Gobekli Tepe: The World’s First Temple? ( massive carved stones about 11,000 years old )

Smithsonian magazine ^ | November 2008 | # Andrew Curry # Photographs by Berthold Steinhilber

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Predating Stonehenge by 6,000 years, Turkey's stunning Gobekli Tepe upends the conventional view of the rise of civilization

Six miles from Urfa, an ancient city in southeastern Turkey, Klaus Schmidt has made one of the most startling archaeological discoveries of our time: massive carved stones about 11,000 years old, crafted and arranged by prehistoric people who had not yet developed metal tools or even pottery. The megaliths predate Stonehenge by some 6,000 years. The place is called Gobekli Tepe, and Schmidt, a German archaeologist who has been working here more than a decade, is convinced it's the site of the world's oldest temple.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Saw this at the Health Center today as I was waiting for my Doctor’s Appointment.

Great photos in the Magazine....

[colorado tanker]

You’re right, impressive indeed.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Not seeing the map on the website that is in the magazine article....location is above the Syrian border and a bit west of the Syrian / Iraqi / Turkey border point.

[strider44]

This can’t be real, afterall the world is only 6,000 years old.

[SunkenCiv]

hey, it happens every now and then.

Gobekli Tepe site:freerepublic.com

Google

[SunkenCiv]

[nkycincinnatikid]

Urfa is historically presumed to be the home of Abraham of Genesis fame.

[SunkenCiv]

· join list or digest · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post a topic ·
	Gods Graves Glyphs	Thanks Ernest_at_the_Beach. Just adding to the catalog, not sending a general distribution. To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother, and Ernest_at_the_Beach
· Google · Archaeologica · ArchaeoBlog · Archaeology magazine · Biblical Archaeology Society · · Mirabilis · Texas AM Anthropology News · Yahoo Anthro & Archaeo · · History or Science & Nature Podcasts · Excerpt, or Link only? · cgk's list of ping lists ·

[Old Sarge]

And the First "WORLD TEMPLE" - The Obamopolis!

[Lurking Libertarian]

Schmidt, a German archaeologist who has been working here more than a decade, is convinced it's the site of the world's oldest temple.

The oldest we've found, but if they were building something this elaborate 11,000 years ago, there have to have been simpler sites even earlier, even if they have not survived. (I'm thinking of the "monolith to El" in Michner's The Source.)

[Lurking Libertarian]

Urfa is historically presumed to be the home of Abraham of Genesis fame.

I think that is Ur (in present-day Iraq), not Urfa (in Turkey).

[Islander7]

Egad man! You should fined for posting that!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

What did you do....you destroyed the sanctity of this thread...../s

[edcoil]

Enoch was a grandson of Adam, his son built the first city and named it after his father. There was a temple there. Is it because they have not found it, only stories of it and this is the oldest they “found”.

Need to dig a little deeper.

[SunkenCiv]

I have my reasons. :’)

[edcoil]

Wiki has some interesting info.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6bekli_Tepe

[Islander7]

Very cool! I have suspected that civilization is much older than main stream science supposes. The Egyptians seem to have appeared from no where with a highly developed understanding of astronomy and engineering.

[strider44]

I don’t get the Helen Thomas pic. Guess I’m too slow for that rapier wit. I was kidding about the age of the Earth. It’s probably more like 7000 years. Sorry.

[SunkenCiv]

I use the Helen Thomas pic when people try to start up a cr/evo war on a GGG thread. OTOH, I also do this under other circumstances: