Stone Age · c. 9000 BC · Kızılöz, Samsat, Adıyaman province, Turkey
Göbekli Tepe-style T-shaped pillars found in dam reservoir in Adıyaman, Turkey
Falling water in the Atatürk Dam reservoir exposed stone enclosures near Kızılöz village in Samsat, which investigators believe are around 11,000 years old.
Official announcement
Kızılöz, Samsat, Turkey Stone structures resembling the T-shaped pillars of Göbekli Tepe have been found in south-eastern Turkey. They lie on the shore of the Atatürk Dam reservoir in Samsat district, Adıyaman province. Investigators from the Adıyaman Museum Directorate believe they date to around 11,000 years ago, in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period.
If that is right, the site extends the Taş Tepeler ("Stone Hills") culture beyond Şanlıurfa province, where its known sites lie. It would also carry the culture north-west into the Euphrates basin.
The features appeared near Kızılöz village after the water level in the reservoir dropped. The falling water exposed stones along the shoreline. Museum teams went to the site after a local report and identified T-shaped stone structures.
According to Mustafa Çelik, deputy director of the museum, the remains were originally buried 2–3 metres below the soil. The rise and fall of the reservoir gradually eroded the sediment above them until the stones were exposed.
The same process that revealed the stones now threatens them. Rescue excavations are under way to record and protect the remains before the water rises again.
Enclosures and central pillars, as at the Şanlıurfa sites
Prof. Sabahattin Ezer of Adıyaman University's Department of Archaeology says the stones share architectural and symbolic traits with Göbekli Tepe and other Taş Tepeler sites in Şanlıurfa. He points to small enclosures, stone slabs arranged around pits, and T-shaped pillars placed at the centre. These are considered the defining features of the region's early ritual architecture.
The Pre-Pottery Neolithic is the stage of the Near Eastern Neolithic before people made pottery. In south-eastern Turkey, it is the time when communities built stone enclosures with large pillars. This was before farming became widespread.
At Göbekli Tepe the massive monoliths are widely interpreted as stylised human figures. They are often carved with arms, hands, belts and animals.
The Adıyaman pillars are smaller. According to the report, their form and placement suggest a similar ritual or communal role. The report does not describe any carved decoration on the new stones.
The Taş Tepeler project, launched in recent years, has already identified several Neolithic sites in Şanlıurfa. They include Karahantepe, Sayburç, Sefertepe, Kurttepesi and Çakmaktepe. Older models treated Göbekli Tepe as an isolated exception. The growing list of sites supports the idea of a regional tradition of monument building.
The Arkeonews report argues that the Samsat find points to shared beliefs, building knowledge and social organisation across a wide area. The location of the site matters to that argument.
Samsat lies close to the Euphrates. In the Neolithic the river was a major route for movement, communication and the exchange of resources. In the report's view, a site here strengthens the case that the Taş Tepeler sites formed a network of ritual centres. The report also suggests the Adıyaman structures may be a local version of the tradition, adapted to regional conditions.
No laboratory dates yet, and the site's size is unknown
The announcement gives no laboratory dating results. The age of around 11,000 years is presented as the investigators' belief, not a measured date. The extent of the site is also unknown.
The researchers expect that Adıyaman may yield more structures. These could include a larger settlement or ritual complex.
The reservoir has drowned older heritage in the area before. The old town of Samsat, ancient Samosata, lies under the waters of the Atatürk Dam.
Artefacts recovered from the site are now on display at Perre Ancient City in Adıyaman. Further excavations at Kızılöz are planned.
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