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Oldest Monumental Center in the World Attracts New Conservation Efforts

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Thaimon
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« on: October 02, 2011, 12:34:10 am »

Oldest Monumental Center in the World Attracts New Conservation Efforts

By Dan McLerran   Thu, Sep 29, 2011





The 11,000-year-old Early Neolithic site of Göbekli Tepe is now an object of new conservation efforts, even while archaeological excavations and research continue.
Oldest Monumental Center in the World Attracts New Conservation Efforts

More than 10,000 years ago, before settled agriculture and the rise of civilizations, hunter-gatherers were erecting and carving T-shaped monolithic pillars weighing as much as 20 metric tons atop a mountain ridge in present day southeastern Turkey, using nothing more than simple flint tools. The stone material was acquired from a quarry 100 meters distant. There were no wheels to help. They hadn't been invented yet. Like Stonehenge and other similar sites in the British Isles, questions about who these people were and why they built these monumental structures remain unanswered, though not for lack of various anthropological and archaeological interpretations. Only five percent of the site where these stones were placed has been excavated by archaeologists, so it is a bit early to draw major conclusions. But even while archaeologists are busy at work uncovering more of the site, conservationists are pushing forward with plans to protect, conserve, and showcase the site for posterity.

This is important, because the site is Göbekli Tepe, first discovered through surveys in 1964 and now considered the oldest known set of religious structures in the world. Its value lies in its potential to profoundly change our understanding of a critical period in the development of civilization. Most notably, its evidence suggests that hunter-gatherers were capable of conceiving and building monumental complexes, a capability that has long been assigned first to the earliest people who could form sedentary communities based on agriculture.  As the site excavator, Dr. Klaus Schmidt of the German Archaeological Institute says: "First came the temple, then the city."[1]
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Thaimon
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« Reply #1 on: October 02, 2011, 12:35:10 am »



Area map showing the location of the site of Göbekli Tepe. Wikimedia Commons
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« Reply #2 on: October 02, 2011, 12:35:45 am »

More needs to be done before the revolutionary theory can be substantially supported, but while the excavation and research chugs along, a team of conservationists are already laying plans and marshaling the resources needed to ensure that the site, as it is uncovered, does not crumble away into oblivion, a fate that seems to have threatened so many other significant world cultural sites after the excavators have left the scene.

Reports the Global Heritage Fund (GHF), a non-profit conservation organization based in Palo Alto, California, "The site and its extant remains are threatened by looting, exposure and insufficient management of the site and its resources".

As a case in point, just over a year ago, a 30-kilo stele was removed from the site by looters, closing the site for 11 days. Moreover, erosion of the exposed structures caused by the natural freeze/thaw cycle continue to affect the original integrity of the structural surfaces and carvings, and the lack of a comprehensive site management plan means that the site's long-term stability and sustainability are in question. Now the GHF, with the help of the Turkish Government and other institutions and organizations, is spear-heading an effort to address all of those issues.

"A great number of new scientific breakthroughs are expected in the next 10 years as new areas and stratigraphy are investigated", reports the GHF about the site,  "However, if it is decided to excavate new areas, then additional conservation and shelter funding will need to be secured.  One of the most pressing issues is the repair of broken stelae."[1]
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« Reply #3 on: October 02, 2011, 12:36:12 am »



Above, one of the T-shaped monoliths. Photo from Wikimedia Commons

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« Reply #4 on: October 02, 2011, 12:36:28 am »

As the construction of a shelter to protect the site is an urgent need, shelter design proposals are being submitted from six different firms under the direction of the German Archaeological Institute. The shelter, once constructed, will be designed so as to minimize site impact by installing it directly onto bedrock to support a overhanging roof structure.  To minimize the impact of visitors on the integrity of the archaeological remains, hanging visitor walkways will be constructed to allow visitors a clear view of the remains without the adverse effects produced by physical contact. Structural support will be established to stabilize the monuments, including a number of stelae. A site management plan for guiding future development may include facilities for project teams, plans for parking and traffic, visitor access, investments, and opportunities for members of the local community.
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« Reply #5 on: October 02, 2011, 12:36:54 am »



Göbekli Tepe (Turkey): a panoramic view of the southern excavation field. Courtesy Rolf Cosar, Wikimedia Commons.
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« Reply #6 on: October 02, 2011, 12:37:21 am »

Since 1995 Professor Dr. Klaus Schmidt has directed archaeological excavations at the site with the German Archaeological Institute (DAI).  He suggests that Göbekli Tepe was not a settlement but rather a sanctuary or center where communities met to perform religious rites. He supports this by pointing out that the excavations to date have not provided any evidence of residential buildings or fortifications. Monolithic T-shaped pillars, each weighing several tons and carved in relief, were erected here in large circles around another, taller pair of pillars. He has interpreted the taller pillars as being anthropomorphic because arms and hands are depicted on their sides.  Other reliefs were carved on pillars, depicting animals such as bulls, foxes, wild boars, birds, snakes and scorpions.

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Along the way, GHF and other participating organizations hope to be able to assist Turkish authorities in securing World Heritage Site inscription for Göbekli Tepe, a designation which, given the key importance of the site to defining the origins and early development of civilization as modern humans emerged from their prehistoric past, should not be difficult to acquire.

And as for the advancing research, it may be likely that much of the site will be left indefinitely unexcavated, preserving what remains for future inquiry and discovery when better, non-intrusive methods have been developed. History at this location has an interesting lesson to teach in this regard.

"An amazing thing happened here back at the beginning of the 8th millennium BC," said one student of the site. "It was deliberately buried under a fill of between 300 and 500 cubic meters of sand.  Why did they do this?  Who did this? Whatever the answers are, one thing is certain. It preserved the monuments for posterity."

 

[1] Göbekli Tepe, Turkey: Unique Early Neolithic Ceremonial Center, Global Heritage Fund

Cover Photo, Top Left: Typical carved T-shaped monolith at Göbekli Tepe, Wikimedia Commons.

 

By Dan McLerran

Dan McLerran

As Managing Editor of Popular Archaeology Magazine, Dan is a freelance writer and journalist specializing in archaeology.  He studied anthropology and archaeology in undergraduate and graduate school and has been an active participant on archaeological excavations in the U.S. and abroad.  He is the creator and administrator of Archaeological Digs, a popular weblog about archaeological excavation and field school opportunities.  He is also the creator and administrator of ArchaeologyNet, a business-oriented social network for archaeologists, students, volunteers, and educators.
http://popular-archaeology.com/issue/september-2011/article/oldest-monumental-center-in-the-world-attracts-new-conservation-efforts
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