People of Göbekli Tepe: Stone Circles (10,000 BCE)

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Göbekli Tepe, near the Euphrates in South Eastern Turkey, is an extensive complex of megalithic stone circles. These are possibly the first temples ever built. The culture responsible for their construction also initiated agriculture and the domestication of animals, apparently to feed the workforce and worshippers. This is the beginning of what we could call civilization, and once again, art is the primary driving force. Here again, it seems that art is representing ideas and concepts that are otherwise intangible and related to belief in ‘something more’ – some historians think this is where the very first ‘organised religion’ began.

Since its chance discovery, by a man herding goats in 1994, research has shown that the ‘T’ shaped megaliths arranged in circular formations were constructed between 13,000 and 12,000 years ago. This predates Stonehenge by up to seven millennia. The site at Göbekli Tepe is still being excavated. So far, four standing stone circles have been dug out and it estimated that there are 20 more similar structures yet to be unearthed. The circles vary in diameter between 10 and 30 metres and the surfaces of the huge stone megaliths are decorated with sophisticated deep reliefs and sculptured forms, mainly of animals including boar, big cats, foxes, horses, insects, reptiles and birds. There are some stylised human figures and abstract symbols that can also be found in cave art. It is thought that each stone circle was at least part walled with random stone and probably had a roof.  The evidence being uncovered there challenges many established ideas about human history and the development of early civilization.

MORE:

Article about Göbekli Tepe at the Smithsonian website with a good Göbekli Tepe photo gallery

Another interesting article about Göbekli Tepe at the National Geographic website