On a low rise overlooking the upper Tigris River, archaeologists are revisiting one of humanity’s most transformative periods. At Çayönü Tepesi, a 12,000-year-old settlement in southeastern Türkiye, human remains buried for millennia are now providing genetic insights that could reshape understanding of how the world’s earliest farming societies developed, organized themselves, and interacted across wide regions.
Long recognized as a pivotal site in the shift from foraging to farming, Çayönü is now the focus of a major interdisciplinary project combining archaeology, physical anthropology, and ancient DNA analysis. Researchers aim not only to reconstruct daily life at the site, but also to uncover who its inhabitants were, where they originated, and how connected they were to neighboring regions such as Mesopotamia and the Caucasus.
A Landmark Site in the Birth of Sedentary Life
Located near the modern town of Ergani, Çayönü was first noted during surface surveys in 1963 and excavated from 1964 by Halet Çambel and Robert J. Braidwood. From the beginning, the site stood out. Unlike the temporary camps of mobile hunter-gatherers, Çayönü displayed long-term occupation, planned architecture, and early evidence of plant cultivation and animal management.
These findings positioned the site among a select group of Neolithic settlements that challenged previous ideas about the origins of agriculture. Rather than pointing to a single “birthplace,” Çayönü revealed a complex network of innovation, experimentation, and cultural exchange across Upper Mesopotamia and southeastern Anatolia.
After a lengthy pause due to security concerns in the 1990s, excavations have resumed in recent years with modern analytical techniques and a broader scientific focus.
Human skeletal remains discovered at Çayönü Tepesi in the Ergani district of Diyarbakır are being analyzed at Hacettepe University to investigate the genetic makeup of Neolithic and Bronze Age communities.
Scientific Leadership and Fieldwork
The current excavation at Çayönü Tepesi is led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Savaş Sarıaltun of Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, with anthropological and bioarchaeological studies coordinated by Prof. Dr. Ömür Dilek Erdal of Hacettepe University. The project involves specialists from ten universities across Türkiye and operates under the authorization of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
Since May 2025, teams have carried out intensive excavations across more than 3,200 square meters, revealing a remarkably continuous sequence of occupation spanning the Pre-Pottery Neolithic, Pottery Neolithic, and into the Early Bronze Age.
Among the most notable discoveries are grid-planned buildings from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B phase (c. 9000–8500 BCE), a large communal structure likely used for gatherings or collective activities, and a carefully engineered Bronze Age water channel. These features suggest a settlement that was deliberately planned and socially coordinated rather than organically developed.
Burials, Objects, and Social Signals
Excavations have also uncovered an Early Bronze Age cemetery dating to around 2900–2750 BCE. So far, eight graves have been examined: seven from the Early Bronze Age and one from the Neolithic period. The burials contained pottery vessels, copper and bronze items, tools, daggers, and two seals found nearby.
According to Sarıaltun, the seals are particularly important, indicating early economic networks and potentially reflecting social roles or group identities within the community. Despite these material markers, the overall burial evidence does not suggest the presence of strict social hierarchies.
By analyzing ancient DNA, researchers are reconstructing kinship patterns, mobility, and population dynamics over thousands of years.
From Excavation House to Laboratory
All skeletal remains from Çayönü are first documented at the excavation house and then, under official permits, transferred to Hacettepe University’s anthropology laboratories. There, Prof. Erdal and her team conduct detailed cleaning, restoration, and analysis following international standards.
So far, approximately 255 individuals have been studied, making Çayönü one of the most thoroughly analyzed Neolithic populations in the region. The findings reveal a highly heterogeneous community, both biologically and culturally.
Skeletal markers indicate a physically demanding lifestyle. Even children show signs of early involvement in agricultural and daily labor. Differences between individuals buried in larger versus smaller houses do not show clear biological evidence of inequality, suggesting that workloads and burial customs were largely shared across the settlement.
Gender-based divisions of labor are evident but balanced: men show skeletal markers associated with herding and outdoor work, while women exhibit patterns linked to repetitive indoor production. Both roles were crucial for the community’s survival.
DNA and Long-Distance Connections
The project’s most transformative aspect is its genetic research. Ancient DNA analysis is allowing researchers to reconstruct kinship networks, mobility patterns, and population dynamics over millennia.
Preliminary results indicate that Çayönü was far from isolated. Genetic signatures reveal sustained connections with Mesopotamia and the Caucasus, showing that individuals from outside regions settled at the site and integrated into the community.
“These connections are not theoretical,” Erdal explains. “We can observe them directly in the genome. People moved, mixed, and formed new social bonds here.”
The DNA research is ongoing, with comprehensive results expected to be released to the public between 2026 and 2027.
The DNA research is ongoing and expected to continue for several years, with comprehensive results planned for public release between 2026 and 2027.
Rethinking Early Societies
The combined archaeological and genetic evidence from Çayönü challenges simplified views of early civilization. Rather than a linear progression toward hierarchy and inequality, the site reveals a community that was organized, cooperative, and closely connected to the wider region.
By tracing the genetic footprints of some of the world’s first farmers, Çayönü is helping scientists explore a question that remains relevant today: how did humans learn to live together in permanent communities, and what were the gains and costs of that transformation?
