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Çayönü Tepesi is a neolithic settlement in SE Turkey. It is northern Mesopotamia, at the foot of the Taurus mountains

Another important archaeological site from the neolithic period exists. Located in SE Turkey. At the top of the Fertile crescent
This site offers valuable insights into early stages of agriculture, and animal domestication. As well as, human settlement, religion and climate change.

It prospered from around 8,630 to 6,800 BC. (1) And, covers the PPNA, PPNB and PN periods
It is located in Diyarbakır Province. Forty kilometres north-west of Diyarbakır. Near the Boğazçay, a tributary of the upper Tigris River; and, the Bestakot, an intermittent stream.

Archaeology: The site was excavated for 16 seasons between 1964 and 1991 (2)(3)
Various artifacts. Including stone tools, pottery, and decorative objects were found. As well as architecture.

The Çayönü settlement at first represented single room structures that were round, or had rounded corners
Earlier levels do not include buildings, only cooking pits.

The site is more known for its well-preserved structures. Including circular and rectangular houses made from mud bricks. On top were built wattle and daub constructions.

The next phase consisted of grill-plan buildings. This refers to a type of the building foundation
Around 6″ high stones, are arranged in a linear parallel. For a carefully built foundation. That could support a elevated plastered floor. Kind of like rebar, it would have helped keep it stay sturdy. While also aerating below keeping it insulated, ventilated and dry. (4)

There are four other subphases (6 in all) (5)
-round, PPNA
-grill, PPNA (grill-plan buildings)
-channeled early ppnb
-cobble paved, middle ppnb
-cell, late ppnb
-large room, final ppnb

From the earliest stone buildings, there are signs of something special
Some had evidence of channel drainage. It is clear they were doing something with some kind of liquid. Was it blood; water, wine, or something else? Perhaps a combination?

A early significant building, was a flagstone building
Possibly in order to get some kind of flooding. The flagstone building has a floor made entirely from large flagstones. Into which were set megalithic stones. There were also rows of standing stones nearby. Giving it a similar appearance to the Valley Temple, in Giza.

The terrazzo building, has a kind of channel drainage as well
It is one of the first with terrazzo floors. Stone pieces, like marble or granite, pressed into a cement base. There was also signs of early copper being smelted, (or pounded) here.

In the Skull building. Sorry but it seems to be a more nastier end
This structure was around 7m x 7.9m in size. It had a round asp at one end. In two small ante-chambers, archaeologists unearthed skulls. A large chamber was also discovered that contained a stone block. Which could have been an offering table.

Did you know? Analysis of blood found on some of the alters suggest human sacrifice occurred there. (6) Microscopic analysis shows a high residue of blood. From aurochs, sheep and human beings.

A deep cylindrical hole with remains of clay and a domed structure was also found
It was more than likely used for storage of various products.

There were insights of wheat and animal domestication
On that the slopes of Mount Karaca (Karaca Dağ). Which is located in close vicinity to Çayönü. The precursor of most current wheat species, Emmer wheat. Is shown to be domesticated and cultivated perhaps earliest. (7) Emmer cultivated, along with einkorn was present from earliest sub-phase. (8)

Origin of animal domestication: from wild to the domestication of pigs and cattle
Prior to first archaeological phases. Wild game bones are relatively abundant.

Domestic animals appear in the final aspects of pre-ceramic, or pre-pottery neolithic. First, it was probably sheep domesticated. (7) There are also signs where the pig (sus scrofa) was first domesticated. (9)

And, as well, the area provides time sequences. In distinctions between cattle management and domestication
Around 9000 years ago. There is a decrease in the size of the cattle. The trend continues in related sites from the area.

Çayönü Tepesi provides significance to the development of early farming communities; and, more recent climate change. Providing insight into the processes of domestication, and, what may have underpinned the emergence of agriculture and trade. It offers crucial data about transition from nomadic, hunter-gatherer societies. To settled agricultural ones.

Contributing to our understanding of the development of human civilization and early agriculture. It highlights the importance of the near east region. In the history of human cultural, technological and neolithic evolutions.

Cite: 1) Collins, Andrew (2014). Gobekli Tepe: Genesis of the Gods: The Temple of the Watchers and the Discovery of Eden (https://books.google.com/books?id=q1koDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT93). Simon and Schuster. p. 93. ISBN 9781591438359.

2) Çambel, H.; Braidwood, R. J., eds. (1980). The Joint Istanbul-Chicago Universities’ Prehistoric Research in Southeastern Anatolia. Istanbul University Publications. Vol. 2589. Istanbul. OCLC 15163668 (https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/15163668).

3) Özdoğan, A. (1999). “Çayönü”. In Özdoğan, M.; Başgelen, N. (eds.). Neolithic in Turkey: The Cradle of Civilization, New Discoveries. Istanbul: EGE Yayınları. pp. 35–64. ISBN 975-6899-41-7

4) Haklay, Gil; Gopher, Avi (2019-06-01). “Architectural planning and measuring in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic site of Çayönü, Turkey”. Paléorient (45–1). OpenEdition: 7–17.
doi:10.4000/paleorient.508 (https://doi.org/10.4000%2Fpaleorient.508). ISSN 0153-9345 (https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0153-9345).

5) Pearson, J; Grove, M; Ozbek, M; Hongo, H (2013). “Food and social complexity at Çayönü Tepesi, southeastern Anatolia: Stable isotope evidence of differentiation in diet according to burial practice and sex in the early Neolithic” (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC40
66944). J Anthropol Archaeol. 32 (2): 180–189. doi:10.1016/j.jaa.2013.01.002 (https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.jaa.2013.01.002). PMC 4066944 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4
066944). PMID 24976671 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24976671).

6) Loy, Thomas H.; Wood, Andrée R. (1989). “Blood Residue Analysis at Çayönü Tepesi, Turkey”. Journal of Field Archaeology. 16 (4): 451–460. doi:10.1179/jfa.1989.16.4.451 (https://doi.org/10
.1179%2Fjfa.1989.16.4.451).

7) Civáň, Peter; et al. (2013). “Reticulated Origin of Domesticated Emmer Wheat Supports a Dynamic Model for the Emergence of Agriculture in the Fertile Crescent” (https://www.ncbi.nlm.
nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3843696). PLOS One. 8 (11): e81955.
Bibcode:2013PLoSO…881955C (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2013PLoSO…881955C). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0081955 (https://doi.org/10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0081955).
PMC 3843696 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3843696). PMID 24312385 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24312385).

8) Braidwood, Robert J.; et al. (1974). “Beginnings of Village-Farming Communities in Southeastern Turkey, 1972” (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC388049). Proc.
Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 71 (2): 568–572. Bibcode:1974PNAS…71..568B (https://ui.adsabs.harvar
d.edu/abs/1974PNAS…71..568B). doi:10.1073/pnas.71.2.568 (https://doi.org/10.1073%2Fpnas
.71.2.568). PMC 388049 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC388049).
PMID 16592143 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16592143).

9) Ervynck, A.; et al. (2001). “Born Free? New Evidence for the Status of Sus scrofa at Neolithic Çayönü Tepesi (Southeastern Anatolia, Turkey)”. Paléorient. 27 (2): 47–73.
doi:10.3406/paleo.2001.4731 (https://doi.org/10.3406%2Fpaleo.2001.4731). JSTOR 41496617 (https://www.jstor.org/stable/41496617).

Bibliography:
Arbuckle, Benjamin S; Kassebaum, Theo M (2021-05-01). “Management and domestication of cattle (Bos taurus) in Neolithic Southwest Asia” (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC
8214434). Animal Frontiers. 11 (3). Oxford University Press (OUP): 10–19.
doi:10.1093/af/vfab015 (https://doi.org/10.1093%2Faf%2Fvfab015). ISSN 2160-6056 (https://search.worldcat.org/issn/2160-6056). PMC 8214434 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/
PMC8214434). PMID 34158985 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34158985).