Archaeologists in Turkey have unearthed an 11,000-year-old statue of a man who appears to be clutching his penis. It was found alongside several other statues, including that of a life-size boar.
The sculpture of the man was discovered at the site of Karahan Tepe in Turkey’s Şanlıurfa Province. According to a statement from Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the statue stands over seven feet tall, with its ribs, spine, and shoulders especially pronounced. It also suggests the person may be shown as being dead.
While scientists are unsure of the statue’s exact age, the site at Karahan Tepe dates back 11,000 years and has been the discovery ground for many other statues and artifacts.
Ted Banning, a professor of anthropology at the University of Toronto who was not involved in the discovery, spoke with Live Science about its significance. “Any interpretation of the statue is conjectural at this point,” he said, but confirmed that it was likely the person was depicted as being dead. Banning said the person on whom it was based was “an important ancestor associated with the building in which it was found.”
Banning also believes this to be true based on its unique pose. “The fact that the figure is clutching its penis potentially [symbolizes] that this person was the progenitor of a social group, such as a lineage or clan, associated with the building,” he confirmed.
The sculpture of the wild boar was found at the Göbekli Tepe site, about 22 miles from Karahan Tepe. It dates back to 8700 B.C. and 8200 B.C., according to the German Archaeological Institute, and is flecked with pigment, giving scientists reason to believe it was painted at one time.
Banning believes that the structures at Göbekli and Karahan may have been used as homes rather than temples, “in which case it makes a lot of sense that each would have its own lineage ancestor,” he explained of the statues.
