Newly Found Phallic Statue Could Reveal Ancient Secrets
A 7.5 foot statue of a man holding onto his proverbial “junk” was recently discovered at an archaeological site of Karahan Tepe in Sanliurfa, Turkey. The phallic statue, which is estimated to be around 11,000 years old could reveal ancient secrets about the Neolithic culture.
The statue was found in southeastern Turkey. According to Marianne Guenot, of Business Insider, the site is believed by some people to be the world’s oldest Neolithic temple. If these dates are accurate, it would predate the Egyptian pyramids and Stonehenge by over 6,000 years!
Phallic Statue Could Reveal Ancient Secrets?
The statue appears to be the skeleton of a man with both of his hands placed on its penis. Not just the region, the actual thing. The phallic statue is sitting on a bench along with a leopard, according to France24. Necmi Karul, of Istanbul University, who is credited with uncovering the statue, told Agence France Presse that discovering statues like this one is not rare, “but for the first time here we found the phallus.”
It turns out, the region where the phallic statue was found is actually full of these things. In the archaeological community, the area is, in fact, known for its depictions of the male appendage. The famous Urfa Man, a statue more than 6 feet tall of a man seeming to protect his penis with both hands, was also found nearby.
That’s not all! The site of Karahan Tepe features many scenes like this one. According to Business Insider, Sean Thomas, of The Spectator, wrote about his experience there and noted similar pieces. Thomas wrote about another room there with T-shaped pillars (another phallic shape).
Who Were The Neolithic People?
These findings show that these communities across Southwest Asia were more sophisticated than previously believed. What remains unclear is what the site was originally for. Klaus Schmidt, a German archeologist, told Smithsonian Magazine the site was “the first human-built hold place.” Others disagree, including University of Toronto anthropologist, Ted Banning. Banning believes that these buildings were probably houses instead of temples.
Per Live Science, Banning said, “The fact that the figure is clutching its penis is also consistent with this interpretation by potentially symbolizing that this person was the progenitor of a social group, such as a lineage or clan, associated with the building.”
While archaeologists may disagree about it’s meaning, they do agree that this is a very significant find and is helping to better our understanding of the Neolithic culture and how people lived back then. For more on this story check out Marianne Guenot’s article on Business Insider!
