The Lost Anatolian Civilization: Stonehenge in Gobekli

Stonehenge in Gobekli is the oldest memorial building in the world. A "temple" built at the end of the last ice age 12000 years ago. It was discovered in A.D. 1995, not far from the sunny city of Urfa in southeastern Turkey. A Kurdish shepherd noticed many huge embedded stones, apparently processed-this proved to be the most amazing discovery.

Anatolia is variously described as a melting pot of civilization and culture, a bridge between Asia and Europe, a fusion of East and West, and many other familiar and abusive descriptions. Now these descriptions are quite plain, but they are still accurate. There is no doubt that Anatolia has a disturbing habit of "lost civilization" and "lost culture".

There are two disturbing reasons: in modern times, we cover so many fields physically and intellectually that we think we should know everything now, which is disturbing, because in essence, the whole civilization is a hard thing to lose, especially in a place that should be a "bridge", which has been trampled by many nationalities since the birth of civilization.

This article was first published in Eternal Travel magazine and reprinted with permission. Eternal Travel is a unique travel magazine, suitable for those who travel because of their love or interest in archaeology, history or art. Our editorial team strongly recommends this magazine!

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But Anatolia still does this. The story of Sherman's discovery of Troy in A.D. 1870/7 1 is widely known in western culture and western literary classics. Its discovery is a new discovery, which has aroused public surprise and excitement. Bo? The discovery and excavation of Azkal is another enlightening event, if the public doesn't celebrate it like this. After all, Hittites are just little people in biblical narrative. It's not a complete stranger, but more of a footnote. However, scholars and scholars realize that there is an important missing part in the ancient history of the Near East, which was just hinted by the fascinating discovery of 19 century. 19 At the end of the 20th century, the Hittite capital was locked in the middle of the Anatolian Mountains, filling a huge gap. 19 15, Czech linguist Hrozny translated Hittite, further narrowing the gap. However, during the excavation of the Royal Library of Hattusa, a lot of documentary evidence was found, which can still be read now. However, the discovery of Stonehenge in Gobekli was a great shock!

Dating back to the end of the last ice age, this site was first built in10,000 BC. It is called Stonehenge in Gobekli, which means Dadu Mountain or Navel Mountain.

What began to appear on the day of 1995 is simply extraordinary. A huge venue, first composed of a circular "wall", then a rectangular "room", mainly extraordinary carved and decorated boulders. So far, more than 25 such paddocks have been identified, of which two earlier paddocks have been completely excavated to the ground, revealing an unknown and unimaginable culture, which has completely changed the archaeological community.

Gobekli Stonehenge site

The most surprising thing about this website is its great era. Tracing back to the end of the last ice age, the site was first built in BC 10000, and was called g? Bekli Tepe (or in Kurdish, Girê Navokê means Dadu Mountain, or more poetically, Navel Mountain).

This monument comes from the distant past, and according to the existing historical narrative, it should not be there at all. This is a large memorial building, well preserved, but very quiet. Although we can describe the site in detail and study its physical properties with all the tools of modern science, we can only speculate on the motives of the builders or people's culture; All this was done 6000 years or more before the invention of writing.

There is an extra riddle in this mysterious and unforgettable place. The huge fence was simply buried after hundreds of years of use. The rest of the site continued to be used to build smaller and simpler structures on the mound formed after the original monument was buried, and then after a period of time, it was used as a meeting place and a ceremony place that may have lasted for 2500 years. This place was abandoned.

Its initial construction period was called "Pre-pottery Neolithic Age A" (PPNA), which means that it came from the period before the invention of pottery and can be traced back to the appearance of writing. Stonehenge in Gobekli exists in a part of human history, which was unimaginable at the end of the last ice age.

Most importantly, this is likely to be a religious or cult site, not a settlement; There is no evidence that anyone lived here, although the remains of food preparation show that someone lived here at some time.

Construction is a huge effort. Professor Schmidt, a German archaeologist who excavated the site, believes that hundreds of people have come here from all directions for a long time to perform specific cultural or religious ceremonies, and then return to their territories or hunting grounds and their daily lives. The site was only used for very important activities and no evidence of burial was found. Professor Schmidt said that these may be behind the wall; "We must answer these questions patiently and only dig what we need."

How to endow the venue with cultural and historical background? Without pottery and writing, there would be no sign of how these ancient people thought of themselves. The archaeological team should compare the archaeological sites, and at the same time obtain materials related to archaeological materials that can be traced back to carbon elements and comparison results from websites such as Stonehenge in Gobekli. The practice of on-site burial also shows the age, because the material of backfilling the main fence contains a lot of animal materials (carbon dating can be carried out).

A striking feature of Stonehenge in Gobekli is the huge T-shaped stones, which are usually arranged in a circle. Since1early 1990s, these anthropomorphic T-shaped boulders have appeared in many places in southeastern Turkey (basically the northern arc of the crescent land). They are also found in other parts of Sanniufa area and in the center of Sanniufa itself. Several T-shaped stones in the stone wall circle seem to be obvious figures. Some people have arms, clothes and decorations, but obviously they have no five senses.

Other contemporary sites in this area, including these anthropomorphic T-shaped columns, may be part of the mixed environment of family and work, making the ceremony venue a part of daily life. Stonehenge in Gobekli is different from any place in China. Not only should we spend some energy on construction, but we should also visit. It is also unique because of its huge size and commemorative T-shaped column, especially in its early days.

This is especially true in the oldest stage of construction and use. Most of the pillars are beautifully carved and embossed. Some are as high as 5.5 meters and weigh 20 tons. The quarry where these stones were produced is just a few hundred meters away, where people can still see some columns, some of which were excavated, but left in place and attached to the bedrock, but were abandoned because of defects.

The chronology of the site can be divided into three grades: I, II and III, which respectively represent the main stages of construction and use. I is the latest and III is the oldest, so it is the deepest level. The fact that the third floor is also the most complicated floor of Stonehenge in Gobekli raises some interesting questions: this is a place that seems to be regressing rather than advancing with the times in artistic efforts, architecture and concepts.

The second category is more basic, while the first category represents thousands of years of abandonment or subsequent agricultural use. These changes may be caused by changes in social structure, economy and religious customs. There are many related discoveries on the first floor, but these will be relocated due to erosion and farming.

Although the overall scale of the Stonehenge site in Gobekli is considerable, the ancient core being excavated at present is relatively small, which is characterized by walls marked with letters on four sides: AD; So they are specified in the order of discovery. In the oldest third floor, each fence has a different theme composition and artistic expression. The early fence groups were roughly circular.

Shell (level 3)

The first area to be excavated is Fence A, which is also called "Snake Fence" because the carvings on the T-pillar mainly depict snakes. These are extremely complicated in some places, including one (1 column) depicting a group of tightly wrapped snakes, which seems to be a net or wicker basket on a wild sheep or ram. The front edge of the monument is engraved with three snakes moving downwards and one snake moving upwards. Except for this example, all the snakes carved at Stonehenge in Gobekli are carved downwards. Snakes are shown as short, thick creatures with a wide, flat head-this is a typical snake living in Urfa today, including the common Levant viper.

Interestingly, even today, snakes still play a very important role in Anatolian mythology. Like a snake, the image of a fox is a consistent feature. Perhaps foxes have some totem value to important members of this culture, although unlike snakes, foxes do not seem to have survived in an important folk role in a wider area.

The other column depicts a herd of bison (a very large extinct cow), a fox and a crane, one on top of the other, which may represent some descriptive narrative. This is a thought-provoking narrative, because if the sculptor describes what he actually saw in the wild, then the description of the crane is anatomically incorrect, because the crane's knees are hinged backwards like human knees. Hunters and gatherers in society have known since childhood that birds' knees bend forward, but for a bird with long legs like a crane, this forward movement is indeed very obvious. In fact, it may depict a man dressed as a crane. This may be a hunting scene, or it may be a description of the dance in order to arouse the attributes of the depicted creatures.

This anatomical problem recurs in other places. The central pillar in Annex A has no anatomical features such as arms that we see on other pillars in this place and other places, but the animal depiction is particularly vivid. Nor does the column have any obvious structural use.

Shell B is roughly oval in shape, about 10- 15 m (north/south) and about 9 m (east/west), with terrazzo floor structure. This fence is called "fox column building" because the image of the fox is dominant. The two pillars in the middle are each carved with a life-size fox, both facing inward and posing as a leap. But interestingly, on one of the stones, the fox seems to be rushing backwards, etching a small rodent-like creature on the pillar.

Appendix c is mainly based on excellent wild boar and bird renderings. Strangely, there is no snake in this fence at all, and it seems to be replaced by the image of a wild boar in use and positioning. Except for the middle two columns, the inner ring has 1 1, and the outer ring has 8; Some of them may have been removed before the site was buried.

At some time after the burial of wall C, a big pit was dug in the central area of the wall, and two central vertical stones were smashed into several pieces.

This structure is a little different, because the shell is composed of three concentric circles in series at most, and can even be described as a spiral. Some time after the fence C was buried (probably after the Neolithic Age, but this is uncertain), a large pit with a diameter of 10 m was dug in the central area of the fence, and both central vertical stones were smashed into several pieces. It is impossible to know the destruction of idols and repeat it in other parts of Stonehenge in Gobekli. It has been determined that the violence of this attack is quite high, because the East Pillar was severely burned.

Of course, in our own modern history, we do have many examples to mention the destructive forces promoted by the religious reform: the violence of the British Puritans against the decorative elements of England's great medieval cathedrals and churches, the destruction of Buddha statues, the destruction of Bamiyan by Afghan anti-traditionalists and the cultural atrocities committed by Yili are just three of many examples.

The west column reconstructed from the original fragments is decorated with a life-size fox relief on the inside of the south entrance. Most of the missing east pillars are decorated with a bull. Fortunately, the violence is only directed at the central pillar, because some high-quality Stonehenge stone carvings of Gobekli can be found around the wall of C, including the extraordinary high relief of an independent cat (Pillar 27). The wild boar fence is built on the natural bedrock on the plateau surface.

Because of the diversity of animal images, Area D is called the Stone Age Zoo. The main feature of this paddock is a pair of huge central T-shaped stone tablets, obviously to represent the image and proportion of the characters. They face south and are placed on a decorative pedestal, one of which is decorated with something that looks like a duck. They are impressive as high as 5.5 meters. ..

The arms of the two columns are tied to the abdomen, just above the decorative belt, and there is a fox hair wrapped around the waist cloth with its tail hanging in front. There is a life-size fox in the corner of Donglizhu's right arm, jumping south. But the important thing is that there are no five senses. In addition to the belt and waist cloth, these two figures have neck decorations, which can be said to have obvious symbolic significance.

As one of the surrounding stones, this paddock also has all the most discussed and possibly disturbing images of Stonehenge in Gobekli. This is the post number. 43. Vulture stone. Strange images on this column include, on the left, a vulture holding a ball or an egg with its open wings. Here is a scorpion, depicting a headless Aitifar makes the image more complicated. The fence is also built on the natural rock bed, which has been leveled to build the base and floor of the central column.

There is also a fence, fence e, which is located about 100 meters east of this group of fences and slightly south. There is nothing but the floor plan and the base socket of the center pillar. The floor was carved directly from the bedrock. Just near the fence, there are some carved depressions, which may be small water tanks carved by stones; Other larger examples have been found on the ridge of Stonehenge in Gobekli. There is no spring water nearby, so water supply will be a problem. Other Neolithic sites in this area have also copied a group of cup-shaped depressions carved on rocks, but there is no real theory to explain their uses.

Destruction and reuse

The third floor enclosure structure is completed before the second floor construction. At present, the reason for this situation is not clear, but it seems that the level III structure has been consciously "retired" because some pillars have been damaged or moved in an organized and controlled manner, while some pillars seem to have been completely removed. The small cultural relics are still there, and the statue is still in place, but it was overthrown. The top of some columns in area C has been completely broken.

There is a carved cup-shaped depression on the top of the complete cylinder. It seems that when the three-level structure was buried, only the top was still above the ground, and these cup-shaped depressions were carved after the burial was completed.

It seems to be the third grade of the original building around 9500 BC. After hundreds of years of use, it was buried by stages.

Again, the purpose of this is speculative, but it is a reasonable suggestion to provide containers for sacrifices or candles. With the construction and use of the second floor, it is obvious that people are using this site. They will notice the buried fence, and the top of the fence just protrudes from the ground. This is the evidence that it is called a vertical stone below. It is also reasonable to draw the conclusion that although the ancient wall is buried, it still plays a certain role in the ritual life of people who continue to build and gather here.

It can't be absolutely accurate, but it seems to be the original building level 3 around 9500 BC. After hundreds of years of use, it was buried in stages. The content of the material used to fill the shell is a huge source of hard data. The composition of the filling material is only the garbage produced by hunting, food preparation and consumption, and the mixed filling material includes the residues from construction, stone processing, and thousands of flint tools and tools. The booty tells us some important information about these people. Without the basic dating tool pottery of archaeologists, the tool itself can be used to generate a wide range of cultural and chronological backgrounds, in which data from other places can be used to generate rough dates.

The second level is the different environment in concept and art. Obviously, a series of important changes are taking place in society and culture, and important cultural symbols still exist. The wall space is much smaller and simpler, and the decoration is simpler, which is not so clever. They are also much more, almost all on the third floor, and sometimes even cut into the chaos of the competitive floor plan on the third floor. They must have fewer ambitious monuments than before. This may be a society that has been exhausted economically and spiritually at the third level. This may be the evidence of the transitional period before Stonehenge was abandoned and more settled societies evolved.

However, apart from speculation, the most exquisite of these simpler rectangular walls is the so-called "Lion Building", which is identified by the carvings on its main stones. Although it may still be a pure cult or religious place with no evidence of family life, the Great Wall is small and similar to Nevali in many ways. Family architecture in Orie and other places. Perhaps the architectural pattern here reflects the economic and cultural changes.

In the season of 20 13/ 14 CE, archaeologists discovered another fence, Fence "H", which is about 250 m away from the original Class III excavation, and is located on the other side of the mountain, facing northwest. This is the so-called "Northwest Depression". At first glance, it is almost the same as the existing excavation. Also built in class III, this shell has a central monument with a medium-sized oval structure. Like Annex C, the performance of wild boar seems to be excellent. Fences, like all other fences, are buried at the end of their service life. And some people, like fence C, spend time and energy digging a hole, find the central pillar ... and destroy one (the other is still waiting to be investigated).

Why? Obviously, shells C and H are connected by design (oval and accessible stairs), grade (age) and artwork, and there may be shells that can still be found, but the most important thing is that these two shells are connected by the same blasphemy and come out long after the fence is buried!

These blasphemies will imply some possible situations, none of which necessarily excludes others. Obviously, the behavior of the third-level burying and the evolution of the structural design changes seen by the second-level indicate the end of the life cycle of these structures and the changes in political and economic (although not cultural or religious) fundamentals. The problem of deliberately and purposefully destroying the paddock on a large scale but continuing to use the site shows that the continuity of faith has been going on for a long time, but it has changed greatly with the social power dynamics represented by this unusual site.

The Origin of Stonehenge in Gobekli

Non-academic and "alternative" authors of popular books about the origin and builders of Stonehenge in Gobekli have provided many theories, most of which are understandably related to the amazing and photogenic Grade III ruins. They range from "ancient civilizations with amazing complexity" to vague biblical references, literally meaning stars. In terms of star arrangement, the archaeological team, cautious people, relying on the evidence accumulated and evaluated slowly, will not rule this out, but will gently point out that there is no evidence of alignment with any star or constellation.

The direction of the site is clear, but the third-level fence goes south along Harlan Plain, where people may approach, which has nothing to do with the night sky or any obvious astronomical features; Look at the terrain around here, it seems reasonable. Even today, the most reasonable way is from the south. This southern route may face the * * * route.

In fact, the processing behavior has a strong feature in the ritual life of ancient people, as evidenced by ancient sites, such as the proposed transition between Wood Hahnge and Stonehenge, or the etching of Nazca Plain Zoo. Until modern times, religious ceremonies such as the Cross Station or national ceremonies, such as the opening ceremony of the British Parliament. Class II enclosures do not display a specific alignment mode.

After giving up the second stage, except for the slow evolution of the first stage, we can't see anything happening at Stonehenge in Gobekli. It represents the rough agricultural and semi-nomadic life in the environment we see today, and made a small contribution in the Roman period, Byzantine period and * * * period, which concealed a large number of silent single * * * dramas under the surface.

The name Gobekli Stonehenge or Navel Mountain may be a weak cultural echo of that distant era. In fact, many Neolithic cultures are characterized by a symbolic connection with the earth through a magical navel or umbilical cord. Even today, it is still a respected and revered place, which can be seen from the wishing tree decorated on the top of the mound.

We can only speculate on the exact nature of the groundbreaking changes that took place in this ancient period, and these changes have an attractive performance in this magical place. However, explain it with the popular warnings we hear in our rapidly developing culture today ... please guess responsibly.