Full Answer
What is unusual about Göbekli Tepe?
Gobeklitepe is 7500 year older than any monument or temple known as the oldest so far. Until the discovery of Gobeklitepe, a 5000 years old temple in Malta was considered as the oldest of the world. Moreover it is 7000 years older than Stonehenge and 7500 years older than Egypt pyramids.
Is Stonehenge older than Göbekli Tepe?
At around 12,000 years old, Göbekli Tepe in south-east Turkey has been billed as the world's oldest temple. It is many millennia older than Stonehenge or Egypt's great pyramids, built in the pre-pottery Neolithic period before writing or the wheel.
Did people live at Göbekli Tepe?
It even seems construction on some parts of Gobekli Tepe might have began as far back as 14,000 or 15,000 years ago. Still, there isn't any evidence suggesting people actually lived at Gobekli Tepe.
How much of Göbekli Tepe is still buried?
“The site unearthed until today is not even 10 percent of all the complex that is still underground,” Necmi Karul, a member of the Göbeklitepe Science Board, told Demirören News Agency. “Göbeklitepe gets the interest of people it deserves,” he said. “There are now around eight excavation works in the area.”
What is the oldest ruins on earth?
The stone wall at the entrance of Theopetra Cave in Greece is the oldest ruins in the world — it is believed to be the oldest man-made structure ever found. Archaeologists think that the wall may have been built as a barrier to protect the cave's residents from the cold winds at the height of the last ice age.
Is Göbekli Tepe the Garden of Eden?
Over glasses of black tea, served in tents right next to the megaliths, Klaus Schmidt told me that, as he put it: 'Gobekli Tepe is not the Garden of Eden: it is a temple in Eden.
What is older than Göbekli Tepe?
Discoveries at Boncuklu Tarla in southeastern Mardin are around 1,000 years older than those in Gobeklitepe, says professor. The latest archeologic excavations in southeastern Turkey discovered an ancient site older than Gobeklitepe, known as the oldest temple in the world, according to a Turkish university rector.
Why is Göbekli Tepe so well preserved?
However, one startling factor of its preservation is the way that the temple sites seemed to have been backfilled. The backfilling of the place before being abandoned is still a mystery. The backfill protected the structures from different elements and this helped preserve the state of Gobekli Tepe.
Was Göbekli Tepe buried on purpose?
The excavators of Göbekli Tepe believe that around 8,000 BCE the people at the site deliberately buried the monuments under mountains of soil and settlement refuse, such as flints and animal bones, brought from elsewhere.
Who built Göbekli Tepe and for what purpose?
Göbekli Tepe (which translates to "potbelly hill" in Turkish) was built some 11,000 to 12,000 years ago — hundreds of years before any evidence of farming or animal domestication emerged on the planet. So it's thought that this massive undertaking was the work of hunter gatherers.
Is Göbekli Tepe older than Jericho?
Its Turkish name is Göbekli Tepe. It's estimated to be eleven thousand years old—six and a half thousand years older than the Great Pyramid, about a half thousand years older than the walls of Jericho.
Is Göbekli Tepe older than Mesopotamia?
Dated at around 9,500BC, these stones are 5,500 years older than the first cities of Mesopotamia, and 7,000 years older than Stonehenge.
What is older than Göbekli Tepe?
Discoveries at Boncuklu Tarla in southeastern Mardin are around 1,000 years older than those in Gobeklitepe, says professor. The latest archeologic excavations in southeastern Turkey discovered an ancient site older than Gobeklitepe, known as the oldest temple in the world, according to a Turkish university rector.
Is anything older than Stonehenge?
Arthur's Stone dates to around 3700 B.C.E., making it a millennium older than Stonehenge, which was constructed around 2500 B.C.E. Per Atlas Obscura, the tomb consists of nine standing stones that support a 25-ton, 13- by 7-foot quartz capstone.
When was Göbekli Tepe built?
11,500 to 11,000 years ago"Göbekli Tepe is an archaeological wonder," Prof. Gopher explains. "Built by Neolithic communities 11,500 to 11,000 years ago, it features enormous, round stone structures and monumental stone pillars up to 5.5 meters high.
How much older is Göbekli Tepe than Mesopotamia?
Dated at around 9,500BC, these stones are 5,500 years older than the first cities of Mesopotamia, and 7,000 years older than Stonehenge.
How many enclosures are there in Göbekli Tepe?
While the overall size of the Göbekli Tepe site is quite considerable, the ancient core currently being excavated is of a more modest size and is represented by four enclosures identified by lettering: A-D; so designated by the order of their discovery.
When was the Tepe site built?
The most startling thing about this site is its great age. Going back to the end of the last Ice Age and first constructed around 10,000 BCE, the site is known as Göbekli Tepe (or in Kurdish, Girê Navokê meaning Pot Belly Hill, or more poetically perhaps, the Hill of the Navel).
What is the snake in Urfa?
The snakes are shown as short, thick creatures with broad flattened heads - typical of snakes which inhabit the Urfa region today, including the common Levantine viper. It is interesting to note that the snake holds a very powerful position in the mythology of Anatolia, even today.
When was Teomancimit discovered?
It was discovered in 1995 CE when, just a short distance from the city of Şanliurfa in Southeast Turkey, a Kurdish shepherd noticed a number of large, embedded stones, stones which had clearly been worked - and which turned out to be the most astonishing discovery. Göbekli Tepe. Teomancimit (CC BY-SA)
Is Anatolia a melting pot?
Anatolia is described variously as a melting pot of civilisations and cultures, a bridge between Asia and Europe, a fusion of East and West, and many other familiar and overused descriptions, all now rather pedestrian but accurate nonetheless.
Where is Gobekli Tepe?
Indeed, Gobekli Tepe sits at the northern edge of the Fertile Crescent— an arc of mild climate and arable land from the Persian Gulf to present-day Lebanon, Israel, Jordan and Egypt—and would have attracted hunter-gatherers from Africa and the Levant.
What does Peters find on Gobekli Tepe?
Peters has often found cut marks and splintered edges on them —signs that the animals from which they came were butchered and cooked. The bones, stored in dozens of plastic crates stacked in a storeroom at the house, are the best clue to how people who created Gobekli Tepe lived.
How long could Gobekli Tepe be explored?
He says archaeologists could dig here for another 50 years and barely scratch the surface. Gobekli Tepe was first examined—and dismissed—by University of Chicago and Istanbul University anthropologists in the 1960s.
How long has Turkey been predating Stonehenge?
Predating Stonehenge by 6,000 years, Turkey’s stunning Gobekli Tepe upends the conventional view of the rise of civilization. Now seen as early evidence of prehistoric worship, the hilltop site was previously shunned by researchers as nothing more than a medieval cemetery. (Berthold Steinhilber)
How long have megaliths been around?
The megaliths predate Stonehenge by some 6,000 years. The place is called Gobekli Tepe, and Schmidt, a German archaeologist who has been working here more than a decade, is convinced it's the site of the world's oldest temple. "Guten Morgen," he says at 5:20 a.m. when his van picks me up at my hotel in Urfa.
What is the name of the hill that rises 50 feet above the surrounding landscape?
Unlike the stark plateaus nearby, Gobekli Tepe (the name means "belly hill" in Turkish) has a gently rounded top that rises 50 feet above the surrounding landscape. To Schmidt's eye, the shape stood out. "Only man could have created something like this," he says. "It was clear right away this was a gigantic Stone Age site." The broken pieces of limestone that earlier surveyors had mistaken for gravestones suddenly took on a different meaning.
When was Gobekli Tepe carbon dated?
And because those artifacts closely resemble others from nearby sites previously carbon-dated to about 9000 B.C., Schmidt and co-workers estimate that Gobekli Tepe's stone structures are the same age. Limited carbon dating undertaken by Schmidt at the site confirms this assessment.
What are some peculiar features of Gobekli Tepe?
First and foremost, the site sits on a 1,000-foot diameter mound. Then, there are a number of monolithic pillars linked in a circular format by dry stone walls. This forms the oval structure of the complex. In the middle of the complex are two very large pillars.
What is Göbekli Tepe?
Gobekli Tepe is an enormous, prehistoric temple located in Turkey. The complex was constructed in circular format with a number of stones. And on these stone pillars are the carvings of several animals such as vultures, lions, ducks, scorpions, etc.
Who discovered Gobekli Tepe?
The discovery was made 1994 by a German archaeologist named Klaus Schmidt (from the German Archeological Institute in Istanbul). At first sighting of the site, Klaus knew that he was on to something big – a kind of discovery that would rival momentous ones like the discovery of King Tut’s tomb in 1922.
When was Gobekli Tepe Built?
Many estimates from Radiocarbon dating put the construction date of this temple round about the 10 th or 11 th millennia BCE. At the age of 12,000 years, Gobekli Tepe makes the Great Pyramid of Giza look like a futuristic construction. The Stonehenge, which was built around 3000 BCE, is at least 7000 years younger than Gobekli Tepe.
How was Göbekli Tepe Constructed?
With obelisks and pillars of about 18 feet tall and weighing 16 tons (in some cases 40 tons), the hunters and gatherers must have required a lot of manpower to put up the Gobekli Tepe.
How Important is Gobekli Tepe today?
The significance of the discovery is huge. As a result of the discovery archeologist can now confidently say so many things about the beginning of human civilizations. The site offers a rich glimpse into how life was like during the Stone Age. Based on such insights, as well as more that are yet to come, we can now confidently say that beginning of human civilizations did not start with agriculture.
Why were there large depictions of vultures at Gobekli Tepe?
To begin, we must state emphatically that vulture depictions and carvings were quite common in many Anatolian cultural sites. Most notable site has to be the settlement at Çatal Höyük – built about 7500 BCE to 5700 BCE in south-central Turkey.
How old is Gobekli Tepe?
At 12,000 years old, Gobekli Tepe predated humanity’s oldest known civilizations. Its megalithic temples were cut from rock millennia before the 4,500-year-old pyramids in Egypt, 5,000-year-old Stonehenge in England, or 7,000-year-old Nabta Playa, the oldest known astronomical site. It even seems construction on some parts of Gobekli Tepe might have began as far back as 14,000 or 15,000 years ago.
Why was Gobekli Tepe aligned with Sirius?
One suggests that the site was aligned with the night sky, particularly the star Sirius, because the local people worshiped the star like other cultures in the region did thousands of years later . Another claims that carvings at Gobekli Tepe record a comet impact that hit Earth at the end of the Ice Age. If either of those things are true, Gobekli ...
Why did the discovery of Gobekli Tepe send shockwaves through the archaeological community?
The discovery sent shockwaves through the archaeological community because Gobekli Tepe couldn’t have been built by farmers. Farming didn’t really exist at that point.
What is Hancock's claim about the vulture?
Hancock's ideas have helped fuel the surge of interest in Gobekli Tepe as an ancient observatory. But he has an even more fantastical claim about the vulture and other carvings on Pillar 43. He believes, again without evidence, that it's an ancient constellation diagram that shows the winter solstice against a backdrop of today’s modern sky.
What is Hancock's favorite example?
One of his favorite examples is Gobekli Tepe. In a 2015 interview on the Joe Rogan Experience that’s been viewed more than 11 million times, Hancock called Gobekli Tepe a “profoundly astronomical site.”. Hancock's ideas have helped fuel the surge of interest in Gobekli Tepe as an ancient observatory.
When did Klaus Schmidt reexamine the Gobekli Tepe hilltop?
But, in 1994 , when Klaus Schmidt of the German Archaeological Institute was finishing some excavation work at a nearby Stone Age settlement, he decided to reexamine the Gobekli Tepe hilltop.
How big is the hill in the sand?
The entire hill was constructed by humans. All that dirt hides dozens of structures spread across an area some 1,000 feet wide and 50 feet tall. The people who built the site constructed large, intricately-decorated stone circles, later burying them in sand.
How long ago was Göbekli Tepe?
Göbekli Tepe is a layered hill and each layer dates back to a different time between 9,000 and 11,000 years ago. There were many different styles employed to make it look the way it does - one site with an evolutionary story of its own.
What was the significance of Göbekli Tepe?
The discovery of Göbekli Tepe and its implications change the way we interpret the course of ancient history. Not all hunters and gatherers were as primitive as we previously thought and they obviously possessed immense knowledge of stone-masonry and teamwork. Worship was also very high on their list of priorities.
What did the bones at Göbekli Tepe suggest?
Animal bones at the site suggest that the people who built it were hunters and gatherers who had not yet formed settled communities and did not domesticate animals in order to survive. However, it is not clear how and why humans of the stone age decided to take on such a big project. In 2019, Göbekli Tepe became a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it should be on every bucket list of those who decide to visit Turkey.
How much of Göbekli Tepe has been explored?
Just try wrapping your head around the fact that at today’s speed of excavating, only 5% of Göbekli Tepe was so far explored. Decades will pass by before the work will be finished and it will be hard not to damage any of the site as the researches dig deeper.
Why were the bottom layers of Göbekli Tepe buried?
The bottom layers of Göbekli Tepe were probably buried on purpose so construction could continue on top of it. As we know though, time has a funny way of adding layers on top of old cities. Did time cover up the rest of the site or did the people?
What is the most puzzling archaeological site in Turkey?
Gobekli Tepe: 15 Things About The Archaeological Site In Turkey (That Remain Unexplained) Göbekli Tepe in Turkey is one of the most puzzling archaeological finds of all time and even pre-dates the Egyptian pyramids. By Anja Grčar Published Jan 07, 2020.
What are some examples of animals in the Göbekli Tepe?
Many stone carvings depict animals of all sorts, for example, vultures, scorpions, wolves, and cranes. They offer an insight into the wildlife surrounding the area of the site. But some speculate that the animals of Göbekli Tepe actually accurately represent constellations and that people had profound astronomical knowledge.
What does the name Gobekli Tepe mean?
At its top is a depression which looks like a belly button, hence the name Gobekli Tepe which means “potbelly hill. ”. Potbelly Hill looks unnatural to the landscape and it is. The depression has been found to be artificial by archaeologists.
Why Was Gobekli Tepe Abandoned and Buried?
If we accept the argument that the area was some kind of religious center, it seems likely to have been abandoned due to a change in beliefs. For hitherto unfathomable changes in thinking, the monuments had lost their relevance.
Why were the Olmec heads defaced?
A Olmec Colossal Head found buried and defaced near San Lorenzo, Mexcico (Pre- 900 BC) ( CC BY 2.0 ) One suggested reason for their defacement and burial was to deactivate the power in them.
What were the stones of Gobekli protected from?
According to the Book of Enoch, some of the pre-flood peoples were aware that a flood was coming. The stones of Gobekli were protected from this flood , by burying them. No other reasoning can compare to this..
What is the purpose of the Olmec head?
Many archaeologists who study the Olmec believe that the giant stone heads that they built served a religious function such as protecting a village or city from harm. Interestingly, many Olmec Heads have been found defaced and buried a good distance away from Olmec settlements.
Was Gobekli Tepe a temple?
Based on this evidence, he and other archaeologists have concluded that the site was not a regular habitation site but that it had a special, perhaps religious function. Schmidt in fact believes it was a temple. The Secret of Gobekli Tepe: Cosmic Equinox and Sacred Marriage - Part 1.
Where is Gobekli Tepe located?
Gobekli Tepe – the oldest fortified temple complex in the world, located in the southeast of Turkey, 15 km northeast of Sanliurfa. This area is considered one of the most important discoveries in the world. The history of civilization has changed thanks to its discovery. The world's eye is on this place right now since its history is older than the history of the Egyptian pyramids. Moreover, Gobekli Tepe surpassed other historical monuments with its quirk. In this article, we will try to look at the subtleties of the complex.
What are the excavations in Gobekli Tepe?
Archaeological diggings seen in Gobekli Tepe in 2018 have updated historical data. Another 12 excavations will be carried out as part of the Sanliurfa Neolithic Age Research Project. So far, archeological excavations of ancient settlements have been discovered as part of the project. At present, archeological excavations are underway in 7 areas of Sanliurfa. In the project's first phase, which covers 2021-2024, the work will be carried out in 5 more locations. Thus, Gobekli Tepe will continue to refresh the pages of history, and the archeological excavations discovered here will reveal a new approach for the coming years. This will introduce Turkey as a different place in the world.
Overview
Further reading
• Buzzwords, Bogeymen, and Banalities of Pseudoarchaeology: Göbekli Tepe
• Dunning, Brian (21 April 2020). "Skeptoid #724: Decoding Gobekli Tepe". Skeptoid.
Background
Göbekli Tepe was built and occupied during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic (PPN)—the earliest division of the Neolithic period in Southwest Asia—which is dated to between 9600 and 7000 BCE. Beginning at the end of the last Ice Age, the PPN marks "the beginnings of village life", producing the earliest evidence for permanent human settlements in the world. Archaeologists have long associat…
Geography and environment
Göbekli Tepe is located in the Taş Tepeler ('Stone Hills'), in the foothills of the Taurus Mountains. It overlooks the Harran plain and the headwaters of the Balikh River, a tributary of the Euphrates. The site is a tell (artificial mound) situated on a flat limestone plateau. In the north, the plateau is connected to the neighbouring mountains by a narrow promontory. In all other directions, the rid…
Chronology
Radiocarbon dating shows that the earliest exposed structures at Göbekli Tepe were built between 9500 and 9000 BCE, towards the end of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A (PPNA) period. The site was significantly expanded in the early 9th millennium BCE and remained in use until around 8000 BCE, or perhaps slightly later (the early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B, PPNB). There is evidence that smaller groups returned to live amongst the ruins after the Neolithic structures were abandoned.
Architecture
Göbekli Tepe follows a geometric pattern. The pattern is an equilateral triangle that connects enclosures A, B, and D. A 2020 study of "Geometry and Architectural Planning at Göbekli Tepe" suggests that enclosures A, B, and D are all one complex, and within this complex there is a "hierarchy" with enclosure D at the top, rejecting the idea that each enclosure was built and functioned indiv…
Art
The stone pillars in the enclosures at Göbekli Tepe are T-shaped, similar to other PPN sites in the region. Unlike at these other sites, however, many of the pillars are carved – typically in low relief, though sometimes in high relief. Most carvings depict animals, mostly serpents, foxes, and boars, but also gazelle, mouflon (wild sheep), onager, ducks, and vultures. Insofar as they can be identi…
Interpretation
Klaus Schmidt's view was that Göbekli Tepe is a stone-age mountain sanctuary. Radiocarbon dating as well as comparative stylistic analysis indicate that it contains the oldest known megaliths yet discovered anywhere and that these ruins may constitute the remains of a temple. Schmidt believed that what he called this "cathedral on a hill" was a pilgrimage destination attracting worship…
The Site of Göbekli Tepe
The Site in Detail
- The site chronology can be broken down into three levels, I, II, and III, which represent the main phases of construction and use; I being the most recent and III being the most ancient and therefore the deepest level. Layer III is also the most sophisticated level at Göbekli Tepe, a fact which poses some interesting questions: this is a site that in terms of artistic endeavour, constr…
The Enclosures
- The first area to be excavated was Enclosure A which is also known as 'the snake enclosure' because depictions of snakes dominate the carvings on the T-pillars. These are, in places, extremely intricate including one (pillar no. 1) which depicts a group of tightly packed snakes contained in what appears to be a net or wicker basket, set above a wild sheep or ram. The leadi…
Destruction & Reuse
- All the enclosures at Level III were filled in prior to the constructions on Level II. It is unclear why this was done, but there seems to be a conscious 'decommissioning' of the structures at Level III because some pillars were damaged or moved in an organised and controlled manner, while some pillars seem to have been removed entirely. Small artefacts remained, and statues were le…
The Origins of Göbekli Tepe
- There are many theories contributed by non-academic and 'alternative' writers of popular books about the origins of Göbekli Tepe and its builders, most of which are understandably concerned with the amazing and very photogenic remains on Level III. They range from an 'ancient civilisation of amazing complexity' via vaguely biblical references to, q...