13,000-year-old carvings in Türkiye may be world’s oldest lunisolar calendar

Carvings carved into a large stone pillar in Turkey nearly 13,000 years ago could be the world’s oldest solar and lunar calendar, a new study suggests. And the calendar may have been carved to mark a catastrophic comet impact.

Archaeologists discovered the markings at Göbekli Tepe, an archaeological site in southern Turkey known for its abundance of temples with elaborately engraved designs, according to the study, published July 24 in the journal Time and Mind.