The Stone Circles of Gobekli Tepe: Challenging Our Understanding of Human History
The excavations at Gobekli Tepe, a ancient site located in modern-day Turkey, have revealed a complex network of stone circles and pillars that date back to around 10,800 BC. This makes it one of the oldest known human-made religious structures in the world and challenges the traditional understanding of when and how civilization emerged.
Radiocarbon dating of the site has placed the construction of these structures at around 10,800 BC, which coincides with the proposed date of an impact event that is believed to have caused a collapse of civilizations at the time. This suggests that an advanced civilization existed before the collapse caused by this event.
The stone circles and pillars at Gobekli Tepe are decorated with intricate carvings of animals and symbols, which have yet to be fully deciphered. The carvings are incredibly well-preserved, and they provide a glimpse into the beliefs and practices of an ancient civilization that existed long before the rise of the Sumerians and the Egyptians.
The discovery of Gobekli Tepe has led to a reevaluation of the traditional narrative of human history, which posits that civilization began in Mesopotamia around 5,000 BC. The existence of an advanced civilization at Gobekli Tepe, predating this event by several millennia, suggests that the origins of civilization may be much older and more complex than previously thought.