A unique statue depicting a human sitting on the back of a leopard has been unearthed from the Neolithic site of Karahan Tepe near Şanlıurfa, southern Turkey. The figure is 70 cm (27.6 inches) high and was discovered on a stone platform along the wall of a circular structure about 10 feet in diameter.

Karahan Tepe is approximately 30 miles east of Göbekli Tepe, the Pre-Pottery Neolithic monumental complex. Both sites share T-shaped pillars and similar animal iconography, but Karahan Tepe features more rock-cut spaces and three-dimensional human figures. Since excavations began in 2019, several anthropomorphic and zoomorphic sculptures have been found, including examples of a human carrying a snarling leopard on his back.

The newly announced sculpture reverses that formula: the human is seated on the animal. Whether this reversal conveyed a different narrative or status is undetermined, but it offers new evidence for understanding how Karahantepe’s inhabitants imagined the boundary between humans and wild animals. Leopards appear prominently in the site’s iconography, including heads, figurines, and incised carvings on standing stones.

The sculpture’s location on the platform suggests it was meant to be visible and accessible, though it is unclear if it was placed there originally or moved when the space was deliberately closed.