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 BC
1
. At this time, it was unfathomable to think that the hunter-
gatherers of this time who lived within small, nomadic tribes
2
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 BC
3
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, 6
th
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
Cilica
6
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 Tepe
8
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 there
10
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 height
12
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-reliefs
13
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
age
24
or 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,24
25
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 BC
26
) 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 6
th
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 calBC
32
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 20
th
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?