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Göbekli Tepe
A temple complex built before agriculture, before pottery, before the wheel. 11,500 years old—6,000 years older than Stonehenge. Hunter-gatherers built it, then deliberately buried it. Why? The discovery is rewriting human history.
9500 - 8000 BCE
Turkey
1000+ witnesses
Göbekli Tepe is the oldest known temple complex—and it’s rewriting human history.
The Site
According to documented archaeology:
Göbekli Tepe:
- Built 9500-8000 BCE
- Hunter-gatherer society
- Before agriculture
- Before pottery
- Before the wheel
The Monuments
The complex features:
- T-shaped pillars up to 16 feet
- Weighing up to 10 tons
- Carved with animals
- Lions, foxes, snakes, vultures
- Arranged in circles
The Mystery
Questions arise:
- Why did hunter-gatherers build this?
- How did they organize?
- What was its purpose?
- Why was it deliberately buried?
- What does it mean?
The Implications
Göbekli Tepe suggests:
- Religion came before agriculture
- Not the other way around
- Social complexity existed earlier
- Hunter-gatherers were capable
- History needs rewriting
The Burial
Around 8000 BCE:
- The site was deliberately buried
- Filled in with debris
- By the builders themselves
- Preserved it for millennia
- Reason unknown
Ongoing Excavation
Only 5% excavated:
- Decades of work remain
- More circles underground
- New discoveries regularly
- Major historical site
- UNESCO World Heritage