The discovery
In 2023 the Göbekli Tepe Project announced a life-sized limestone statue of a wild boar, found in the northern part of Special Building D. It stood on a decorated stone bench between two pillars — and, remarkably, still held traces of red, black and white pigment, with the tongue coloured red.
Why it's a landmark
Archaeologists had long suspected that the pillars and statues of Göbekli Tepe were once painted, but suspicion isn't proof. The boar is the first unambiguous evidence. It means the grey stone we see today is a faded version of something that may once have been vividly coloured — a very different world to picture.