed, stitched mouth — a striking clue to Neolithic ideas about death and memory.
Sayburc Archaeological Site Guide - Sayburçgoturkiye.com
The figure's pronounced ribcage, its mouth depicted as if sewn shut, and its eyes seemingly filled with shell-like elements present a uniquely expressive ...
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