TY - ABST

T1 - GÖBEKLI TEPE: AN OUTSTANDING PRE-POTTERY NEOLITHIC SITE IN THE GERMUŞ MOUNTAINS

AU - Kinzel, Moritz

AU - Lee CLARE, Julia GRESKY, Juliane HAELM , Cecilie LELEK TVETMARKEN , Joris PETERS, Nadja PÖLLATH, Jonas SCHLİNDWEİN, Devrim SÖNMEZ, Onur TORUN , Celal ULUDAĞ

PY - 2017

Y1 - 2017

N2 - The early Pre-Pottery Neolithic site of Göbekli Tepe (c. 9.500-8.000 BC) is one of the most important prehistoric excavations currently underway in Turkey. Its monumental buildings with their characteristic T-shaped limestone pillars are the central elements of an early ritual centre dating to a period before the appearance of domesticated crops and animals. At the time of its discovery Göbekli Tepe changed our understanding of this period. For the first time there was undisputable evidence that hunter-gatherer groups erected megalithic structures, apparently as a setting for their ritual practices, thus implying that these communities had the knowledge, experience and social structures necessary for the realization of complex building projects. Following this discovery it was argued that the emergence of religion may have been an incentive for Neolithisation (and not vice versa as previously thought). Since the first excavations, starting in the mid-1990s, Göbekli Tepe has repeatedly been referred to as a mountain sanctuary and pilgrimage site. However, more recent fieldwork is now beginning to reveal a more complex story. New archaeological results and the re-appraisal of existing data suggest that a small population could have been residing at Göbekli Tepe already from its earliest phase (PPNA). Certainly, the existence of a permanent settlement at the site does not detract from the status of Göbekli Tepe as an important early Neolithic ritual centre and home to the world’s first temples. In this paper we present some recent results from ongoing excavations and highlight developments surrounding the site’s UNESCO nomination.

AB - The early Pre-Pottery Neolithic site of Göbekli Tepe (c. 9.500-8.000 BC) is one of the most important prehistoric excavations currently underway in Turkey. Its monumental buildings with their characteristic T-shaped limestone pillars are the central elements of an early ritual centre dating to a period before the appearance of domesticated crops and animals. At the time of its discovery Göbekli Tepe changed our understanding of this period. For the first time there was undisputable evidence that hunter-gatherer groups erected megalithic structures, apparently as a setting for their ritual practices, thus implying that these communities had the knowledge, experience and social structures necessary for the realization of complex building projects. Following this discovery it was argued that the emergence of religion may have been an incentive for Neolithisation (and not vice versa as previously thought). Since the first excavations, starting in the mid-1990s, Göbekli Tepe has repeatedly been referred to as a mountain sanctuary and pilgrimage site. However, more recent fieldwork is now beginning to reveal a more complex story. New archaeological results and the re-appraisal of existing data suggest that a small population could have been residing at Göbekli Tepe already from its earliest phase (PPNA). Certainly, the existence of a permanent settlement at the site does not detract from the status of Göbekli Tepe as an important early Neolithic ritual centre and home to the world’s first temples. In this paper we present some recent results from ongoing excavations and highlight developments surrounding the site’s UNESCO nomination.

M3 - Conference abstract for conference

SP - 7

Y2 - 3 November 2017 through 5 November 2017

ER -