From the Neolithic Age to the Present: The Discovery of the “Vessel Within a Vessel” at Karahantepe is Revolutionizing Historical Narratives

An extraordinary collection of 485 pieces from the Karahantepe region of Şanlıurfa was featured at the International Archaeology Symposium and “The Golden Age of Archaeology” exhibition held at the Presidential National Library in Ankara, the capital of Türkiye. Among these, a unique stone vessel containing a smaller vessel stands out as the oldest and most complex three-dimensional narrative of the Neolithic Age presented to the scientific community.

Expanding horizons beyond Göbeklitepe
While Göbekli Tepe remains the region’s most famous Neolithic site, the Taş Tepeler Project encompasses simultaneous excavations across ten different locations in Şanlıurfa. According to project coordinator and excavation director Prof. Dr. Necmi Karul, Karahantepe has emerged as a key site since excavations began there in 2019.

Last year’s discoveries included numerous stone vessels buried within a distinctive red sterile soil layer. These artifacts, notable not only for their animal motifs but also for their contextual arrangement, provide invaluable insight. Among them, the “vessel within a vessel” is an exceptionally rare find in archaeological records.

A three-dimensional story from 10,000 years ago
The larger stone vessel houses a smaller vessel inside, which in turn contains animal figurines with their heads inserted into stone rings. Prof. Dr. Karul emphasizes that this represents one of the oldest and most sophisticated three-dimensional narratives uncovered to date.

Unlike the flat, two-dimensional depictions seen in stelae or wall paintings, this artifact conveys a complex and layered story dating back approximately 10,000 years. Archaeologists regard this as a groundbreaking discovery in the transmission of knowledge during the Neolithic period.

Candidate for the Memory of the World Register
Prof. Dr. Karul stated, “The stone vessel discovered at Karahantepe embodies a three-dimensional story from around 10,000 years ago. This is an immensely important find for Neolithic archaeology. We also believe that this artifact has the potential to be nominated for the UNESCO Memory of the World Register, and we are preparing to initiate the necessary applications.”

Scientific significance and future outlook
Ongoing excavations under the Taş Tepeler Project continue to shed light on the earliest large-scale social organizations in human history. As Prof. Dr. Karul notes, these findings are critical not only to the regional history but to the shared heritage of humanity.

In summary, the “vessel within a vessel” from Karahantepe has the potential to reshape archaeological storytelling methods, rewriting the past while demonstrating how early and intricate knowledge transmission was.