Garden of Eden found? Most spectacular Archeological Discovery

Hi,
have you ever heard Göbekli Tepe?
en.wikipedia.org...
A sanctuary found in Southeastern Turkey and guess how old?
From www.dailygrail.com...
"Since 1994, archaeologist Klaus Schmidt has overseen an astonishing archaeological dig called Gobekli Tepe. Located in southern Turkey, South African palaeolithic art expert David Lewis has called Gobekli Tepe "the most important archaeological dig anywhere in the world." Why? Schmidt explains, "Gobekli Tepe is staggeringly old. It dates from 10,000 BC, before pottery and the wheel. By comparison, Stonehenge dates from 2,000 BC. Our excavations also show it is not a domestic site, it is religious - the world's oldest temple. This site proves that hunter-gatherers were capable of complex art and organised religion, something no-one imagined before."

Since 1994, archaeologist Klaus Schmidt has overseen an astonishing archaeological dig called Gobekli Tepe. Located in southern Turkey, South African palaeolithic art expert David Lewis has called Gobekli Tepe "the most important archaeological dig anywhere in the world." Why? Schmidt explains, "Gobekli Tepe is staggeringly old. It dates from 10,000 BC, before pottery and the wheel. By comparison, Stonehenge dates from 2,000 BC. Our excavations also show it is not a domestic site, it is religious - the world's oldest temple. This site proves that hunter-gatherers were capable of complex art and organised religion, something no-one imagined before."

In part, Gobekli Tepe is thought to be a temple, or funerary complex, because of the human bones installed in the open niches beside its standing stones. Forty or so T-shaped standing stones - two to four meters in length, and weighing anywhere from 5 to 50 tons - have been unearthed thus far at the main site; and geomagnetic surveys suggest at least another 250 stones have yet to be uncovered there. However, the largest stone discovered thus far - nine meters in length - was recently found about a kilometer from the main site, so there may be many more.

Age alone isn't the site's only Wow! factor. Since there's nothing I can say which would adequately descibe this article's photos, I suggest you take a look for yourself, and read why some people are even speculating that Gobekli Tepe could almost literally be the Garden of Eden."

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www.thefirstpost.co.uk...

An archaeological dig tells us more about the Garden of Eden, says Sean Thomas

"The thesis is this. Historians have long wondered if the Eden story is a folk memory, an allegory of the move from hunter-gathering to farming. Seen in this way, the Eden story describes how we moved from a life of relative leisure - literally picking fruit from the trees - to a harsher existence of ploughing and reaping.

And where did this change take place? Biologists now think the move to agriculture began in Kurdish Turkey. Einkorn wheat, a forerunner of the world's cereal species, has been genetically linked to here. Similarly, it now seems that wild pigs were first domesticated in Cayonu, just 60 miles from Gobekli.

This region also has Biblical connections, tying it closer to the Eden narrative. Muslims believe that Sanliurfa, a nearby city, is the Old Testament city of Ur. Harran, a town down the road, is mentioned in Genesis twice.

Even the topography of Gobekli Tepe is 'correct'. The Bible describes rivers descending from Paradise. Gobekli Tepe sits in the 'fertile crescent' between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates. The Bible also mentions mountains surrounding Eden. From the brow of Gobekli's hills you can see the Taurus range.

But how does this intoxicating notion link to the architecture of Gobekli, and those astonishing finds?

Klaus Schmidt (left) says: "Gobekli Tepe is staggeringly old. It dates from 10,000BC, before pottery and the wheel. By comparison, Stonehenge dates from 2,000BC. Our excavations also show it is not a domestic site, it is religious - the world's oldest temple. This site proves that hunter-gatherers were capable of complex art and organised religion, something no-one imagined before."

As for the temple's exact purpose, Schmidt gestures at a new discovery: a carving of a boar, and ducks flying into nets. "I think Gobekli Tepe celebrates the chase, the hunter-gatherer lifestyle. And why not? This life was rich and leisured, it gave them time enough to become accomplished sculptors."

So why did the hunters of Gobekli give up their agreeable existence? Schmidt indicates the arid brown hilltops. "Gathering together for religion meant that they needed to feed more people. So they started cultivating the wild grasses." But this switch to agriculture put pressure on the landscape; trees were cut down, the herds of game were dispersed. What was once a paradisaical land became a dustbowl.

Schmidt explains that this switch took place around 8,000BC. Coincidentally, the temple of Gobekli Tepe was deliberately covered with earth around this time.

We may never know why the hunter-gatherers buried their 'temple in Eden'. Perhaps they were grieving for their lost innocence. What is unquestionable is the discoveries made in Gobekli Tepe, in the last few weeks, are some of the most exciting made anywhere in half a century.

Schmidt shows me some workmen scraping earth from a rock relief (left). It is marvellously detailed: it shows scorpions, waterbirds, and river life. I suddenly realise I am the first person other than an archaeologist to see it in 10,000 years."





[edit on 1-3-2009 by deccal]

This was covered the other day, pretty interesting. The mods may allow this one to be open also, I dont know.

Thought I would link it anywhoo, its a good read.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Q: How does the world of archaeology perceive Gobekli?

A: Academics agree on the site's revolutionary implications for our view of Stone Age civilisation and religion. No one knew Neolithic people were this artistic and leisured. Harald Hauptman at Heidelberg University believes the discoveries at Gobekli rank with the first uncovering of cave paintings in Lascaux, France in the 1940s. South African expert in palaeolithic art David Lewis Williams calls Gobekli Tepe "the most important archaeological dig anywhere in the world".
(www.thefirstpost.co.uk...)

Shortly, this discovery is scientifically astonishing.
Now, if we look to the possible etymological similarity:

"The origin of the term "Eden", which in Hebrew means "delight", may lie with the Akkadian word edinu, which itself derives from the Sumerian term E.DIN. The Sumerian term means "plain" or "steppe", so the connection between the words may be coincidental, although this word is known to have been used by the Sumerians to refer to Mesopotamia as the "valley of E'din", meaning the fertile lands between the Tigris and Euphrates." (www.crystalinks.com...)

My personal belief is that Göbeklitepe is indeed Garden of Eden, but metaphorically. The Apple was the Knowledge in the story. And I think, Göbeklitepe represents new consciosness level oh humanity. New knowledge about life-death, about the environment, about farming etc..
What do you think?

reply to post by pureevil81



Oh..
Sorry didnt see, although I used Search button before.
Anyway, I think this may stay open becuase, it presents the idea that Garden of Eden is a metaphorical story, which I also support.
But the mods know the best

reply to post by deccal


This thread is equally interesting to me, Good posts.

I am still trying to go through all the info. you put out there, again, good job.

reply to post by deccal
Hi Deccal, another good thread I've read a lot about Göbekli Tepe and the new slant you are suggesting is interesting indeed. There's no question in my mind that the Garden of Eden was a real place. It's more likely to be to be an apocryphal explanation of our origins by the the leading lights of the period. As a cultural memory or idealistic archetype it becomes more interesting. There's quite a lot to digest so I'll get back later

Originally posted by AshleyD
I personally do not feel this is the Biblical Garden of Eden. However, I find it interesting the people buried the entire site. That sounds like they conjured up something they knew was dangerous and felt the only way to break the stronghold was to bury their temples. It's possible they buried it out of fear.

I quoted this from other Thread.
Göbekli Tepe is buried deliberatly. And I agree with Ashley.
They might bury it because of Fear. New knowledge about nature, new metaphysical questions like who we are, where we come from, may cause them intense fear.
It is clear that these people asked these questions...
Human creates more unknowns, while she finds new knowledge and information about himself and the environment. And increasing amount of unknown may increase fear. Maybe they tried to forget with this deliberatly burying.

Can someone tell me how to pronounce the name please

Great thread, very interesting, more and more evidence that humans were civilized prior to 5000 BC is piling up. Hopefully historians will start accepting this.

Originally posted by NamiraNerd
Can someone tell me how to pronounce the name please

As you write: Göbekli Tepe

reply to post by Kandinsky


Thank you
Such discoveries really casts light, not only to the past but also to the present and future. We still have modern temples everywhere. Churches, Mosques, Synagoges, Buddhist temples, Shopping Malls...Metaphysically thinking, things are not that changed since 12thousand years. Fear of the unknowns. And unknown are still unknown: inevitablitiy of death, mistery of birth etc...And we try to forget these unknowns while we fight each other.
Anyway, I will try to post more when I gather more recent Information about Göbekli Tepe.

reply to post by deccal


Australian Aboriginals have a continuous history of over 50,000 years, domesticated dogs, art, religion, organised society etc.

One more tome estimates vary between 50 and up to 90 thousand years.

Originally posted by deccal
And I agree with Ashley.
They might bury it because of Fear. New knowledge about nature, new metaphysical questions like who we are, where we come from, may cause them intense fear.
It is clear that these people asked these questions...

If they did bury it because of fear ... it took a long time to become afraid. In relation to our own time, it'd be like burying Jerusalem today because we became afraid of it some 2,000 years later.

I would be more apt to believe what the archaeologist suggest as far as reasons for being buried. The place, being of religious significance to the surrounding inhabitants, was one of celebration, I would imagine, even if used for funerals. Once the land became infertile the place was probably abandon and covered.

Though, it's my theory that it was probably buried by a rival tribe. 2,000 years is along time for people to find difference between each other. If tribes were warring one another - which is indeed likely given the fact that the land had become infertile and farm land was, I assume, valuable even to these primitive people - I see no reason why a rival tribe wouldn't cover a cultural icon to make a point to those that oppose them.

Just my opinion.

F'd and the S.

[edit on 2-3-2009 by tyranny22]

Originally posted by deccal An archaeological dig tells us more about the Garden of Eden, says Sean Thomas.

An interesting adjunct to this story comes from the German Archaeological Institute:

On February 28th the Daily Mail published an article by Tom Cox, in which Prof. Dr. Klaus Schmidt, leader of the Göbekli Tepe excavations, is cited as follows: "Göbekli Tepe is a temple in Eden". On the basis of this, the author formulates several conclusions about the biblical paradise, Adam and Eve and other events connected to the Book of Genesis in the Old Testament. Several German- and Turkish-language newspapers and radio stations of german and turkish language have picked up on the contents of the article since its publication.

"Tom Cox" or "Tom Knox" is a pseudonym of the British journalist Sean Thomas, who used the article to get publicity for his thriller "Genesis Secret", which is due to appear in March in English and simultaneously in German. Since Sean Thomas is using a falsified version of an interview with Klaus Schmidt made in fall 2006, he presents a distortion of the scientific work of the German Archaeological Institute.

The German Archaeological Institute (DAI) distances itself from these statements and reserves the right to take legal action against further dissemination of the story in connection with the work of the DAI at Göbekli Tepe. Klaus Schmidt neither in an interview nor on any other occasion made the above mentioned statements.

www.dainst.org...

Which is all to say that while the (archaeological) site is good...some of the conclusions cited are not. See the DAI website for more of the real deal.
To the OP, though, nice catch on an exciting topic, just the same.