Excavations at Turkey’s Çayönü Tepesi uncovered a 9,500-year-old public building distinct from domestic architecture and built for communal use.
“We estimate that the building was constructed approximately 9,500 years ago and was used for 150-200 years. The fact that the floor paint was renewed at least four times shows that the building was periodically re-functionalized and used,” said archeologist Savaş Sarıaltun, according to Milliyet.
This structure draws attention as a public space where meetings, joint activities, or special rituals were held, rather than a house or shelter, said Sarıaltun, according to Evrensel. He noted that the building’s public character offered evidence for how people established social order, performed rituals, and defined communal space.
One of the building’s notable features was its red painted floor, the first painted floor identified at Çayönü. The repeated renewal of the surface indicated deliberate maintenance for continued social functions. The discovery invited comparison with the site’s terrazzo structure, known for its mosaic floor.
Sarıaltun placed the building in the period around 7,600-7,500 BCE, a phase when social and symbolic practices developed alongside architectural diversification at the site.
Çayönü Tepesi, dated to about 12,000 years ago, has been regarded as one of the earliest places where agricultural activities began. The new find reinforced the settlement’s role in early social organization and communal activity.
Written with the help of a news-analysis system.