Precisely 60 km due west of Karahan Tepe is one of the 12 Tas Tepeler sites of SE Anatolia, a site with origins older than Göbeklitepe, Karahantepe, Harbetsuvan Tepesi, Sefer Tepe and Sayburç.
This is Cakmaktepe, an early Pre-Pottery Neolithic A site that was discovered using satellite image analysis in 2021. In the same year it was discovered, excavation work began, a joint project by archaeologists from Çukurova University and Şanlıurfa Museum, part of the Tas Tepeler Project. In 2022, the University of Tsukuba, Japan, was also included in the excavations.
I made a video on this long-lost settlement 2 years ago, but with more excavation and new published information, I thought it was time to re-visit Cakmaktepe, and give you an up-to-date overview of this very important site.
00:00 - Introduction
02:59 - Çakmaktepe: Location and Size
04:33 - Ancient Dwellings & Enclosures
05:46 - Special Purpose Buildings
07:26 - Wooden Pillars not Stone T-Shapes
09:07 - Animal Skull Rituals
09:43 - Finds and Artefacts
11:22 - Concluding Remarks