Göbekli Tepe – monumental architecture by hunter-gatherers
c. 9,600–8,000 BCE·Culture, arts & philosophy·West Asia (Turkey)·
c. 9,600–8,000 BCEDate
Culture, arts & philosophyCategory
0Empires active
- Date
- c. 9,600–8,000 BCE
- Category
- Culture, arts & philosophy
- Region
- West Asia (Turkey)
- Era
- Prehistory
- Significance
Massive T-shaped limestone pillars arranged in circles, carved with animals and symbols, built in southeastern Turkey. Constructed by pre-agricultural or early transitional groups. No permanent village found at the site during main phases.
One piece of history in your inbox, weekly
New empires, events and features as they land — one good email a week. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Related culture, arts & philosophy events
- The ʿAin Ghazal statues: monumental Neolithic figuresc. 9,500 – 8,250 years ago (c. 7500–6250 BCE)
- Behavioural modernity and major Out-of-Africa dispersalc. 70,000–50,000 years ago
- Upper Paleolithic art and symbolic explosionc. 40,000+ years ago
- World's earliest figurative and narrative cave art on Sulawesic. 51,000 – 45,500 years ago
- Chauvet Cave: early masterworks of figurative cave artc. 36,500 years ago
- Earliest Indus Script Signs Appear at Harappac. 3300 BCE
Further reading
The wider story
The Story of Art
The best-selling art history ever written, from cave paintings to the modern age.
Get it on Amazon →As an Amazon Associate, Human Saga earns from qualifying purchases.