Karahan Tepe archaeologists discover 11,000-year-old leopard rider statue

Archaeologists at the Karahan Tepe Neolithic site in southeastern Turkey have discovered an 11,000-year-old limestone statue depicting a human figure riding a leopard. The approximately 70-centimeter (28-inch) tall sculpture was found resting on a stone bench along the wall of a circular building, appearing to be in the same position where prehistoric inhabitants originally left it.

This discovery is considered unique due to its composition. While previous finds at the site featured leopards clinging to human figures, this statue reverses that relationship, showing the human astride the animal. Experts suggest this may symbolize power, courage, or the ability to master the dangerous predators that were common in the region during the Stone Age.

Karahan Tepe is one of the world’s oldest known settlements, dating to approximately 9750 BCE. It is part of a significant cultural landscape in the Şanlıurfa province that includes the famous Göbekli Tepe. The find provides new insights into the symbolic expressions and social structures of early human communities transitioning toward settled life.