Prehistoric Phallus-Shaped Pillars Found in Turkey

ISTANBUL, TURKEY—According to a Live Science report, archaeologists led by Necmi Karul of Istanbul University uncovered 11 pillars and a carving shaped like a human head in a building at the 11,000-year-old site of Karahan Tepe, which is located in southeastern Turkey. “All pillars are erected and shaped like a phallus,” Karul said. The building where the pillars were found was connected to three other structures and may have been part of a ceremonial complex, he explained. People could have entered at one end of the complex, moved past the carvings, and exited at the other end. The buildings were eventually filled in with dirt, perhaps as part of a decommissioning ritual, he added. Carvings of snakes and a fox were also found in other buildings at Karahan Tepe, which may be linked to nearby Göbekli Tepe, where large buildings and carvings of animals and human heads have also been found. For more on Göbekli Tepe, go to "Last Stand of the Hunter-Gatherers?"