Here is a chronological list of some of the world's most important very early archaeological sites, with one important correction to my earlier answer: the exact 20,000-year date for Xianrendong pottery is debated, but South China unquestionably has some of the world's oldest securely dated pottery.
🌍 10 very early archaeological sites worth knowing
Approx. age Site Modern country Why it matters
20,000–19,000 years † Xianrendong Cave 🇨🇳 China Extremely early pottery; hunter-gatherer occupation
18,300–15,430 years Yuchanyan Cave 🇨🇳 China Very early pottery; hunter-gatherer camp
~16,700–15,300 years Early Jōmon sites 🇯🇵 Japan Among the world's earliest pottery traditions
~15,900 years Russian Far East early pottery sites 🇷🇺 Russia One of the earliest pottery traditions
~11,700 years Göbeklitepe 🇹🇷 Türkiye Extraordinary monumental T-shaped stone architecture
~11,000+ years Shangshan 🇨🇳 China Early permanent settlement, pottery and rice exploitation
~10,500–9,000 years Jericho/Tell es-Sultan 🇵🇸 Palestine Very early permanent settlement and monumental architecture
~9,000–7,500 years Jiahu 🇨🇳 China Rice, pottery, burials, bone flutes, early alcohol
~9,000 years Çatalhöyük 🇹🇷 Türkiye Huge Neolithic settlement, houses, art and pottery
~7,000 years Hemudu 🇨🇳 China Rice agriculture, wooden architecture and sophisticated settlement
† Xianrendong is the controversial one. A 2012 Science study dated its pottery context to 20,000–19,000 years ago and described it as the world's earliest known pottery. However, another major radiocarbon analysis argued that the association between the pottery and the oldest dates isn't secure and considers Yuchanyan, around 18,000 years ago, the more secure early date.
China has some of the strongest evidence for very early pottery:
Xianrendong → ~20,000 years
Yuchanyan → ~18,000 years
Shangshan → ~11,000 years
The research indicates these earliest Chinese pots were made by hunter-gatherers, long before agriculture became established.
But Göbeklitepe is extraordinary for a different reason:
~11,700 years ago, people were constructing enormous carved stone monuments.
So when you visit Göbeklitepe, you are looking at one of the earliest known examples of monumental architecture, rather than simply one of the world's oldest settlements or pottery traditions.
🇨🇳 vs 🇹🇷 — a fascinating comparison
China
~20,000 years ago → pottery
↓
~11,000 years ago → early settlements + rice exploitation
↓
~9,000 years ago → Jiahu
↓
~7,000 years ago → Hemudu
↓
~5,300–4,300 years ago → Liangzhu civilization
Upper Mesopotamia / Anatolia
~11,700 years ago → Göbeklitepe monumental architecture
↓
~10,000–9,000 years ago → Pre-Pottery Neolithic settlements
↓
~9,000 years ago → Çatalhöyük
↓
later → increasingly widespread pottery, agriculture and urban societies
So there isn't one single "oldest civilization." Different regions reached different technological and social milestones at different times.
And this is actually why your current trip through Şanlıurfa is particularly interesting: you're seeing Göbeklitepe in the same broad chronological story as the earliest Chinese archaeological cultures.
以下按时间顺序列出了一些世界上最重要的早期考古遗址。在此需对之前的回答做一处重要更正：关于仙人洞（Xianrendong）陶器距今2万年的确切年代尚存争议，但毫无疑问，中国南方拥有世界上一些年代确凿的最古老陶器。
🌍 10个值得了解的早期考古遗址
大致年代 遗址名称 所在国家 重要意义
20,000–19,000年 † 仙人洞 🇨🇳 中国 极早期的陶器；狩猎采集者的居住地
18,300–15,430年 玉蟾岩 🇨🇳 中国 极早期的陶器；狩猎采集者的营地
约16,700–15,300年 早期绳文（Jōmon）遗址 🇯🇵 日本 世界上最早的陶器传统之一
约15,900年 俄罗斯远东早期陶器遗址 🇷🇺 俄罗斯 最早的陶器传统之一
约11,700年 哥贝克力石阵（Göbeklitepe） 🇹🇷 土耳其 非凡的T形巨石建筑
约11,000年以上 上山 🇨🇳 中国 早期永久性定居点；陶器与稻作利用
约10,500–9,000年 耶利哥/苏丹丘（Tell es-Sultan） 🇵🇸 巴勒斯坦 极早期的永久性定居点与巨型建筑
约9,000–7,500年 贾湖 🇨🇳 中国 稻作、陶器、墓葬、骨笛、早期酿酒
约9,000年 查塔尔休于克（Çatalhöyük） 🇹🇷 土耳其 大型新石器时代定居点；房屋、艺术与陶器
约7,000年 河姆渡 🇨🇳 中国 稻作农业、木构建筑与成熟的定居形态
† 仙人洞遗址的情况存在争议。2012年发表于《科学》（Science）杂志的一项研究将其陶器出土层位的年代定为距今20,000至19,000年，并将其描述为世界上已知最早的陶器。不过，另一项重要的放射性碳测年分析认为，陶器与那些最早年代数据之间的关联并不确凿，并倾向于将距今约 1.8 万年的玉蟾岩遗址视为更可靠的早期年代证据。
🏺 因此，中国的地位十分突出
这里有一个非常重要的区别：
最早的陶器 ≠ 最早的文明 ≠ 最早的纪念性建筑。
中国拥有关于极早期陶器的有力证据：
仙人洞 → 约 2 万年
玉蟾岩 → 约 1.8 万年
上山 → 约 1.1 万年
研究表明，这些中国最早期的陶器是由狩猎采集者制作的，时间远早于农业社会的建立。
但哥贝克力石阵（Göbeklitepe）之所以非同寻常，原因截然不同：
早在约 1.17 万年前，人们就已经在建造巨大的雕刻石质纪念性建筑了。
因此，当你造访哥贝克力石阵时，你看到的是已知最早的纪念性建筑范例之一，而不仅仅是世界上最古老的定居点或陶器传统之一。
🇨🇳 与 🇹🇷 —— 一场引人入胜的对比
中国
约 2 万年前 → 陶器
↓
约 1.1 万年前 → 早期定居点 + 水稻利用
↓
约 9000 年前 → 贾湖
↓
约 7000 年前 → 河姆渡
↓
约 5300–4300 年前 → 良渚文明
美索不达米亚上游 / 安纳托利亚
约 1.17 万年前 → 哥贝克力石阵纪念性建筑
↓
约 10000–9000 年前 → 前陶新石器时代定居点
↓
约 9000 年前 → 恰塔霍于克（Çatalhöyük）
↓
此后 → 陶器、农业和城市社会日益普及
由此可见，并不存在唯一的“最古老文明”。不同地区在不同时期达到了各自的技术和社会发展里程碑。这正是你此次尚勒乌尔法（Şanlıurfa）之行格外引人入胜的原因：你得以将哥贝克力石阵（Göbeklitepe）置于与中国最早的考古学文化相同的宏大时间脉络中来审视。
Here is a chronological list of some of the world's most important very early archaeological sites, with one important correction to my earlier answer: the exact 20,000-year date for Xianrendong pottery is debated, but South China unquestionably has some of the world's oldest securely dated pottery.
🌍 10 very early archaeological sites worth knowing
Approx. age Site Modern country Why it matters
20,000–19,000 years † Xianrendong Cave 🇨🇳 China Extremely early pottery; hunter-gatherer occupation
18,300–15,430 years Yuchanyan Cave 🇨🇳 China Very early pottery; hunter-gatherer camp
~16,700–15,300 years Early Jōmon sites 🇯🇵 Japan Among the world's earliest pottery traditions
~15,900 years Russian Far East early pottery sites 🇷🇺 Russia One of the earliest pottery traditions
~11,700 years Göbeklitepe 🇹🇷 Türkiye Extraordinary monumental T-shaped stone architecture
~11,000+ years Shangshan 🇨🇳 China Early permanent settlement, pottery and rice exploitation
~10,500–9,000 years Jericho/Tell es-Sultan 🇵🇸 Palestine Very early permanent settlement and monumental architecture
~9,000–7,500 years Jiahu 🇨🇳 China Rice, pottery, burials, bone flutes, early alcohol
~9,000 years Çatalhöyük 🇹🇷 Türkiye Huge Neolithic settlement, houses, art and pottery
~7,000 years Hemudu 🇨🇳 China Rice agriculture, wooden architecture and sophisticated settlement
† Xianrendong is the controversial one. A 2012 Science study dated its pottery context to 20,000–19,000 years ago and described it as the world's earliest known pottery. However, another major radiocarbon analysis argued that the association between the pottery and the oldest dates isn't secure and considers Yuchanyan, around 18,000 years ago, the more secure early date.
🏺 So China's position is extremely strong
There is a very important distinction:
Oldest pottery ≠ oldest civilization ≠ oldest monumental architecture.
China has some of the strongest evidence for very early pottery:
Xianrendong → ~20,000 years
Yuchanyan → ~18,000 years
Shangshan → ~11,000 years
The research indicates these earliest Chinese pots were made by hunter-gatherers, long before agriculture became established.
But Göbeklitepe is extraordinary for a different reason:
~11,700 years ago, people were constructing enormous carved stone monuments.
So when you visit Göbeklitepe, you are looking at one of the earliest known examples of monumental architecture, rather than simply one of the world's oldest settlements or pottery traditions.
🇨🇳 vs 🇹🇷 — a fascinating comparison
China
~20,000 years ago → pottery
↓
~11,000 years ago → early settlements + rice exploitation
↓
~9,000 years ago → Jiahu
↓
~7,000 years ago → Hemudu
↓
~5,300–4,300 years ago → Liangzhu civilization
Upper Mesopotamia / Anatolia
~11,700 years ago → Göbeklitepe monumental architecture
↓
~10,000–9,000 years ago → Pre-Pottery Neolithic settlements
↓
~9,000 years ago → Çatalhöyük
↓
later → increasingly widespread pottery, agriculture and urban societies
So there isn't one single "oldest civilization." Different regions reached different technological and social milestones at different times.
And this is actually why your current trip through Şanlıurfa is particularly interesting: you're seeing Göbeklitepe in the same broad chronological story as the earliest Chinese archaeological cultures.