A clay statuette of a female figure has been discovered at the Neolithic site of Ulucak Mound in Izmir, western Turkey. It is the sixth female figure found at Ulucak, but it stands from its sisters because it has a mouth — a hole that extends over the neck likely to allow a necklace to be threaded through it. The other examples have only eyes and noses. The figurine is just under four inches high and can easily fit in the palm of a hand. It was discovered next to a hearth inside a home. It was buried next to the ovens in a pit under the threshold of the door. Grinding stones and flints were also found in the pit. Archaeologists believe it may have represented a woman with power in the community, for example an oral historian or storyteller, which would explain her oversized mouth. It may also have ritual use that bears no relation to any living individual in the community. Ulucak Mound was one of the first farmer settlements in western Anatolia, with its earliest layers dating back 8,850 years. The settlement continued to be inhabited for the next 1,150 years without interruption.