Gobekli Tepe and the Identification of Temples in the Early Neolithic

What is it about?

This article challenges the dominant interpretation of the famous Neolithic site of Göbekli Tepe in Turkey as "the world's earliest temple." Drawing on ethnographic parallels, engineering principles, and evidence of the archaeological artifacts, animal bones, and architectural features at the site, the paper argues that the large oval buildings in Level III at the site could be monumental and symbolically-charged houses in a House Society.

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Why is it important?

While the conventional interpretation does provide a major re-interpretation of the beginnings of the Neolithic in the Near East, if the large buildings are actually houses, this would be just as important, as it would demonstrate that early Neolithic societies, at least in the Urfa region of Turkey, were already highly sophisticated and using symbolism as well as physical property in the preservation and propagation of their Houses, which are somewhat like lineages or clans, but probably with some non-kin members and inheritance that was not exclusively patri- or matrilineal. Furthermore, it is possible that some of the striking imagery at the site, especially animal imagery, consists of symbols that represent these Houses and, perhaps, some of their history.

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