Cornucopia 26

Cover story
The shock of the old

Harald Hauptmann reveals the extraordinary significance of the latest neolithic finds in the eastern Taurus mountains

This feline carving dates from the 9th millennium BC and is one of the earliest pieces of religious art ever discovered. Harald Hauptmann, who led the archaeologists who unearthed it near the city of Urfa, explains why the early Neolithic sites of southeastern Turkey are rewriting history.