Why was Göbekli Tepe buried?

Göbekli Tepe is famous for its monumental enclosures, massive T-shaped limestone pillars, and detailed carvings of animals and other figures.

Its survival presents another mystery.

After periods of construction, use, modification, and rebuilding, some of the site’s monumental structures were filled with enormous quantities of limestone rubble, animal bones, flint fragments, and other materials.

The character of this fill suggests that covering the structures was not simply the result of windblown soil or the gradual collapse of abandoned buildings. At least some of the enclosures appear to have been deliberately backfilled.

The reason is less certain.

The structures may have been formally closed when their active lives ended. Their burial may have been connected to ritual practices, cycles of rebuilding, changing community traditions, or the gradual transformation of the site. Different buildings may also have been covered under different circumstances.

AW-006 — Why Was Göbekli Tepe Buried? examines what archaeologists have discovered inside the fill, how the structures changed over time, and why no single explanation completely resolves the mystery.

Read the complete investigation.

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