Göbeklitepe | A Place to Live or A Place for Rituals?

Archeological findings indicate that the structures built at Göbeklitepe were long-lived. They likely were functional in different periods serving several purposes. Spolia and other elements found in the built environment suggest that it had phases of rebuilding.

The settlement has three main levels belonging to the Neolithic period. Researchers believe level III dates back to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A (PPBNA) or PPNB*, and level IIA dates to around 7500 BC.

Some researchers identify the oval structures in level III and the rectangular structures in IIA as ritual sites and temples that attracted hunter-gatherers in an extensive area.

However, macrobotanical evidence from the excavation site suggests the use of wild einkorn, wild barley and possibly wild rye, as well as non-grain crops such as almonds and pistachios.

Wild Barley | Göbeklitepe

Recent research suggests that grain processing could have had ‘communal character’, considering it as a part of the festive gatherings related to the monumental buildings. The findings imply a spatial connection between the preparation and consumption of cereal foods.

Note: * Pre-Pottery Neolithic B

References

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Peters, J., Schmidt, K., Dietrich, L., Dietrich, O., Pöllath, N., Kinzel, M., & Clare, L. (2019). Göbekli Tepe: Agriculture and Domestication. In C. Smith (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology: Living Edition Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51726-1_2226-2

Kabukcu, C., Asouti, E., Pöllath, N., Peters, J., & Karul, N. (2021). Pathways to plant domestication in Southeast Anatolia based on new data from aceramic Neolithic Gusir Höyük. Scientific reports, 11(1), 2112. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-81757-9

Dietrich, L. (2021). Plant Food Processing Tools at Early Neolithic Göbekli Tepe. Archaeopress. https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.15135970