Archaeologists are exploring an ancient site in eastern Turkey with carvings of grimacing men and eight-foot tall penises. The chamber, estimated at 11,000 to 13,000 years old, is of unknown origin but observers speculate it was a ritual or religious site. Surrounded by shrines, cells, altars, and audience halls, the chamber is now the oldest ritual monument in the world. Given its estimated date, the site is also causing archaeologists to reconsider when humans became civilized, as nomadic hunter-gatherers probably weren’t in a condition to build towns with water systems.
The most interesting find? You might think that would be the eight-foot tall penises, but no. The carvings feature men with six-fingered hands. Was this symbolic? A representation of a single man with a deformed hand? Did everyone in the tribe have six-fingered hands?
What happened to these early people? Who are the descendants of the six-fingered tribe? What happens next?
