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'Nevali Cori' is an early Neolithic settlement in the upper Euphrates valley, eastern Turkey, around 490 m high. It is located near the steeply cut Kantara Cay, a tributary of the Euphrates.
The settlement is dated back to around 8000 BC. In this period ( PPN B) pottery was still unknown, but in Nevali Cori several hundred small figurines (about 5 cm high) of burnt clay have been found that are interpreted as votive offerings. They have been burned at temperatures between 500-600° C. The rectangular buildings and houses of the settlement have dry-stone walls and terrazzo-floors made of burnt lime. The largest building measures 16m x 7m. Rectangular stone pillars were set into the walls, two freestanding pillars, 3 m high, were placed in the middle of the room. The stelae show reliefs of human hands. The construction shows close parallels with the older round buildings in Göbekli Tepe.
A deposit of human skulls was found beneath the floor of one of the houses.
The free-standing anthropomorphic figures of limestone excavated at Nevali Cori belong to the earliest known life-size sculptures. One shows a male with bare head with sikha. There is a statue of a bird as well. Comparable statues have been found in Göbekli Tepe.
From 1993 onwards, the German archaeological Institute, Istanbul excavated the site of the settlement in advance of the construction of the Atatürk-dam, the waters of which have now inundated the Neolithic village as well as numerous other archaeological sites in the vicinity.