Top 30 oldest archaeological discoveries and sites in Türkiye
Here is a chronological guide, starting with evidence from the earliest human occupation and moving toward the first villages, monumental architecture, pottery, and early cities.
An important distinction: A site may contain evidence of human activity older than its visible buildings. Dates below are approximate, and some are still being refined by excavation.
The earliest human evidence – Paleolithic period
Hundreds of thousands of years ago to approximately 10,000 BCE
Kocabaş fossil site
Approximately 1.1–1.3 million years ago. A fossil skull fragment attributed to Homo erectus. This is among Turkey's oldest known human fossil discoveries.
Dursunlu
Approximately 780,000 years ago or older. Important early stone-tool and animal fossil discoveries.
Karain Cave
Paleolithic occupation extending back hundreds of thousands of years. Important human remains, tools and evidence of prehistoric life.
Yarımburgaz Cave
Very ancient cave occupation, with Lower Paleolithic evidence.
Öküzini Cave
Upper Paleolithic and later prehistoric evidence, including stone tools and remains of prehistoric communities.
Beldibi Rock Shelter
Prehistoric occupation and rock art, important for understanding hunter-gatherer life.
The first villages and monumental settlements – Neolithic period
Approximately 10,500–6,000 BCE
Hallan Çemi
Approximately 10,200–9,200 BCE. One of the earliest known settled communities in Anatolia.
Çayönü Tepesi
Approximately 10,000–6,000 BCE. Important evidence of early farming, domestic architecture and copper working.
Göbekli Tepe
Approximately 9600–8200 BCE. Famous monumental T-shaped pillars and animal carvings. UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Karahan Tepe
Approximately 9400 BCE onward. Part of the Taş Tepeler prehistoric settlement network.
Nevalı Çori
Approximately 8500–8000 BCE. Known for early monumental architecture and remarkable human sculptures. The original site was submerged by the Atatürk Dam.
Aşıklı Höyük
Approximately 8200–7400 BCE. One of Central Anatolia's earliest permanent villages. Evidence includes early medical practices.
Boncuklu Höyük
Approximately 8500–7500 BCE. Early settlement with evidence of houses, beads, symbolic objects and changing subsistence.
Çatalhöyük
Approximately 7400–6000 BCE. Famous for dense mud-brick houses, wall paintings, figurines and early urban-style living. UNESCO site.
Hacılar
Approximately 7000–5000 BCE. Important for painted pottery, figurines and early village life.
Early pottery, agriculture and organized communities
Approximately 7000–3000 BCE
Köşk Höyük
Approximately 6000 BCE onward. Known for early pottery, decorated objects and distinctive plastered human skulls.
Canhasan
Approximately 6000 BCE onward. Important evidence of early farming communities and changing material culture.
Arslantepe
Occupation from around 5000 BCE. Particularly important for early administration, metallurgy and the emergence of complex political society.
Yumuktepe
Settlement history extending back to approximately 7000 BCE. Important for early agriculture, pottery and metalworking.
Kuruçay Höyük
Important Neolithic and Chalcolithic settlement, with evidence of early village development.
Bakla Tepe
Approximately 5000 BCE onward. Important for early settlement and metallurgy in western Anatolia.
Limantepe
From around 3000 BCE, with earlier settlement phases. Important early coastal settlement and maritime trade center.
Alacahöyük
Settlement from the fourth millennium BCE or earlier. Famous for Early Bronze Age royal tombs and later Hittite monuments.
Early Bronze Age cities and ancient civilizations
Approximately 3000–1000 BCE
Troy
Around 3000 BCE for the earliest Bronze Age settlement. Famous for multiple layers of cities and its connection with the Trojan War legends.
Kültepe–Kaneš
Settlement from the third millennium BCE. Famous for thousands of Assyrian merchant tablets, among the earliest written commercial records in Anatolia.
Hattusa
Major Hittite capital from approximately 1650 BCE. Monumental walls, gates, temples and archives.
Gordion
Major settlement from the Bronze Age, later the capital of Phrygia, associated with King Midas.
Ephesus
Early settlement and Greek city history; later developed into a major Roman city.
Pergamon
Important ancient city, particularly prominent during the Hellenistic period.
Sardis
Capital of ancient Lydia, famous for its early coinage, monumental architecture and economic history.
Turkish Museums+8
The five archaeological sites I would prioritize
Göbekli Tepe
Essential visit
The extraordinary prehistoric monumental structures.
Karahan Tepe
Another remarkable center of prehistoric architecture.
Çatalhöyük
Early houses, art and village life.
Aşıklı Höyük
One of the earliest villages in central Anatolia.
Karain Cave
For much older human occupation and prehistoric fossils.
Map – the main prehistoric regions
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3.9
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Use two fingers to move the map
Use ctrl + scroll to zoom the map
Kocabaş fossil site5.0•Mining company
Karain Cave3.5•Tourist attractionOpen
Hallan Çemi4.5•Historical landmark
Çayönü Tepesi4.6•Historical landmarkOpen
Göbekli Tepe4.7•Archaeological museumClosed
Karahan Tepe4.8•Historical landmarkClosed
Çatalhöyük4.5•Attraction
Aşıklı Höyük4.5•MuseumClosed
Yumuktepe3.9•Historical placeClosed
Arslantepe4.4•Historical landmarkClosed
An interesting historical comparison
Discovery Approximate date
Kocabaş human fossil 1.1–1.3 million years ago
Göbekli Tepe monuments 9600 BCE
Çatalhöyük settlement 7400 BCE
Egyptian pyramids at Giza 2600 BCE
Stonehenge main construction 2500 BCE
Hittite Empire 1650 BCE
My conclusion: Turkey is not necessarily the location of the oldest human remains in the world, but it is one of the richest places on Earth for studying the transition from prehistoric hunter-gatherers to settled villages, agriculture, monumental architecture and early civilizations.
土耳其境内最古老的30处考古发现与遗址
以下按时间顺序为您梳理，从最早的人类定居证据开始，涵盖了早期村落、纪念性建筑、陶器以及早期城市的出现。
需特别注意：遗址中可能存在比现存可见建筑更为古老的人类活动痕迹。下文所列年代均为近似值，部分数据仍有待考古发掘工作的进一步精确。
距今数十万年前至公元前10000年左右
距今约110万至130万年前。出土了一块被认定属于直立人（Homo erectus）的头骨化石碎片。这是土耳其境内已知最古老的人类化石发现之一。
距今约78万年前或更早。此处有重要的早期石器及动物化石发现。
旧石器时代的人类居住遗迹，可追溯至数十万年前。出土了重要的人类遗骸、工具以及史前生活的证据。
极古老的人类洞穴居住遗迹，包含旧石器时代早期的证据。
包含旧石器时代晚期及后续史前时期的证据，出土了石器和史前社群遗存。
史前人类居住遗迹及岩画，对于了解狩猎采集者的生活具有重要意义。
约公元前10500年至公元前6000年
约公元前10200年至公元前9200年。安纳托利亚地区已知最早的定居社群之一。
约公元前10000年至公元前6000年。此处提供了早期农业、居住建筑及铜器加工的重要证据。
约公元前9600年至公元前8200年。以著名的纪念性T形石柱和动物雕刻而闻名。现为联合国教科文组织世界遗产。
约公元前9400年起。属于“塔什·特佩勒”（Taş Tepeler）史前聚落网络的一部分。
约公元前8500年至公元前8000年。以早期纪念性建筑和非凡的人形雕塑而闻名。原址已被阿塔图尔克大坝（Atatürk Dam）淹没。
约公元前8200年至公元前7400年。安纳托利亚中部最早的永久性村落之一。考古证据显示此处存在早期的医疗实践。
约公元前8500年至公元前7500年。这是一处早期聚落，发现了房屋、珠子、象征性物品以及生计方式发生转变的证据。
约公元前7400年至公元前6000年。以密集的土砖房屋、壁画、小雕像以及早期城市化的生活方式而闻名。联合国教科文组织（UNESCO）世界遗产。
约公元前7000年至公元前5000年。以彩陶、小雕像以及早期村落生活而著称。
约公元前7000年至公元前3000年
约公元前6000年起。以早期陶器、装饰性物品以及独特的“抹泥人头骨”（即经过石膏修饰的人类头骨）而闻名。
约公元前6000年起。提供了关于早期农耕社群及物质文化演变的重要证据。
约公元前5000年左右开始有人居住。在早期行政管理、冶金技术以及复杂政治社会的出现方面，具有极其重要的意义。
聚落历史可追溯至约公元前7000年。在早期农业、陶器制作和金属加工方面具有重要意义。
重要的新石器时代和铜石并用时代聚落，留有早期村落发展的证据。
约公元前5000年起。对于研究安纳托利亚西部的早期聚落和冶金技术具有重要意义。 22. 利曼特佩 (Limantepe)
始于公元前3000年左右，包含更早期的定居阶段。这是一处重要的早期沿海定居点，也是海上贸易中心。
定居点可追溯至公元前四千纪或更早。以青铜时代早期的王室陵墓以及后来的赫梯遗迹而闻名。
约公元前3000年–公元前1000年
最早的青铜时代定居点可追溯至公元前3000年左右。以其多层叠压的城市遗迹以及与“特洛伊战争”传说的关联而闻名。
25.屈尔泰佩–卡内什 (Kültepe–Kaneš)
定居点始于公元前三千纪。因出土了数以千计的亚述商人泥板文书而闻名，这些文书属于安纳托利亚地区最早的书面商业记录。
约公元前1650年起成为赫梯帝国的主要都城。遗址内有宏伟的城墙、城门、神庙和档案库。
青铜时代的重要定居点，后来成为弗里吉亚 (Phrygia) 王国的都城，与迈达斯 (Midas) 国王的传说相关。
拥有早期的定居历史和古希腊城市渊源；后来发展成为罗马帝国的一座重要城市。
重要的古代城市，在希腊化时期尤为显赫。
古吕底亚 (Lydia) 王国的都城，以其早期的铸币、宏伟的建筑遗迹以及经济史而闻名。
土耳其博物馆+8
Top 30 oldest archaeological discoveries and sites in Türkiye
Here is a chronological guide, starting with evidence from the earliest human occupation and moving toward the first villages, monumental architecture, pottery, and early cities.
An important distinction: A site may contain evidence of human activity older than its visible buildings. Dates below are approximate, and some are still being refined by excavation.
Hundreds of thousands of years ago to approximately 10,000 BCE
Approximately 1.1–1.3 million years ago. A fossil skull fragment attributed to Homo erectus. This is among Turkey's oldest known human fossil discoveries.
Approximately 780,000 years ago or older. Important early stone-tool and animal fossil discoveries.
Paleolithic occupation extending back hundreds of thousands of years. Important human remains, tools and evidence of prehistoric life.
Very ancient cave occupation, with Lower Paleolithic evidence.
Upper Paleolithic and later prehistoric evidence, including stone tools and remains of prehistoric communities.
Prehistoric occupation and rock art, important for understanding hunter-gatherer life.
Approximately 10,500–6,000 BCE
Approximately 10,200–9,200 BCE. One of the earliest known settled communities in Anatolia.
Approximately 10,000–6,000 BCE. Important evidence of early farming, domestic architecture and copper working.
Approximately 9600–8200 BCE. Famous monumental T-shaped pillars and animal carvings. UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Approximately 9400 BCE onward. Part of the Taş Tepeler prehistoric settlement network.
Approximately 8500–8000 BCE. Known for early monumental architecture and remarkable human sculptures. The original site was submerged by the Atatürk Dam.
Approximately 8200–7400 BCE. One of Central Anatolia's earliest permanent villages. Evidence includes early medical practices.
Approximately 8500–7500 BCE. Early settlement with evidence of houses, beads, symbolic objects and changing subsistence.
Approximately 7400–6000 BCE. Famous for dense mud-brick houses, wall paintings, figurines and early urban-style living. UNESCO site.
Approximately 7000–5000 BCE. Important for painted pottery, figurines and early village life.
Approximately 7000–3000 BCE
Approximately 6000 BCE onward. Known for early pottery, decorated objects and distinctive plastered human skulls.
Approximately 6000 BCE onward. Important evidence of early farming communities and changing material culture.
Occupation from around 5000 BCE. Particularly important for early administration, metallurgy and the emergence of complex political society.
Settlement history extending back to approximately 7000 BCE. Important for early agriculture, pottery and metalworking.
Important Neolithic and Chalcolithic settlement, with evidence of early village development.
Approximately 5000 BCE onward. Important for early settlement and metallurgy in western Anatolia.
From around 3000 BCE, with earlier settlement phases. Important early coastal settlement and maritime trade center.
Settlement from the fourth millennium BCE or earlier. Famous for Early Bronze Age royal tombs and later Hittite monuments.
Approximately 3000–1000 BCE
Around 3000 BCE for the earliest Bronze Age settlement. Famous for multiple layers of cities and its connection with the Trojan War legends.
Settlement from the third millennium BCE. Famous for thousands of Assyrian merchant tablets, among the earliest written commercial records in Anatolia.
Major Hittite capital from approximately 1650 BCE. Monumental walls, gates, temples and archives.
Major settlement from the Bronze Age, later the capital of Phrygia, associated with King Midas.
Early settlement and Greek city history; later developed into a major Roman city.
Important ancient city, particularly prominent during the Hellenistic period.
Capital of ancient Lydia, famous for its early coinage, monumental architecture and economic history.
Turkish Museums+8
Essential visit
The extraordinary prehistoric monumental structures.
Another remarkable center of prehistoric architecture.
Early houses, art and village life.
One of the earliest villages in central Anatolia.
For much older human occupation and prehistoric fossils.
5.0
3.5
4.5
4.6
4.7
4.8
4.5
4.5
3.9
4.4
Use two fingers to move the map
Use ctrl + scroll to zoom the map
Kocabaş fossil site5.0•Mining company
Karain Cave3.5•Tourist attractionOpen
Hallan Çemi4.5•Historical landmark
Çayönü Tepesi4.6•Historical landmarkOpen
Göbekli Tepe4.7•Archaeological museumClosed
Karahan Tepe4.8•Historical landmarkClosed
Çatalhöyük4.5•Attraction
Aşıklı Höyük4.5•MuseumClosed
Yumuktepe3.9•Historical placeClosed
Arslantepe4.4•Historical landmarkClosed
Discovery Approximate date
Kocabaş human fossil 1.1–1.3 million years ago
Göbekli Tepe monuments 9600 BCE
Çatalhöyük settlement 7400 BCE
Egyptian pyramids at Giza 2600 BCE
Stonehenge main construction 2500 BCE
Hittite Empire 1650 BCE
My conclusion: Turkey is not necessarily the location of the oldest human remains in the world, but it is one of the richest places on Earth for studying the transition from prehistoric hunter-gatherers to settled villages, agriculture, monumental architecture and early civilizations.