tute) je pokrenuo istraživanja na ovom lokalitetu 1995. godine. Otkriveno je da je Göbekli Tepe zapravo najstariji poznati hramski kompleks na svijetu, star oko 12 tisuća godina. Temelji se sastoje od ogromnih kamenih stupova, isklesanih i ukrašenih prikazima životinja i geometrijskim uzorcima. Ovi nalazi povukli su reviziju povijesti ljudske civilizacije, jer pokazuju da su ljudi već u tom dalekom vremenu bili sposobni za organizaciju i izgradnju takvih kompleksa.
Göbekli Tepe je još uvijek misterij. Arheolozi još nisu proniknuli u svrhu ovog kompleksa ni u njegovu vezu s ostalim kulturnim i religijskim fenomenima tog doba. No, neosporno je da predstavlja jedinstven i izuzetan arheološki nalaz koji pruža uvid u davno izgubljenu prošlost naše civilizacije.
A year later, in 1995, in collaboration with the Archaeological Museum from the nearby city of Sanlıurfa, excavations began. Soon, the first megaliths were discovered, some of which were so close to the surface that they had visible damage from plowing. Digging deeper, they discovered that they were columns forming a circular formation. During the nineteen years of excavation, interrupted by Schmidt’s sudden death, his team found a second circular formation, then a third, fourth… To this day, seven have been excavated, but geomagnetic and radar analysis has revealed at least twenty more similar formations buried under the vegetation of the hill. They determined that the site spans over nine hectares, which is an area equivalent to twenty soccer fields. Based on this, Schmidt concluded that only five percent of the total site area has been excavated.
The excavated circular formations are surrounded by a two-meter-high wall with massive T-shaped columns embedded in it, measuring three to five meters in height. In the middle… In the described circle, there are two monumental monoliths, measuring five and a half meters in height and weighing over ten tons, which surpass the other pillars and are made from a single piece of stone. The diameter of the circles formed by the stone T-shaped pillars varies from ten to thirty meters. Unusual, mostly zoomorphic depictions (boar, fox, vulture, duck, snake, scorpion) are carved into the pillars, but there are also rich reliefs and stylized depictions of human figures.
Four excavated circular structures are located in the main excavation site and are marked with letters according to the order of excavations, and further named after the animals depicted on the reliefs of the pillars. “Structure A” or “Snake Building” (German: Schlangenpfeilergebäude) was excavated in 1996 and has an oval shape. “Structure B” or “Fox Building” (Fuchspfeilergebäude) has a diameter of around ten meters. “Structure C” or “Wild Boar Building” (Wildschweinpfeilergebäude) consists of multiple circular walls and has a diameter of over thirty meters. Unlike the others, “Structure C” has remained largely intact. ličnom naselju Gobekli Tepe, pronašao mnoge simbole lignje i drugih morskih bića, rijetko je nalazio ikakve prikaze ždralova. Kako je ždral često prikazivan u drugim drevnim kulturama kao simbol duše ili povratka u raj, Schmidt je smatrao da su ove strukture možda bile povezane s pogrebnim obredima ili duhovnim praksama. Također je primijetio da središnji stupovi u nekim od struktura imaju urezane prikaze trbuha i prsa, možda ukazujući na simboliku rađanja ili plodnosti.
Unatoč svim zagonetkama i otvorenim pitanjima, jedna stvar je sigurna – Zgrada ždralova ostavlja snažan dojam na posjetitelje. Njena kamena ljepota i tajanstvenost čine je jedinstvenom među arheološkim nalazištima diljem svijeta.
During the suspension period, he encountered similar but rectangular structures with T-columns. He described Göbekli Tepe as a site “unique, unparalleled, incomparable,” concluding that it was likely a regionally significant sanctuary that attracted a large number of pilgrims.
The origins of Göbekli Tepe are situated in the earliest period of human history, the Stone Age, the era of hunter-gatherers. This contradicts its architectural complexity and raises numerous unanswered questions. That’s why experts refer to it as an “archaeological wonder.” As excavations continue, the puzzles and hypotheses about its function continue to grow.
Dating the site was done through radiocarbon dating and stratigraphy. The simplified conclusion is that the site was inhabited between the 10th and 8th millennium BC. The oldest sample tested dates back to 9130 BC, while the youngest dates to 7370 BC (according to the Diet). Approximately a thousand years after the construction of the first circular temple, its filling and the construction of smaller structures next to it began, and over time, various mounds will form a hill. It is assumed that each new circular temple was smaller in size with shorter stone pillars. So, earlier circular temples were larger, more impressive, with higher and heavier stone T-pillars, and therefore more demanding to build.
Naturally, questions arise as to who built the temples and for what purpose. How could something so monumental practically arise out of nothing? Where did the knowledge necessary for construction come from, the tools, organizational skills? The assumption about the construction of this building involves at least five hundred workers who extracted stone blocks, formed pillars out of them, and somehow transported them from the quarry to the site. In addition to all of this, it was necessary to ensure sufficient quantities of food and water.
A part of the site called Complex E, which is believed to have served as a quarry. i Tepe bila povezana s nekim oblikom rituala ili kulta. Drugi teoretičari sugeriraju da je možda bio neka vrsta svetog mjesta ili centra za obredna okupljanja. Postoje i oni koji smatraju da je Göbekli Tepe bio neka vrsta škole ili mjesta u kojem su se odvijali obrazovni ili duhovni programi. Bez obzira na to, važno je da se proučava i razumije ova drevna struktura kako bismo dobili uvid u našu vlastitu prošlost i evoluciju ljudske civilizacije. that Tepea was used for observing the stars and celestial bodies. According to Italian astroarchaeologist Giulio Magli, he believes that Tepea is a monument to the “birth” of Sirius, which was located below the horizon of the site until 9300 BC when it became visible in the sky.
Some authors, such as Andrew Collins, prioritize the star Deneb (the brightest star in the constellation Cygnus), which supposedly served as a celestial orientation point from 9500 to 9000 BC, as the North Star was not visible during that time.
During Schmidt’s excavations, three layers were identified. The oldest Layer III (widest known circular structure) dates back to 10,000 BC. Layer II (rectangular structure) dates back to 9000 BC. The shallowest Layer I is located at the top and consists of soil accumulated since the site was abandoned until present day, and it is dated to around 8000 BC.
Other authors go a step further (like Dr. Martin Sweatman from the University of Edinburgh) and believe The role of stone structures is not only to track the sky, and the carved animal figures do not represent just an “observed animal garden”, but each pillar symbolizes significant changes on Earth. Therefore, by analyzing pillar number 43, also known as “Strvinar’s pillar”, the authors have concluded that it contains a map of the starry sky, astronomical symbols, and a depiction of a comet (according to Sarah Knapton, 2017). The relief circle on this pillar was interpreted by scientists as the Sun, and they determined the zodiacal epoch defined by the position of the Sun within a certain horoscope sign. The depiction of soup on the same stone was interpreted by the authors as the constellation Sagittarius, and the computer program Stelario was used to determine the time of coincidence of these points. It was determined that the overlapping line falls on the summer solstice, approximately 10,950 years before Christ. Although all of these are still “working hypotheses” that await further interpretation, the site itself has seriously confronted us with the inevitable revision of our perception of the past. i. The question arises as to how accurate our dating of historical events is and whether it is necessary to push them further back into the past based on facts…