Donavan Denham

5-4-2014

Jefferson Community & Technical College

Before the Bronze Age, the world was a wild, untamed place where the human race was

slowly crawling out of their caves and beginning to explore the world. It was a time of new

beginnings known as the Neolithic Age that spanned a rough period of several thousand years

between 10,700 BC to 8,000 BC1. At this time, it was unfathomable to think that the hunter-

gatherers of this time who lived within small, nomadic tribes2 could build anything substantial

but new research shows that Gobekli Tepe, an ancient temple complex discovered in Turkey is

the oldest ceremonial center in history and will change history as we know it.

As the icy glaciers retreated around 10,000 BC3 heralding the end of the Ice Age, humans

began to explore the unknown world around them for the first time. The region that Turkey

resides in, Asia Minor, would become a key location for these future inhabitants to settle.

Analyzed in History of Civilization The Ancient World the text explains the origins of the past,

noting that approximately 3000 years following the last Ice Age the people of Turkey, Israel,

Syria not only found the climate of the Mediterranean warmer, but that it produced abundant

fields of grasses and grain.4

1 Crabben, Jan van der. 2011. Neolithic Period. April 28. Accessed April 30, 2014.

http://www.ancient.eu.com/Neolithic_Period/.

2 (Crabben 2011)

3 NOAA Satellite And Information Service. 2008. Summary of 100,000 Years. August 20. Accessed April 30, 2014.

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/ctl/100k.html.

4 McNeese, Tim. 1999. History Of Civilization: The Ancient World. St. Louis: Milliken Publishing Company.

The history of Turkey has been rich, with its geological location making it a natural

crossroad between the eastern and western hemispheres. In ancient times, this location was

regarded as Anatolia and detailed in Frommers Turkey, 6th Edition, archaeological findings

in central Anatolia indicate the presence of cave dwellers as early as 10,000 B.C.5 Following

this thread of thought, it is logical to assume that some of humanitys earliest cultures would

begin in this area as shown with excavations revealing habitation within the coastal plain of

Cilica6 and even settlements consisting of mud-brick houses at Hacilar.7 Both of which are just

two out of many areas within Anatolia and also, a reasonable distance in relation to Gobekli

Tepe.

In the 1960s, the first steps towards discovering Gobekli Tepe were taken by

anthropologists from the University of Chicago and Istanbul University as a joint mission to

survey the region for potential archeological discoveries. However, in their investigations they

made false assumptions after examining broken slabs of limestone within the mounds now

known as Gobekli Tepe8 that they were most likely broken tombstones and concluded that it was

nothing more than an abandoned medieval cemetery.9 Afterwards, Gobekli Tepe would remain

hidden for several more decades, until an ambitious archeologist would step forward to make

new claims.

5 Levine, Lynn A. 2010. Frommer's Turkey 6th Edition. Hoboken: Wiley Publishing Inc. 6 Lloyd, Seton H.F. 2013. The Neolithic Period. December 27. Accessed April 30, 2014.

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/22897/Anatolia/44343/The-Neolithic-Period.

7 (Lloyd 2013)

8 Curry, Andrew. 2008. Gobekli Tepe: The Worlds First Temple? November. Accessed March 20, 2014.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/gobekli-tepe-the-worlds-first-temple-83613665/?page=1.

9 (Curry 2008)

In 1994, Klaus Schmidt, an archeologist from Germany was traveling through Turkey

and working on several excavations when he came across the brief report compiled by

researchers from the University of Chicago. After making his own reservations on the findings,

he decided to travel to Gobekli Tepe to see if there is more than meets the eye. As detailed in a

2011 National Geographic article featuring Gobekli Tepe, Schmidt realized that,

"Within minutes of getting there10 that this discovery was phenomenal and that he

was looking at a place where scores or even hundreds of people had worked in millennia

past.11

In the coming months and years, Schmidt and his team would make incredible

discoveries that have the potential to rewrite history. Submerged deep within the earth, several

rings of pillars in the excavation site were brought to light. Astonished, the anthropologists noted

the enormity of each pillar with some reaching 18 feet in height12 and that was just the tip of

the iceberg with the rest of their findings. Researchers observed that beautifully engraved onto

each pillar was a menagerie of animal bas-reliefs13 with some as refined and symbolic as

Byzantine art.14

Despite this discovery, it remains a mystery how these Neolithic people were able to

stabilize these pillars to serve as the foundation for Gobekli Tepe. Eduard Knoll, the architecture

and civil engineer in Schmidts team was asked about the mounting system for the central pillars.

10 Mann, Charles C. 2011. Gbekli Tepe - The Birth of Religion. June. Accessed March 20, 2014.

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/06/gobekli-tepe/mann-text.

11 (Mann 2011)

12 (Mann 2011)

13 (Mann 2011)

14 (Mann 2011)

Simply shaking his head, perhaps in disbelief or bewilderment, he replied They hadn't yet

mastered engineering.15 This creates a perplexing anomaly surrounding known history of this

time period and ultimately raises more questions than answers as researchers continue excavating

the area. Gobekli Tepe is situated within the Fertile Crescent, a region that extends through the

majority of middle-eastern countries such as Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Egypt.

Furthermore, it is often regarded as the birthplace of agriculture, urbanization, writing, trade,

science, history and organized religion.16

This leads to conclusions that migrating human tribes who stumbled upon this valley

(Fertile Crescent) with its abundant life and resources found it to be an ideal place to settle which

somewhere along the way would lead to the construction of Gobekli Tepe, other settlements such

as Cilica and Hacilar discussed earlier and there may even be connections to civilizations such as

Mesopotamia. However, in an odd twist of fate, researchers at the Gobekli Tepe excavation site

made a shocking discovery, there are no signs of habitation.17 This leads researchers to believe

that ultimately, Gobekli Tepe was a center built for ceremonial rituals. Schmidt has personally

admitted his own personal beliefs that he believes Gobekli Tepe is the first human-built holy

place."18

Schmidt may not be far off from the truth with this revelation due to the diverse art of

animal deities featured on each pillar and wall, representing some unknown tribute to the gods

15 (Mann 2011)

16 Mark, Joshua J. 2009. Fertile Crescent. September 2. Accessed April 2, 2014.

http://www.ancient.eu.com/Fertile_Crescent/.

17 (Mann 2011)

18 (Curry 2008)

and spirits. It remains to be seen what the ancient builders of Gobekli Tepe were trying to present

to their people and us, the descendants attempting to solve the mystery.

The picture on left shows a carved sculpture

representing vultures and scorpions.19 It is

interesting to note that in the Zoroastrian religion,

vultures are an important aspect during their

ceremonial rituals for the deceased. Zoroastrians

believe that once the individual has passed away,

the body becomes impure or unholy.20 As a result of

this belief, the Zoroastrians have built thousands of

structures aptly named the Towers of Silence

where the body is exposed to the sun and consumed by the vultures in a cycle of reparation

between life and death.21 As also noted in an interview with the Parsis (Zoroastrian sect within

India) community by NPR news. "For Zoroastrians, burying or cremating the dead is seen as

polluting nature.22

In relation to Gobekli Tepe its possible then that these early hunter-gatherers who built

Gobekli Tepe could have been a precursor to future religions such as Zoroastrianism. Regardless,

with these discoveries that Gobekli Tepe boasts some of the oldest human structures in existence

19 Steinhilber, Berthold. 2008. "Gobekli Tepe - Carved Sculpture." Smithsonian Magazine. Gobekli Tepe: The

Worlds First Temple?

20 BBC Religions. 2009. Zoroastrian funerals. October 12. Accessed April 30, 2014.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/zoroastrian/ritesrituals/funerals.shtml.

21 (BBC Religions 2009)

22 Hannon, Elliot. 2012. Vanishing Vultures A Grave Matter For India's Parsis. September 5. Accessed April 8, 2014.

http://www.npr.org/2012/09/05/160401322/vanishing-vultures-a-grave-matter-for-indias-parsis.

and is possibly the oldest ceremonial center in the world remains an incredible archeological

discovery.

With each pillar bearing its own specific

engraving and such as the wolf in the picture to

the left,23 it is difficult to pinpoint the religious

beliefs of the worshippers in Gobekli Tepe.

However, what remains clear is that this was

indeed a place of worship. In perhaps honor of

their companions that they had begun

domesticating from wolves in the Neolithic

age24or dedication to some deity in the form of a wolf, the builders of Gobekli Tepe had a

diverse interest in many different

species of animals. Finally, while the

meaning is ambiguous in the pillars

shown to the below,2425 it can be largely

inferred from the symbolism of the

hands closing in upon the engraved

figure resembling a human body that

perhaps the builders of Gobekli Tepe

23 Enstits, Alman Arkeoloji. n.d. "Gobekli Tepe Sculptures." German Archaeological Institute. Gobekli Tepe.

24 Pryor, Francis. 2011. Overview: From Neolithic to Bronze Age, 8000 - 800 BC. February 28. Accessed April 30,

2014. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/british_prehistory/overview_british_prehistory_01.shtml.

25 Musi, Vincent J. 2011. The Birth of Religion. June. Accessed April 30, 2014.

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/06/gobekli-tepe/musi-photography.

believed in a divine being (hands closing in) that ruled, or held dominion over them. (Human

body) Not to be excluded, the building of Gobekli Tepe upon a hill, may have represented the

desire to be closer to the gods or heavens, in another variation of the meaning of the hands above

the human body. Lastly, because Gobekli Tepe was built in the open elements, it would make

little sense for these individuals to settle down due to little protection from nature and wildlife. It

is difficult to believe that Humans would create a glorified habitat filled with offerings to the

spirits in this time period.

Gobekli Tepe is believed to be 4,000 years older than Stonehenge (believed to be built

sometime during 3000-4000 BC26) and 6,000 years older than the Pyramids that are speculated

to have been built between 2589 and 2504 BC.27 Schmidts prediction in his interview with

National Geographic that within ten or fifteen years Gbekli Tepe will be more famous than

Stonehenge,28 is not simply an outrageous claim as the research his team has been putting

together on radiocarbon dating will show.

His ambitions are not to be taken lightly, as his team has spent nearly twenty years not

only analyzing the excavation site, but also performing radiocarbon tests to give indications as to

how old Gobekli Tepe truly is. By studying the rock layers within Gobekli Tepe, researchers

have categorized these layers into three different sections. The oldest, known as Layer III, has

been classified as having connections to Pre-Pottery Neolithic A (PPNA) otherwise known as

26 Archives, BBC. 2005. Stonehenge. September. Accessed April 3, 2014.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire/moonraking/landscape_stonehenge.shtml.

27 Project, David H. Koch Pyramids Radiocarbon. 1999. Dating the Pyramids. September/October. Accessed April 3,

2014. http://archive.archaeology.org/9909/abstracts/pyramids.html.

28 (Mann 2011)

calibrated years before present 11,50010,500 cal B.P.29 Which simply refers to the time

period of 8,000 to 10,000 BC. Researchers then analyzed that materials from Layer II are more

appropriated with Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) which lasted from a rough period of 8,000 BC

to 6,000 BC where PPNB communities thrived until the beginning of the 6th millennium.30

According to this data then, Layers III and II are both substantially older than the Pyramids and

Stonehenge.

Finally, Layer I has revealed the least amount of information thus far with research

posted in the The Newsletter of Southwest Asian Neolithic Research by members of Schmidts

team and himself have determined,

(Layer I)Featuring mixed sediments derived from agricultural activities, though containing PPN (Pre-Pottery Neolithic) materials and sporadic finds from the Middle Ages and

the modern period (but with no architectural remains).31

Essentially, all rock layers that have had samples used in radiocarbon dating have proven

to have origins to the Neolithic period. Furthermore, Schmidt and his team have analyzed

charcoal samples during their excavations in Gobekli Tepe and determined that they have been

dated to the late 10th /earliest 9th millennium calBC32 which reinforces the data retrieved from

the rock samples.

29 Kuijta., Ian, and Bill Finlayson. 2009. Evidence for food storage and predomestication granaries 11,000 years ago

in the Jordan Valley. May 15. Accessed April 5, 2014. http://www.pnas.org/content/106/27/10966.long.

30 Khler-Rollefson. 1993. El-Hemmeh: A multi-period Pre-Pottery Neolithic site in the Wadi el-Hasa, Jordan.

Accessed April 5, 2014. http://www.academia.edu/2009939/El-Hemmeh_A_multi-period_Pre-

Pottery_Neolithic_site_in_the_Wadi_el-Hasa_Jordan.

31 Dietrich, Oliver. 2013. Establishing a Radiocarbon Sequence for Gbekli Tepe.State of Research and New Data.

September. Accessed March 31, 2014.

https://www.academia.edu/4805043/Establishing_a_Radiocarbon_Sequence_for_Gobekli_Tepe._State_of_Resear

ch_and_New_Data.

32 (Dietrich 2013)

Gobekli Tepe has the potential to be one of the most major discoveries within this

century if current research and investigation proves to be correct. With the 20th anniversary

coming up shortly, it is a great accomplishment that Klaus Schmidt and his team have been able

to acquire so much data in only two decades and yet they may already be on the edge of

changing history. With ceremonial evidence shown by animal depictions on the pillars and also

symbolic representation of the divine that the builders may have believed in that represent the

discoveries at Gobekli Tepe along with radiocarbon dating evidence that dates back to 8,000-

10,000 B.C, there is little room to doubt that Gobekli Tepe will become a household name within

the coming years.

Bibliography

Archives, BBC. 2005. Stonehenge. September. Accessed April 3, 2014.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire/moonraking/landscape_stonehenge.shtml.

BBC Religions. 2009. Zoroastrian funerals. October 12. Accessed April 30, 2014.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/zoroastrian/ritesrituals/funerals.shtml.

Crabben, Jan van der. 2011. Neolithic Period. April 28. Accessed April 30, 2014.

http://www.ancient.eu.com/Neolithic_Period/.

Curry, Andrew. 2008. Gobekli Tepe: The Worlds First Temple? November. Accessed March 20,

2014. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/gobekli-tepe-the-worlds-first-temple-

83613665/?page=1.

Dietrich, Oliver. 2013. Establishing a Radiocarbon Sequence for Gbekli Tepe.State of Research

and New Data. September. Accessed March 31, 2014.

https://www.academia.edu/4805043/Establishing_a_Radiocarbon_Sequence_for_Gobekli

_Tepe._State_of_Research_and_New_Data.

Enstits, Alman Arkeoloji. n.d. "Gobekli Tepe Sculptures." German Archaeological Institute.

Gobekli Tepe.

Hannon, Elliot. 2012. Vanishing Vultures A Grave Matter For India's Parsis. September 5.

Accessed April 8, 2014. http://www.npr.org/2012/09/05/160401322/vanishing-vultures-

a-grave-matter-for-indias-parsis.

Khler-Rollefson. 1993. El-Hemmeh: A multi-period Pre-Pottery Neolithic site in the Wadi el-

Hasa, Jordan. Accessed April 5, 2014. http://www.academia.edu/2009939/El-

Hemmeh_A_multi-period_Pre-Pottery_Neolithic_site_in_the_Wadi_el-Hasa_Jordan.

Kuijta., Ian, and Bill Finlayson. 2009. Evidence for food storage and predomestication granaries

11,000 years ago in the Jordan Valley. May 15. Accessed April 5, 2014.

http://www.pnas.org/content/106/27/10966.long.

Levine, Lynn A. 2010. Frommer's Turkey 6th Edition. Hoboken: Wiley Publishing Inc.

Lloyd, Seton H.F. 2013. The Neolithic Period. December 27. Accessed April 30, 2014.

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/22897/Anatolia/44343/The-Neolithic-

Period.

Mann, Charles C. 2011. Gbekli Tepe - The Birth of Religion. June. Accessed March 20, 2014.

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/06/gobekli-tepe/mann-text.

Mark, Joshua J. 2009. Fertile Crescent. September 2. Accessed April 2, 2014.

http://www.ancient.eu.com/Fertile_Crescent/.

McNeese, Tim. 1999. History Of Civilization: The Ancient World. St. Louis: Milliken Publishing

Company.

Musi, Vincent J. 2011. The Birth of Religion. June. Accessed April 30, 2014.

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/06/gobekli-tepe/musi-photography.

NOAA Satellite And Information Service. 2008. Summary of 100,000 Years. August 20.

Accessed April 30, 2014. http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/ctl/100k.html.

Project, David H. Koch Pyramids Radiocarbon. 1999. Dating the Pyramids. September/October.

Accessed April 3, 2014. http://archive.archaeology.org/9909/abstracts/pyramids.html.

Pryor, Francis. 2011. Overview: From Neolithic to Bronze Age, 8000 - 800 BC. February 28.

Accessed April 30, 2014.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/british_prehistory/overview_british_prehistory_01.

shtml.

Steinhilber, Berthold. 2008. "Gobekli Tepe - Carved Sculpture." Smithsonian Magazine. Gobekli

Tepe: The Worlds First Temple?