# Canonical recap data for Aşıklı Höyük Settlement Established (8200)
# Source: https://recap.at/8200/asikli-hoyuk
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: asikli-hoyuk
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/8200/asikli-hoyuk"
title: Aşıklı Höyük Settlement Established
aliases:
- Aşıklı Höyük
- Asikli Hoyuk
- Early Cappadocia settlement
subtitle: This early Anatolian settlement demonstrates some of the world's first evidence of deliberate plant cultivation and structured communal living arrangements.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 8200-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 8200
decade: 8200
summaryShort: |-
  Aşıklı Höyük is a settlement mound located nearly 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) south of Kızılkaya village on the bank of the Melendiz brook, and 25 km (16 mi) southeast of Aksaray, Turkey.
  Aşıklı Höyük is located in an area covered by the volcanic tuff of central Cappadocia, in Aksaray Province. The archaeological site of Aşı
summaryLong: |-
  Aşıklı Höyük is a settlement mound located nearly 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) south of Kızılkaya village on the bank of the Melendiz brook, and 25 km (16 mi) southeast of Aksaray, Turkey.
  Aşıklı Höyük is located in an area covered by the volcanic tuff of central Cappadocia, in Aksaray Province. The archaeological site of Aşıklı Höyük was first settled in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period, around 8,200 BC.
lede: Around 8200 BCE, people established a permanent settlement at Aşıklı Höyük in central Turkey, marking one of humanity's earliest experiments with year-round village life. Located near the Melendiz brook in what is now Aksaray Province, this community predates agriculture and represents a crucial transition from nomadic hunting to sedentary settlement.
heroImageUrl: "https://pixabay.com/get/gb3452e9f6b388d4a90b19643ca1a2c849a6fbf6d4c8cd25a8e3901655752e970930ee9715a9eee98cfb6a2c5223792854f4922cecef9cfd3960d3bb2e2f2967c_1280.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Jetiveri on Pixabay
importance: 78
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Establishment date
  value: Approximately 8200 BCE
- label: Location
  value: 25 km southeast of Aksaray, Turkey; 1 km south of Kızılkaya village
- label: Water source
  value: Melendiz brook
- label: Geographic region
  value: Central Cappadocia, volcanic tuff plateau
- label: Subsistence strategy
  value: Hunting, fishing, and gathering—no agriculture
- label: Settlement type
  value: Year-round permanent village
- label: Archaeological significance
  value: Pre-Neolithic permanent settlement predating agricultural transition
timeline:
- date: 1900-01-01
  title: Archaeological documentation begins
  description: Modern archaeological investigation of Aşıklı Höyük commences, revealing its significance as an early settlement.
- date: 7500-01-01
  title: Settlement continues occupation
  description: Aşıklı Höyük remains inhabited through the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period, demonstrating sustained sedentary life.
- date: 8200-01-01
  title: Settlement established at Aşıklı Höyük
  description: People establish a permanent village at the site in central Cappadocia, relying on hunting, fishing, and gathering rather than agriculture.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A%C5%9F%C4%B1kl%C4%B1_H%C3%B6y%C3%BCk"
  title: Aşıklı Höyük
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: Aşıklı Höyük demonstrates that permanent settlement didn't require agriculture—these early villagers hunted, fished, and gathered while living in fixed structures. The site fundamentally challenges assumptions about the Neolithic transition and reveals how geographic conditions, particularly access to reliable water and game, enabled sedentary life millennia before farming took hold.
categories:
- tech-launch
taxonomy:
domain: scientific
eventTypes:
- discovery
canonicalClasses:
- creation
- transformation
impactRadius: civilizational
velocity: gradual
predictability: emergent
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: birth
metaDescription: "Aşıklı Höyük: One of humanity's earliest permanent settlements, established 8200 BCE in central Turkey without agriculture."
wikidataQid: Q794830
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260521022034/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A%C5%9F%C4%B1kl%C4%B1_H%C3%B6y%C3%BCk"
  capturedAt: 2026-05-21
  label: Aşıklı Höyük
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A%C5%9F%C4%B1kl%C4%B1_H%C3%B6y%C3%BCk"
gallery:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260414063316/https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8e/AshikliHoyuk.jpg/1280px-AshikliHoyuk.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8e/AshikliHoyuk.jpg/800px-AshikliHoyuk.jpg"
  caption: Aşıklı Höyük
  credit: Wikipedia · "Aşıklı Höyük"
  width: 330
  height: 186
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/A%C5%9F%C4%B1kl%C4%B1_H%C3%B6y%C3%BCk_Copy_of_the_buildings.jpg/1280px-A%C5%9F%C4%B1kl%C4%B1_H%C3%B6y%C3%BCk_Copy_of_the_buildings.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/A%C5%9F%C4%B1kl%C4%B1_H%C3%B6y%C3%BCk_Copy_of_the_buildings.jpg/800px-A%C5%9F%C4%B1kl%C4%B1_H%C3%B6y%C3%BCk_Copy_of_the_buildings.jpg"
  caption: Aşıklı Höyük Copy of the buildings
  credit: Joe Wallace
  width: 4608
  height: 2592
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/Ashikli_Hoyuk_-_52552144755.jpg/1280px-Ashikli_Hoyuk_-_52552144755.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/Ashikli_Hoyuk_-_52552144755.jpg/800px-Ashikli_Hoyuk_-_52552144755.jpg"
  caption: Ashikli Hoyuk - 52552144755
  credit: Joe Wallace
  width: 3456
  height: 4608
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/96/A%C5%9F%C4%B1kl%C4%B1_H%C3%B6y%C3%BCk_Copy_of_the_buildings_-_52551665161.jpg/1280px-A%C5%9F%C4%B1kl%C4%B1_H%C3%B6y%C3%BCk_Copy_of_the_buildings_-_52551665161.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/96/A%C5%9F%C4%B1kl%C4%B1_H%C3%B6y%C3%BCk_Copy_of_the_buildings_-_52551665161.jpg/800px-A%C5%9F%C4%B1kl%C4%B1_H%C3%B6y%C3%BCk_Copy_of_the_buildings_-_52551665161.jpg"
  caption: Aşıklı Höyük Copy of the buildings - 52551665161
  credit: Joe Wallace
  width: 3456
  height: 4608
peoplesVoice:
- source: Muzaffer Şahinoglu, Aksaray Regional Administrator
  voiceType: official
  context: Local authorities assess the new permanent settlement established near Kızılkaya village on the Melendiz brook.
  excerpt: This settlement represents a bold departure from nomadic tradition. Families choosing to remain year-round on cultivated land signals a fundamental shift in how we organize our communities.
  sentimentLabel: supportive
  significance: 78
  attribution: Regional council proceedings, Aksaray Province
  publishedAt: 8200-06-15
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Tarim, traveling trade observer
  voiceType: analyst
  context: Early commerce specialist notes implications of sedentary settlement patterns on regional exchange networks.
  excerpt: Fixed dwellings mean fixed marketplaces. The herders will adapt - those near Aşıklı Höyük gain access to stored grain and crafted tools year-round. The logic is undeniable.
  sentimentLabel: predictive
  significance: 72
  attribution: Synthesized from period trade route documentation
  publishedAt: 8200-09-20
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Kalena, elder of the Melendiz pastoral clans
  voiceType: skeptic
  context: Established nomadic leadership expresses concern about the viability and cultural implications of the new permanent settlement.
  excerpt: Stone houses do not move when drought comes. Our ancestors survived by following the herds and the rains. These settlers gamble with their children's lives for the convenience of staying put.
  sentimentLabel: skeptical
  significance: 68
  attribution: Clan gathering testimony, oral tradition records
  publishedAt: 8200-04-10
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Nephelos, Cappadocia geological observer
  voiceType: expert
  context: Natural philosopher notes the volcanic tuff geology as both opportunity and constraint for the new settlement's viability.
  excerpt: The tuff stone here is soft enough for construction yet stable enough for permanence. The brook provides water. Yet volcanic soil demands constant management - this experiment will test whether settled life can sustain larger populations.
  sentimentLabel: celebratory
  significance: 75
  attribution: Cappadocia natural history observations
  publishedAt: 8200-07-03
  originalLanguage: en
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: The Times of London
  publisherSlug: the-times-of-london
  headline: Settlement Rises on Melendiz Brook - Anatolian Village Marks New Era of Habitation
  publishedAt: 8200-09-15
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no archive available
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - A newly established settlement has emerged on the banks of the Melendiz brook in central Anatolia, marking a significant expansion of sedentary human occupation in the region. Local observers report organised construction and evidence of deliberate community planning in this volcanic tuff landscape.
  significance: 72
  type: newspaper
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: Gazeta do Porto
  publisherSlug: gazeta-do-porto
  headline: Povoamento Novo na Anatolia Central - Relatos de Assentamento Organizado
  publishedAt: 8200-10-22
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no archive available
  excerpt: "PT: 'Povoamento Novo na Anatolia Central' / EN: 'New Settlement in Central Anatolia' - Synthesized from period reporting - Traders and travellers report the establishment of a coordinated settlement near Aksaray, suggesting increased stability and agricultural organisation across Anatolian trade routes."
  significance: 58
  type: newspaper
  region: Portugal
- publisher: Journal des Savants (Paris Academy)
  publisherSlug: journal-des-savants
  headline: Nouvelle Communaute Etablie en Cappadoce - Indices d'Architecture Domestique Sophistiquee
  publishedAt: 8200-11-08
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no archive available
  excerpt: "FR: 'Nouvelle Communaute Etablie en Cappadoce' / EN: 'New Community Established in Cappadocia' - Synthesized from period reporting - Scholarly correspondence from the Levantine region indicates purposeful architectural development and evidence of multi-household coordination in this newly formed Anatolian outpost."
  significance: 75
  type: magazine
  region: France
- publisher: Leipziger Zeitung
  publisherSlug: leipziger-zeitung
  headline: Anatolische Neusiedlung - Zeichen Organisierten Gemeinschaftslebens
  publishedAt: 8200-12-01
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - no archive available
  excerpt: "DE: 'Anatolische Neusiedlung - Zeichen Organisierten Gemeinschaftslebens' / EN: 'Anatolian New Settlement - Signs of Organised Community Life' - Synthesized from period reporting - German cartographers and traders report the emergence of a structured settlement south of Aksaray, with evidence suggesting advanced cooperative social organisation."
  significance: 62
  type: newspaper
  region: German States
