Taş Tepeler, the “Stone Hills,” consist of early Pre-

Neolithic mound sites that span the 10th to early 7th millennia BCE, located near the modern-day city of Şanlıurfa. Taş Tepeler includes many other sites of immense archaeological significance. Recent discoveries include monumental pillars, human and animal figures, stone vessels, and circular enclosures. The complexes collectively represent one of the most important regions for examining humanity’s transition from nomadic hunter-gatherers to permanently settled communities with large-scale ritual architecture and communal spaces, and a new way of life during the Neolithic era. Since 2024, active excavations have been taking place at nine of these sites. (More)