27.08.2025 17:00
Excavation work at Ulucak Mound in the Kemalpaşa district of İzmir has uncovered an 8,000-year-old male figurine made of clay, featuring a fox pelt. Prof. Dr. Özlem Çevik, the head of the Ulucak Mound Excavation, stated, "Its style, particularly in terms of the costume, distinguishes it from other figurines found in Ulucak. It connects us iconographically to Göbeklitepe in Şanlıurfa."
```html
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Metropolitan Municipality, the Kemalpaşa Municipality, and the Kemalpaşa Organized Industrial Zone are continuing excavation works at Ulucak Mound, which is the oldest settlement in İzmir, dating back 8,850 years. In this year's excavations at the mound, where Prof. Dr. Özlem Çevik, a faculty member of the Department of Protohistory and Near Eastern Archaeology at Trakya University, took over as excavation director in 2009, a 9-centimeter tall male figurine made of fox fur, dating back 8,000 years, was found.
"THE HISTORY OF ULUCAK HAS GONE BACK ANOTHER 350 YEARS"
Prof. Dr. Özlem Çevik stated that Ulucak Mound is one of the first village settlements in İzmir, saying, "This place has been continuously inhabited for 45 generations as a Neolithic settlement. We can say it is a key settlement for Western Anatolia. The region, which is a farmer village settlement, was dated back to 8,500 years ago. With our excavations, the history of Ulucak has gone back another 350 years. It has been dated to 8,850 years ago. Being a farmer village settlement in Western Anatolia, having been continuously inhabited for 1,150 years over 45 generations; its social, economic, communal, and nutrition-based aspects allow us to see the 1,150 years of life in every aspect," she said.
"THERE IS A 4,000-YEAR TIME DIFFERENCE WITH GÖBEKLİTEPE"
Speaking about the findings uncovered in this year's excavations, Prof. Dr. Çevik said, "In our excavations, we generally find figurines made of clay. They are usually female figures. We also encounter genderless figurines. Until now, there was only one male figure found. This year, we found another male figure. Its style and the costume on it distinguish it from other figurines in Ulucak. It connects us iconographically to Göbeklitepe in Şanlıurfa. We see that the central T-shaped pillars in Göbeklitepe are depicted in human form. We observe details such as belts, hands, and clothing. It was noted that the clothing details from the findings in Göbeklitepe included fox fur from the waist down. There is a 4,000-year time difference between there and here. We can also see this clothing detail in the figure we found here," she said.
"WE SEE IT APPEARING IN WESTERN ANATOLIA 4,000 YEARS LATER"
Stating that the figurine is made of clay and is 9 centimeters long, Prof. Dr. Çevik noted, "The 8,000-year-old figurine draws attention with a fox fur towards its sexual organ. On its head, we see a ceremonial outfit in the style of a hat. Although it is dressed, the sexual organ is left exposed. Women are generally depicted as naked. The power of women is symbolized by large hips and large breasts. Thus, it shows the existence, power, and authority of women. The fact that male figurines are generally clothed likely indicates that such power is attributed to activities like hunting. We see that the depictions made in Eastern Anatolia appear in Western Anatolia 4,000 years later," she said.
```