Cayonu Tepesi Skull Building Annex — Western Terrace
Pre-Pottery Neolithic (8500-7500 BCE)·PPN Culture·🇹🇷 Southeastern Anatolia, Diyarbakir, Turkey
About
About Cayonu Tepesi Skull Building Annex — Western Terrace
Cayonu Tepesi Skull Building Annex — Western Terrace 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 citadel 6 × 4 m and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 38.2223N 39.7121E 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
- 01Construction labor organization
- 02Chronology and phasing
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
- Excavation ongoing
c. 8200 BCE
Initial construction of Cayonu Tepesi Skull Building Annex — Western Terrace main structure
c. 1333 BCE
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically at Cayonu Tepesi Skull Building Annex — Western Terrace
1986–2015
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Cayonu Tepesi Skull Building Annex — Western Terrace) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
38.2223° N · 39.7121° E · 830 m · 4 mapped features
Cayonu Tepesi Skull Building Annex — Western Terrace — Main Ancient-Village Feature
chamberPrimary chamber at Cayonu Tepesi Skull Building Annex — Western Terrace — platform mound with stratified deposits
38.2234° N · 39.7110° ECayonu Tepesi Skull Building Annex — Western Terrace — Secondary Enclosure
cairnAncillary cairn at Cayonu Tepesi Skull Building Annex — Western Terrace — central chambered cairn with stratified deposits
38.2208° N · 39.7107° ECayonu Tepesi Skull Building Annex — Western Terrace — Outlier Rock Art Panel
plazaOutlier plaza panel linked to Cayonu Tepesi Skull Building Annex — Western Terrace ceremonial landscape
38.2234° N · 39.7138° ECayonu Tepesi Skull Building Annex — Western Terrace — Hydraulic/Cistern Annex
reservoirHydraulic feature — cistern/reservoir at Cayonu Tepesi Skull Building Annex — Western Terrace with plastered basin
38.2220° N · 39.7104° E