Hallan Çemi
archeological site in Turkey
Hallan Çemi is a Protoneolithic site in south-eastern Anatolia which was discovered in 1989 and is believed to be more than 11,000 years old (founded c. 9500 BC). Tools were made from flint and obsidian. There is evidence of malachite, a copper ore, being imported and suggesting the existence of a trading network. Staples included lentils, almonds and pistachios. Whereas sheep and goat were usually the first animals to be kept as livestock by Near East communities, it appears that Hallan Çemi began with pigs.
Excavations
It was discovered in 1990 during the surveys carried out by Michael Rosenberg and H. Togul in the water collection area while the Batman Dam was under construction. A chipped stone industry and decorated stone vessels were found during the investigations in the region. Thereupon, excavations were carried out by the USA University of Delaware, METU TEKDAM (Historical Artifacts Recovery and Evaluation Research Center) and Diyarbakır Museum under the direction of Rosenberg in 1990–94.
The primary aim of the excavations was to obtain sufficient information about the livelihood economies of the residents.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Hallan Çemi” is archeological site in Turkey. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Hallan, Çemi and archeological, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “archeological site in Turkey” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 9, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1340632. Authority coordinates are 38.224, 41.242. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1989 and 1990.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Hallan Çemi”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Hallan Çemi primary sources, Hallan Çemi archive and Hallan research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Hallan Çemi”?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Hallan Çemi” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.