Archaeologists excavating İn Cave in northwestern Türkiye have uncovered around 25 limestone turtle figurines dating as far back as approximately 14,500 BC.Image Credit : AA
The discoveries provide rare evidence of symbolic and potentially ceremonial activity among prehistoric communities living in Anatolia near the end of the last Ice Age.
The figurines were found near Gedikkaya Hill in the İnhisar district of Bilecik Province during excavations led by Professor Deniz Sarı of Bilecik Şeyh Edebali University.
Radiocarbon dating places the objects between approximately 14,500 BC and 11,200 BC, within the Epipalaeolithic period.
The Discovery
A 14-member archaeological team excavated the cave between 18 May and 18 July, recovering approximately 25 turtle-shaped objects.
Most were carved from limestone, while some appear to have been coated with clay.
The largest figurine measures approximately 30 centimetres long and 20 centimetres wide.
The discovery is particularly significant because the objects were not simply recovered as isolated artefacts. Many were found inserted into the ground around circular architectural features inside the cave.
This archaeological context has led researchers to suggest that İn Cave may have served a ceremonial or ritual function.
An Archaeological Site Hidden in a Cave
Evidence of archaeological material inside İn Cave was first identified during surface surveys in 2017.
Rescue excavations subsequently took place between 2019 and 2023 under the direction of the Bilecik Museum.
The latest excavation season has strengthened the interpretation of the cave as a possible ritual location.
According to excavation leader Deniz Sarı, the discovery of the turtle figurines has added a new dimension to the site's previously identified ritual context.
The interpretation remains provisional, but the arrangement of the objects around circular structures is an important part of the evidence.
25 Turtle Figurines
The figurines vary in appearance and workmanship.
Some appear crudely made or hastily fashioned, while others may have been left unfinished.
Rather than interpreting the rough workmanship simply as evidence of limited craftsmanship, archaeologists are considering whether the unfinished appearance itself could be connected to the objects' purpose.
One possibility is that the figurines were made specifically for ceremonies and then deliberately deposited in the cave.
In this interpretation, the objects may have been ritual offerings or symbolic objects rather than permanent decorative sculptures.
The available evidence does not establish exactly what the figurines represented to the people who created them.
Figurines Around Circular Structures
The archaeological context is one of the most important aspects of the discovery.
Several turtle figurines were found inserted into the ground around circular structures inside the cave.
Their deliberate placement raises the possibility that the objects were deposited as part of ceremonies carried out within these spaces.
Sarı has compared the practice with much later traditions in which people create simple objects or written wishes as part of vows or ceremonies before depositing or burying them.
However, this comparison is an interpretive analogy rather than evidence that the prehistoric inhabitants followed the same tradition.
The exact meaning of the turtle figures remains unknown.
Did Prehistoric People See Gedikkaya Hill as a Turtle?
Researchers are also investigating a more unusual possibility.
Some of the smaller figurines appear to have been designed in a shape that may resemble Gedikkaya Hill itself.
Sarı has suggested that prehistoric inhabitants could potentially have interpreted the form of the hill as resembling a turtle.
If the connection is eventually demonstrated, it could indicate that the surrounding landscape had symbolic or sacred significance.
Such an interpretation could potentially point toward what archaeologists describe as a mountain cult.
But researchers have stressed that there is currently insufficient evidence to establish this interpretation conclusively.
Turtle Symbolism in Prehistory
Turtle imagery is known from other prehistoric contexts, including examples associated with the Natufian culture of the Near East and even earlier Upper Palaeolithic contexts.
In later societies, turtles acquired symbolic associations with concepts including longevity and resilience.
However, those later meanings cannot automatically be attributed to the communities that used İn Cave thousands of years ago.
Further archaeological and comparative research will be necessary to determine whether the prehistoric inhabitants of the site attached a particular symbolic meaning to turtles.
A Window Into Ice Age Rituals
The dates make the discovery particularly important.
The figurines were produced between approximately 14,500 BC and 11,200 BC, before agriculture and the emergence of the earliest large permanent settlements in much of the region.
The people living during this period were predominantly hunter-gatherers.
Yet archaeological evidence increasingly demonstrates that prehistoric hunter-gatherer societies could participate in complex symbolic and ceremonial activities.
The İn Cave figurines potentially add another example to this growing body of evidence.
If their ritual interpretation is confirmed, they could provide an unusual glimpse into the symbolic practices of Anatolian communities living thousands of years before the development of cities and later civilisations.
What’s Next?
The newly recovered artefacts have been transferred to the Bilecik Museum and Bilecik Şeyh Edebali University.
They will undergo further examination, conservation and restoration.
Future research could investigate the manufacturing techniques used to create the figurines, their precise archaeological contexts and their relationship with the circular structures.
Researchers will also need to determine whether the apparent relationship between the figurines and Gedikkaya Hill reflects deliberate symbolism or coincidence.
Further excavation could provide additional evidence capable of strengthening — or challenging — the current interpretation of İn Cave as a ritual site.
Why This Discovery Matters
The importance of the discovery lies not only in the number of turtle figurines but in their age and archaeological context.
Around 25 figurines dating to the Epipalaeolithic period, combined with their apparent deliberate placement around circular structures, provide researchers with an unusual opportunity to investigate prehistoric ritual behaviour.
The discovery also highlights the complexity of symbolic life among hunter-gatherer communities at the end of the Ice Age.
At the same time, the interpretation should remain cautious. The available evidence suggests a possible ritual context, but it does not yet reveal exactly what the turtles meant, why they were created or whether Gedikkaya Hill itself was deliberately represented.
Those questions remain open for future research.
Conclusion
The discovery of around 25 prehistoric turtle figurines at İn Cave has opened a rare window onto symbolic life in Anatolia near the end of the last Ice Age.
Dating between approximately 14,500 BC and 11,200 BC, the limestone and clay-covered objects were found around circular structures inside the cave, suggesting that the site may have served a ceremonial purpose.
The possibility that some figurines were intended to represent Gedikkaya Hill adds another intriguing dimension, although archaeologists have not yet established that interpretation.
For now, the turtles remain mysterious objects from a prehistoric world whose rituals and beliefs are largely inaccessible to us.
Further study and excavation may reveal whether İn Cave was truly a ritual centre — and what role the turtle played in the symbolic world of its ancient visitors.
Sources : AA
FAQ
How old are the turtle figurines?
Radiocarbon dating places the objects between approximately 14,500 BC and 11,200 BC, within the Epipalaeolithic period.
Where were the turtle figurines discovered?
They were found at İn Cave near Gedikkaya Hill, in the İnhisar district of Bilecik Province, northwestern Türkiye.
How many turtle figurines were found?
Archaeologists recovered approximately 25 turtle-shaped objects.
What were the figurines made from?
Most were made from limestone, while some appear to have been covered with clay.
How large is the biggest figurine?
The largest measures approximately 30 centimetres long and 20 centimetres wide.
Why do archaeologists think the cave may have been a ritual site?
Many of the figurines were found deliberately inserted into the ground around circular structures inside the cave. Their placement has led researchers to suggest a ceremonial or ritual function.
Did the prehistoric people worship turtles?
There is currently no evidence establishing that the inhabitants worshipped turtles. The exact meaning and function of the figurines remain unknown.
Could the figurines represent Gedikkaya Hill?
Researchers are investigating the possibility that some figurines were shaped to resemble the hill. However, this interpretation has not been conclusively established.
Where are the figurines now?
The artefacts have been transferred to the Bilecik Museum and Bilecik Şeyh Edebali University for further examination, conservation and restoration.
