It's a stone workshop in Kastamonu - the place is called Kahin Tepe- this time up in north, Black Sea region. Same period with Göbeklitepe in Urfa in the southeast, dates back to 12.000. I'm curious how many more ruins are there around in Anatolia from this period and how they are related.
E: Also, Shiranu's - and others' - argument of a possibility of the existence of a big civilisation we have no idea of has gained a tiny bit of ground. Or that we don't know shit about human history.
(http://i.hurimg.com/i/hdn/75/0x0/5d91f739c03c0e2454178bf6.jpg)
Exciting finds at Kahin Tepe excavations
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/exciting-finds-at-kahin-tepe-excavations-147009
QuoteThe Kahin Tepe excavations in the northern province of Kastamonu’s Araç district have unearthed findings such as a grinding stone and ornaments belonging to the Aceramic Neolithic period.
Having started last year, the excavations are carried out by the Kastamonu Museum Directorate and consulted by the Düzce University Head of the Protohistoric and Near Eastern Archaeology Department Nurperi Ayengin.
Nineteen students and academics from various universities are working in the excavation field.
Speaking to the Anadolu Agency, Ayengin said that they started the excavations in the region last year as a dam rescue project near Başköy village.
Pointing out that Kahin Tepe is located in a strategic location, Ayengin said, “The settlement in the region is located in an area overlooking the plain. The water source passing in front of the Kahin Tepe contributes to the region’s food economy, while strengthening defense.â€
Stating that the region had settlements in two different periods, Ayengin said, “There is a settlement dated to the early Bronze Age. In this area, we see offering pits. Too many materials were found in the offering pits, but unfortunately, most of them were degraded during agricultural activity. Below them, we found a circular plan dating to the Aceramic (ceramic-free) Neolithic period. The pit is a typical structure of the Aceramic Neolithic period.â€
Ayengin emphasized that they thought that the region belonged to an early period by considering the finds they obtained during the first excavations last year, and added, “We can say that this building is a stone workshop dating to the Aceramic Neolithic period. The most famous settlement of the Aceramic Neolithic period is Göbeklitepe. Göbeklitepe is considered as the first place of worship, and this is a workshop where stones are processed. There is a place of worship in Göbeklitepe and a workshop here."
Stating that the findings were important in terms of the Black Sea region, Ayengin continued:
“To date, no place has been found in the Black Sea dating to this period. It was not known that there was such a settlement in the Black Sea. It is the oldest settlement in the Black Sea region to date. It dates back to 12,000 years ago. There are many similarities with other settlements belonging to the same period.â€
As for the stone workshop in the field, she said, “There was a serious production in this stone workshop. The products were probably given to the surrounding settlements by exchange method. We found works from symbolic ones to grinding stones. We found stone artifacts depicting powerful animals that people see around them.â€
1. It took a long time to transition thru the various phases of the Neolithic
2. Once your reached the full dry-land agricultural stage, your population boomed, and are more likely to have left an archeological record
3. If your Neolithic agriculture had irrigation water available, your population boomed even more than dry-land settlements (Isuwa etc)
So, agriculturally successful Neolithic settlements are more likely to be over-represented in the archeological record.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_regions_of_Anatolia
Anatolia presented a whole variety of niches for successful Neolithic exploitation (Çatalhöyük etc).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prehistory_of_Anatolia
Fandom on my part says that Göbekli Tepe will remain the oldest stonework site.