Thanks for the ping! Glad they found the settlement, should put paid to the "this was an annual ritual pilgramage site" BS.
Posted on 08/13/2026 2:00:10 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Archaeologists at Göbeklitepe in southeastern Turkey have uncovered rectangular buildings that may offer new evidence of everyday life and homes at the Neolithic settlement.
The structures lie just below the modern surface in a newly opened excavation area. Researchers believe they belong to Göbeklitepe’s second phase of occupation. Unlike the site’s famous monumental enclosures, the buildings contain fewer large stone pillars and have interiors that may have supported domestic activities.
Excavation director Prof. Dr. Necmi Karul said the team’s initial impression is that some may have been homes. Researchers, however, say more evidence is needed before they can determine how the buildings were used.
Archaeologists open a new excavation area
The team is working in an area north of Göbeklitepe’s main protected archaeological zone. Excavations began after olive trees were relocated from about 1,500 square meters, or roughly 16,000 square feet, of ground.
Researchers are removing the surface layer across a broad area before digging deeper. The method allows them to map the distribution of buildings across this part of the settlement.
Grecian Delight supports Greece
The structures appeared almost immediately. Karul said rectangular buildings from the site’s second phase were found directly beneath the surface, allowing researchers to identify their plans quickly. Archaeologists have already reached floor levels in several structures.
Erosion explains why the remains are so shallow. The upper sections of the ancient walls wore away over time, leaving the surviving parts close to the present ground level.
Buildings may have served as homes
The structures resemble buildings previously excavated in an area known as GT1. However, their internal organization may help researchers trace changes at Göbeklitepe over time.
Karul said large stone pillars appear to have become less prominent during this phase. The buildings contain fewer pillars, while their interiors appear more suitable for daily activities.
Architecture alone cannot prove that people lived in them. Researchers will examine soil and sediment from the floors for microscopic remains, plant material, traces of food preparation, and other residues. Such evidence could reveal what activities took place inside.
The findings are important because Göbeklitepe was once viewed mainly through its monumental architecture. Its circular and oval enclosures, enormous T-shaped pillars and animal carvings transformed ideas about early Neolithic communities.
More recent excavations have produced evidence of domestic buildings alongside larger communal structures. Karul said this suggests Göbeklitepe was a settlement where different types of buildings were used at the same time, rather than simply a ritual center.
Similar patterns have emerged at other Neolithic sites studied through the Taş Tepeler project, which includes prehistoric settlements across the Şanlıurfa region.
Work continues across Göbeklitepe
Archaeological and conservation work is continuing elsewhere at the site. Teams are excavating around circular buildings on the slope. Conservation work has largely finished at Structure C and has shifted to Structure D, a major monumental enclosure.
The rectangular buildings remain at an early stage of excavation. If further analysis supports their use as homes, they could strengthen evidence that monumental architecture and everyday domestic life existed side by side at Göbeklitepe.
Dear FRiends,
We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. No spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers.
If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today:
Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you,
Jim
These people ran around naked and really didn’t need a ‘home’ so these were likely just shelters for those occasional rainy days
That is one strange site. Those tee pillars may be unique. I don’t know.
Fixer-uppers
Thanks for the ping! Glad they found the settlement, should put paid to the "this was an annual ritual pilgramage site" BS.
Apparently Civilization had a few start-ups that failed. Ours has reached the point where it can end quickly if an insane enough leader comes into power.
The homes are now listed as “Coming Soon” on Zillow.
For sale by owner, fixer-upper, won’t last long!.........
“We could afford these homes on a Neolithic Farmer’s salary.”
“The homes are now listed as “Coming Soon” on Zillow.”
“There is nothing new under the sun.”
In a matter of a few generations entire civilizations have been destroyed.
Remnants of the Aztec people live among us.
Civilization builds on the dust of what was before.
All the hunters are shut out.
Do they have cable?
Be interesting if those T Pillars actually were the off the ground support structure for something being built on top of them...say an ark?
I’m going to deviate from all the humorous replies here and agree with you, Civ. It makes perfect sense that a ceremonial/pilgrimage site needs to be maintained, as well as having accommodations for pilgrims, shops selling food and drink, souvenirs, amulets, charms, etc. Those people would have to live close to the site to do that.
Probably wasn’t much different than “holy” sites in Greece, the Roman Empire, etc-there are still people maintaining holy sites and selling stuff there all over the world today-people really haven’t changed all that much in the last 10,000 years...
Actually, they did not run around naked-they made clothing, and even people who were semi-nomadic built homes/huts to live in during the times when they were not following game/hunting. Archaeological discoveries have shown for years how advanced people were in Neolithic times-it is not new information...
Clothing was added to appease the prudes back in Europe.
More likely, islam takes over and destroys all of Western Civilization.
ping
Imagine hunter-gatherers building homes... 🤔 Maybe they were just rest rooms for the workers. There’s a possible Neolithic village near there; don’t have the name on this tablet, just my main computer.
The buildings being discussed in the article were built in the Neolithic period-aka Later Stone Age, beginning over 10,000 years ago. People were beginning to farm, domesticate animals and settle in one place more than being nomadic. They most assuredly did wear clothes-and there was no Pinturicchio to paint them-and no Vatican, or pope, since it was BC and before recorded history. Historically speaking, you are about 1300-1400 years off.
The naked people in the painting you are referencing are supposed to Natives of the Americas in the 15th century AD-not Neolithic people in what is now Turkey 10,000 years ago.
We know some tribes did go naked in the tropical areas and for ceremonies in warmer areas-that is old news, European prudes or not...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
