Archaeological excavations at Aşıklı Höyük, a 10,000-year-old settlement located in the Cappadocia region of Central Anatolia, continue to shed light on the early stages of Neolithic human life. For the past 36 years, researchers have been exploring this ancient site, which provides critical insights into the transition from hunter-gatherer societies to settled agricultural communities.
Leading the excavation is Güneş Duru, an archaeology expert from Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University. Duru emphasized the significance of Aşıklı Höyük as a key laboratory for understanding early human civilization. “At Aşıklı Höyük, we see the transition from round huts to rectangular architecture, the beginnings of agriculture and the first domestication of animals – especially sheep and goats. We believe these domesticated species originated here and spread to the rest of the world,” she explained.
The site’s initial settlement dates back to approximately 8300 B.C. and reveals continuous habitation for about 1,000 years. The 16 to 17-meter-high mound offers a layered record of major cultural and technological shifts in human history.
Excavations have also uncovered compelling evidence about the social structure of Aşıklı Höyük’s inhabitants. Duru notes: “Our findings indicate that Neolithic people here maintained an egalitarian society. They shared hunting, food storage and communal activities equally, which allowed their community to thrive sustainably for centuries.”
The residents lived in round dwellings, often burying their dead beneath the floors of their homes. Open spaces between these structures were used for shared communal activities. This social cohesion persisted for nearly a millennium. Toward the later phases of the settlement, signs of social differentiation began to emerge, but the community also devised mechanisms to maintain balance and equality.
This year’s excavation season, conducted by a multidisciplinary team of approximately 30 experts – including specialists from Oxford, Cambridge and the University of Connecticut – yielded promising results. Their work continues to deepen understanding of how early humans transitioned from nomadic hunter-gatherers to settled agriculturalists, establishing the foundations of village life.
Aşıklı Höyük is more than an archaeological site; it’s a window into the dawn of civilization, where we can observe humanity’s first steps toward structured society, farming and animal domestication,” Duru concludes.
