Göbekli Tepe: Stone Age Sanctuaries in Southeastern Anatolia

A lecture about Gobekli Tepe by German archeologist Klaus Schmidt.

After 19 years of excavation, Göbekli Tepe has proven to be one of the most important archaeological sites in the world. At this site in southeast Anatolia during the tenth and ninth millennia BCE, immediately after the Ice Age, hunting and gathering societies transitioned into early farming villages. Generations of archaeologists have wondered why people gave up hunting and gathering and started to domesticate plants and animals. In other words, why did the Neolithic Revolution take place?
The new discoveries at Göbekli Tepe have offered explanations that are quite different from the generally accepted wisdom on this issue. The distinct character of the site is underscored by its architecture and diverse set of art objects, including small stone figurines, sculptures and statues of men and animals, and large decorated megaliths.

Klaus Schmidt is a German archaeologist in the Orient Department of the German Archaeological Institute in Berlin, as well as a corresponding member of DAI. Since 1995, Dr. Schmidt has been directing the excavations at the Gürçütepe and Göbekli Tepe. The excavations at Göbekli Tepe gained special attention after the publication of the book They Built the First Temples—The Mysterious Sanctuary of the Stone Age Hunters.

Sunday, June 15, 2014, 1 pm
Smithsonian's Freer and Sackler Gallery, Washington DC

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