Archaeologist argues world's oldest temples were not temples at all

University of Chicago Press Journals ^ | October 6, 2011 | Unknown

[decimon]

Ancient structures uncovered in Turkey and thought to be the world's oldest temples may not have been strictly religious buildings after all, according to an article in the October issue of Current Anthropology. Archaeologist Ted Banning of the University of Toronto argues that the buildings found at Göbekli Tepe may have been houses for people, not...gods.

The buildings at Göbekli, a hilltop just outside of the Turkish city of Urfa, were found in 1995 by Klaus Schmidt of the German Archaeological Institute and colleagues from the Şanlıurfa Museum in Turkey. The oldest of the structures at the site are immense buildings with large stone pillars, many of which feature carvings of snakes, scorpions, foxes, and other animals.

The presence of art in the buildings, the substantial effort that must have been involved in making and erecting them, and a lack of evidence for any permanent settlement in the area, led Schmidt and others to conclude that Göbekli must have been a sacred place where pilgrims traveled to worship, much like the Greek ruins of Delphi or Olympia. If that interpretation is true it would make the buildings, which date back more than 10,000 years to the early Neolithic, the oldest temples ever found.

However, Banning offers an alternative interpretation that challenges some of Schmidt's claims.

He outlines growing archaeological evidence for daily activities at the site, such as flintknapping and food preparation. "The presence of this evidence suggests that the site was not, after all, devoid of residential occupation, but likely had quite a large population," Banning said.

Banning goes on to argue that the population may have been housed in the purported temples themselves. He disagrees with the idea that the presence of decorative pillars or massive construction efforts means the buildings could not have been residential space.

[reaganaut]

Ok, but I don’t see where you are going with that. There is archeological evidence for ritual sites with a steady population even among generally nomadic groups.

Like I said, I haven’t read the reports on this, but I do have a background in Archeology and it wouldn’t be impossible for it to be both.

[muawiyah]

12,000 year old buildings are really rare!

[Oatka]

I remember years and years ago, maybe in Readers Digest, an article written from the point of view of far future archeologist “explaining” what common 20th century objects meant. For instance a parking meeter was a shrine to a god that people made sacrifices of coins to.

It might have been the same article, but I remember when they mentioned how horrified the archeologists would be when they excavated a church basement and found all the cooking equipment used for bazaars, figuring that some kind of cannibal sacrifice was performed there.

[reaganaut]

LOL. Yes they are.

[Bellflower]

Hey let’s face it, they just don’t know.

[SunkenCiv]

Just an update.

[Ezekiel]

You know the accounts of Solomon building all those places for his foreign wives to burn incense and sacrifice to their gods?

I’m thinking day spas and shopping malls...