Archaeologists have discovered around 25 turtle figurines believed to be up to 16,500 years old at an excavation site in northwestern Türkiye.
The objects were uncovered at the Gedikkaya Hill and In Cave Archaeological Excavation Site in the Inhisar district of Bilecik province.
Excavations were conducted between May 18 and July 18 by a 14-member team led by Professor Deniz Sarı of Bilecik Şeyh Edebali University's Department of Archaeology, on behalf of the Culture and Tourism Ministry.
The figurines were made from limestone, with some covered in clay. The largest measures approximately 30 centimeters long and 20 centimeters wide.
Radiocarbon dating of the archaeological context placed the finds between 14,500 and 11,200 B.C., during the Epipaleolithic period. Researchers believe the figurines were produced for ritual purposes and deliberately placed inside the cave.
