It is a short novel, without any type of text. There are just two panels that tell a story of interaction between humans and animals. Nothing complicated. Or if. Because these images, which could be considered the first graphic novel of all time, is the oldest narrative scene in the world.
It was carved around 11,000 years ago on stone benches in a communal building at the Sayburç site in southeastern Turkey. The sections represent people interacting with dangerous animals. One of these individuals is a man who grasps his phallus while two leopards approach him from either side. The other is squatting holding a rattle or snake and facing a bull.
Archaeologists from the University of Istanbul highlight, in an article published in the Antiquity magazine, that the author of the story took pains to emphasize both the teeth of the leopards and the horns of the bull, highlighting the danger in the interconnected scenes.
Although similar art has been found in other ancient settlements in the same region, “what is striking about the Sayburç images is that they are unique in that they appear to be related to one another,” the researchers say. The two panels are horizontally adjacent, creating a progressive scene, and each feature similar imagery, also indicating a coherent narrative.
"These figures etched together are the first known examples of such a holistic scene," explains Dr. Eylem Özdoğan. "This is a snapshot of the stories that shaped the ideology of the people of that place in that precise period of time," she adds.
The discovery was made during excavations in Sayburç that began in 2021 and have not yet been completed, so it is not ruled out that more scenes of this ancient history will be discovered. The site where this representation was located is located below a modern village in the Turkish province of Şanliurfa. Investigations revealed that the place was inhabited in the Neolithic period, during the ninth millennium BC.
This period saw a major transition, with people moving from a mobile hunter-gatherer lifestyle to farming and living in long-term settlements. Archaeologists discovered several residential buildings, as well as a large communal structure.
This space may have served as a place for special gatherings, with benches along the walls for people who were part of the community to sit on at the time. Narrative images were found carved into the backs of some of these seats.
“The building has all the characteristic features of the communal structures of the region. In this space, as in other similar ones, images of animals and humans were found. However, here the characteristic figures of the time coexist and form a scene”, adds Özdoğan.
Since the art decorated an important building, the Istanbul University archaeologist believes that the figures depicted in the narrative scenes were important figures to this early farming community. Perhaps historical figures or mythical figures who were a key part of their traditions.
"Archaeological evidence can provide insight into the customs of past societies, but such clear evidence rarely survives, so this discovery is exciting," said Dr Özdoğan. "Sayburç has very clear evidence and has the potential to tell us a lot about what we didn't yet know about Neolithic society," she concludes.
