In the June 2011 issue of National Geographic magazine, available on news stands beginning May 30, is a feature article on the oldest human construction which was pretty clearly dedicated to some sort of religious observation. The cave painting site of Chauvet Cave beats the date by almost 20,000 years, but Göbekli Tepe's stone masonry and sculptures are completely human-built and about 11,600 years old.
June 2011 cover, National Geographic. Images by Vincent J. Musi/National Geographic
National Geographic sent along some press information including some terrific photos by Vincent Muni and I was of course compelled to put together a photo essay, based on some research I found on the site. My photo essay concentrates on archaeology of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic, the culture to which Göbekli Tepe has been assigned. Charles Mann's essay in National Geographic highlights an interview with excavator Klaus Schmidt of the German Archaeology Institute (DAI) and focuses on the role that the work of V.G. Childe plays in the interpretation of the site.
Fascinating stuff!
Comments
Thanks for bringing this to our attention. I’ll be eagerly seeking this issue. Charles Mann’s previous work, the book “1491″ is one of my favorites.
Is there any report on who the people were at Gobleki Tepe? The NG article talks about Natufian culture, which stretched from the Sinai Peninsula to the Greek Peninsula by 9600 BC. More discoveries, such as a shaman burial around 10,000 BC in Israel, make the Natufians seem more advanced. And it’s interesting that the Gobekli Tepe temple construction started at a peak, then declined! Who were these people!
I enjoy your site, and love wondering about prehistoric people.
Bill, Kris actually has an article on the Natufian culture:
http://archaeology.about.com/od/nterms/qt/natufian.htm
Thanks, Todd! That was helpful.