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Archaeologists have uncovered around 25 turtle figurines dating back more than 13,000 years at the Gedikkaya Hill and In Cave Archaeological Excavation Site in Türkiye's northwestern Bilecik province, adding new evidence that the cave was used for ritual practices during the Epipaleolithic period.
The limestone figurines are believed to have been made between 14,500 BC and 11,200 BC, within the Epipaleolithic period, which broadly spans from around 20,000 BC to 10,000 BC.
Some of the objects were covered with clay, while the largest measures about 30 centimeters in length and 20 centimeters in width. Researchers believe the figurines were produced for ritual purposes before being placed inside the cave.
The excavations were carried out between May 18 and July 18 by a 14-member team led by Professor Deniz Sari of Bilecik Seyh Edebali University's Department of Archaeology on behalf of the Culture and Tourism Ministry.
Sari said archaeological material inside the cave was first identified during surveys in 2017, while rescue excavations were later carried out under the Bilecik Museum between 2019 and 2023.
"This year's finds showed us that this was an important cult and ritual area. With the turtle figurines we found this year, the ritual context of the cave has taken on a different dimension," Sari said.
Carbon-14 testing placed the finds between 14,500 BC and 11,200 BC, strengthening the assessment that the figurines belong to the Epipaleolithic period.
According to Sari, many of the turtle figurines appear to have been shaped quickly and with limited detail, which has led researchers to consider whether they were made specifically for ritual use rather than as carefully finished objects.
He compared their placement to practices associated with Hidirellez, when people make vows, write down wishes and bury them.
Sari said archaeologists found a circular architectural arrangement inside the cave, with many of the partly finished or rapidly shaped limestone turtle figurines inserted into the soil around it.
Researchers are also considering whether people living during the Epipaleolithic period may have seen the shape of Gedikkaya Hill itself as resembling a turtle, possibly linking the landscape with the figurines.
Sari said it may still be too early to describe this as a "mountain cult," but many of the smaller figurines give the impression that they were deliberately shaped in a form resembling Gedikkaya Hill.
He also noted that turtle symbolism was known in both the Natufian culture of the Near East and earlier Upper Paleolithic cultures, while turtles have represented longevity and endurance in many cultures.
The newly discovered objects were handed over to the Bilecik Museum and Bilecik Seyh Edebali University for examination and restoration.
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