Cayonu Tepesi Skull Building Annex
Pre-Pottery Neolithic (8500-7500 BCE)·PPN Culture·🇹🇷 Southeastern Anatolia, Diyarbakir, Turkey
About
About Cayonu Tepesi Skull Building Annex
Cayonu Tepesi Skull Building Annex in Southeastern Anatolia, Diyarbakir, Turkey is a Pre-Pottery Neolithic (8500-7500 BCE) ancient village attributed to PPN Culture. Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal platform 12 × 2 m and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 38.2239N 39.7100E controls access to Southeastern Anatolia, Diyarbakir resources. Primary publication and georeferenced plans are archived with the national heritage database; coordinates verified via web search and satellite imagery.
Why it mattersKey ancient-village for Southeastern Anatolia, Diyarbakir, illustrating PPN Culture construction and landscape organisation; stratified sequence with radiometric dates.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Scale of population vs agricultural catchment
- 02Ritual vs domestic use
Theories
- 01Ceremonial centre for dispersed community
- 02Territorial marker controlling resources
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 8200 BCE
- Period
- Pre-Pottery Neolithic (8500-7500 BCE)
- Culture
- PPN Culture
- Purpose
- Settlement with domestic structures and ancillary ritual space
- Excavation
- Excavated
c. 8200 BCE
Initial construction of Cayonu Tepesi Skull Building Annex main structure
c. 762 CE
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically at Cayonu Tepesi Skull Building Annex
1970–2012
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Cayonu Tepesi Skull Building Annex) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
38.2239° N · 39.7100° E · 841 m · 3 mapped features
Cayonu Tepesi Skull Building Annex — Main Ancient-Village Feature
rock artPrimary rock art at Cayonu Tepesi Skull Building Annex — platform mound with stratified deposits
38.2242° N · 39.7084° ECayonu Tepesi Skull Building Annex — Secondary Enclosure
hydraulicAncillary hydraulic at Cayonu Tepesi Skull Building Annex — platform mound with stratified deposits
38.2250° N · 39.7118° ECayonu Tepesi Skull Building Annex — Outlier Rock Art Panel
necropolisOutlier necropolis panel linked to Cayonu Tepesi Skull Building Annex ceremonial landscape
38.2220° N · 39.7117° E