amphitheater

'Amphitheater’ at Karahantepe Presents New Angle On Neolithic History Archaeologists working at the Karahantepe site in southeastern Turkey have uncovered a monumental structure reminiscent of later amphitheaters and thought to be a communal space. The 11,000-year-old structure, measuring 17 meters in diameter, features tiered stone benches arranged in an amphitheater-like configuration, human sculptures embedded in its walls, and carved heads that mark a dramatic shift in Neolithic symbolic expression. This discovery at the site, located 46 kilometers from Şanlıurfa within Tek Tek Mountains National Park, represents one of the earliest known purpose-built communal gathering spaces in human history. The find emerges from Turkey's ambitious "Heritage for the Future" project, which has been systematically excavating sites across the region. Professor Necmi