A GROUP OF ARTIFACTS FROM NEOLITHIC PERIOD IN SANLIURFA MUSEUM

Three artifacts delivered to Sanliurfa Museum in 2013 and dated to Pre-Pottery Neolithic Period forms the main topic of the present study. Two of such artifacts are rather grave goods, one of which is a decorative stone bowl made of chlorite stone while the other is a stone plate. The decorative stone bowl resembling the finds at Kortik Tepe is discovered as intact for the first time other than the small pieces discovered during the excavations and studies conducted at Sanliurfa until today. The last artifact, on the other hand, is a piece of a statue resembling a lion s head. Rather resembling the statues at Gobekli Tepe and Nevali Cori, this artifact points out to existence of a settlement site that accommodates a new cult enclosure in the region. All three artifacts under study are artifacts known from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic sites in the region and must be dated mainly to the end of Pre-Pottery Neolithic A Period (PPNA) and start of PPNB period.