The Gobekli Tepe

The Göbekli Tepe (meaning the “potbelly hill”), a structure assumed to be designed for the
conduct of rituals and worship, is currently the oldest structure of all prehistoric structures of this
nature, dating back to 10,000 BCE. It was discovered in Şanlıurfa Province in southeastern
Turkey, near sites with evidence of human use, along with other nearby worship facilitating
structures, such as the Nevali Çori. The site itself features T-shaped limestone monoliths
inscribed with depictions of animals and prominent depressions formed into a pit containing
stone walls, both arranged in a circular fashion. House-like structures are present at the site,
usually containing rock sediment supposedly used for ritualistic purposes. These pillars are
composed around two larger monoliths at the center of the pit. The ground seems to have been
layered with terrazzo flooring: “limestone chips set in plaster”. The materials seem to have been
taken from nearby limestone quarries, presumably extracted from these sites by way of wooden
levers and wedges and transported to where the structure is located with strenuous effort. The
pillars could be smoothed using basalt and flint tools either at the quarry or the site.
It is theorized that, since prehistoric people of this period were largely hunters and gatherers, this
structure was used as destination for gathering widely spread-out people more than a facility
used by permanent settlers. In other words, this site, and its associated buildings, was a temple,
not a settlement. Klaus Schidmt, the proponent of this theory, states that the surroundings factors
of the site such as the lack of a nearby water source as well as the lack of domestic-life
appliances within this site’s building such as ovens and fireplaces.
Another view asserts that the sacred in intertwined with the mundane and the evidence of human
inhabitation oat these sites indicate that these structures could have been used for more
permanent settlement.
Separate from the use of the site is the theory of how society was first formed. Many theories
about the conception of society state that after people learned how to domesticate crops and
animals, enough resources were available for the formation of structures. However, the discovery
of Göbekli Tepe would indicate the inverse: domestication of plants and animals came after the
formation of structures.
It is evident that the Göbekli Tepe is the first of its kind, and that its construction would not only
act as a precursor to society, but also as the primary methods for constructing other kinds of
structures of this Neolithic period. The fact that it has no records written by the people who built
this structure does not dampen the fact that this place is where proceeding humans' settlement
would branch off from.
Sources:
Banning, E. B. (2010). So Fair a House. Current Anthropology, 52(5), 2–11.
https://doi.org/10.1086/661207
Curry, A. (2008, November 1). Gobekli Tepe: The World's first temple? Smithsonian.com.
Retrieved February 26, 2023, from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/gobekli-tepe-
the-worlds-first-temple-83613665/’
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument structure, categorized as a cromlech, located in Wiltshire,
England. It seems to have been used as a burial site around 3,000 BC, with construction
beginning around 2,500 BC. The people who built Stonehenge may have been early Mesolithic
hunter-gatherers, but the specific tribe or group who built Stonehenge is unclear, it can be
observed that these people had used this site for cultural purposes: the u-shaped arrangement of
stones open to a stone that would be in front of the summer solstice sun; the dead were buried at
this site; the concentricity of the monolith arrangement indicate a special designation for the
center of the site.
The stones on this site were transported from places as far as 200 km (about 124.27 mi) away.
The stones present on this site were sarsen stones (a type of silcrete rock found naturally
scattered across southern England) and bluestones (referring to a stone of mixed geology that
take on a blue color from freshly broken or wet). Sarsen stones formed the outer circles and
bluestones formed the innermost circle.
Theories on the construction of Stonehenge may date back to AD 1130, ranging from fantasy
such as the tales of Merlin the wizard transporting the stones from Ireland to England using
magic, to more grounded ones such as the Stonehenge monument being the remains of a Roman
temple. If local people had made it, it is assumed that these large monolithic rocks would be
moved with significant teamwork, coordination, and effort due to the sheer size of the stones (on
average 25 tons). The materials were probably moved by way of rolling logs, then placed upright
by way of a lever and pulley system. The stonework shows an interlocking mechanism carved
into the stones themselves: horizontal elements were carved with mortice holes (holes made to fit
onto protrusions) and tenons (the protrusions) on the vertical elements. The horizontal elements
also featured a tongue and groove joint, or a surface formed into a shape that fit together like
jigsaw pieces.
As for how this structure may have been used, two camps of argument have been established”
Stonehenge as a holy site, and Stonehenge as a scientific observatory. As a holy site, bones and
signs of cremation were found at the site, evidence that rituals were performed here. On the other
hand, the arrangement of the monolith elements may indicate use as a scientific observatory:
stone elements are in line with the sun at certain points of time, times such as the summer or
winter solstice.
Stonehenge is a testament to the ingenuity and sheer tenacity of prehistoric peoples, and its uses,
though ambiguous to us, serve as a perspective into how architectural structures represent the
how form will follow function.
Sources:
Owens, J. (2021, May 4). Stonehenge. National Geographic. Retrieved February 26, 2023, from
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/stonehenge-1
Building Stonehenge. English Heritage. (2015). Retrieved February 26, 2023, from
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/history-and-stories/building-
stonehenge
Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2020, September 2). Who built Stonehenge?.
Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/question/Who-built-Stonehenge
Mortise and tenon joinery. Meridian Products. (2021, December 10). Retrieved February 26,
2023, from https://www.meridianproduct.com/blog/mortise-and-tenon-joinery/
Chapman, A., & Henbest, N. (2022, February 22). Was Stonehenge used for astronomy? Sky at
Night Magazine. Retrieved February 26, 2023, from
https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/space-science/stonehenge-astronomy/
Newgrange
Newgrange refers to a structure in the Boyne Valley in Country Meath, Leinster Region, used for
burying the dead. This type of structure is classified as a tumulus or barrow. Irish legend has it
that this monument was a portal to a dimension of the gods and the dead. This structure is
covered by earth and stone made into the shape of a circle or oval when viewed from above. The
structure’s opening features a stone façade, which extends to less than half of the circular cover’s
perimeter. The integrity of the structure is accredited to a corbelled roof design, the top of which
had been overgrown with grass, making the interior of the structure waterproof.
The stones used for the construction of the structure came from nearby water sources, such as the
Boyne River and the ocean. They were identified as gabbro, quartz, granodiorite, and graywacke,
and appear to have been crudely shaped into irregularly shaped bricks.
Larger stones are placed on the outside of the structure, as well as one on top, usually containing
symbols that hold lost significance. These symbols include swirls, hatches, and tear drops.
Some local theories, as mentioned previously, state that Newgrange was a portal to the Irish
Otherworld, a dimension of the gods and the dead. This view of Newgrange being a place for the
dead is supported by the fact that the interior rooms of this structure were not large enough to
allow for human inhabitation. Each room contains large flat stones that were perhaps used as a
platform for laying bodies on for ritualistic purposes, as evident by the presence of ritualistic
tools such as elkhorn and beads next to bones.
Newgrange is a surprisingly well-preserved structure: its corbelled roof overgrown with grass
keeps the humidity low, and the corbelled roof stands strong to this day. Its cultural implication
to the Irish resonates with the rest of the world, by that I mean the world expresses respect for the
dead. It implies a spiritual significance held in prehistoric people, as well as a vital gathering
point for people by which people may have collated and formed society.
Sources:
Byrne, M. (2015). History of Research at Newgrange. carrowkeel.com. Retrieved February 27,
2023, from http://www.carrowkeel.com/sites/boyne/newgrange.html
McInerney, R. (2021, March 19). Newgrange. Art History Perspectives. Retrieved February 27,
2023, from https://www.arthistoryperspectives.com/posts/newgrange
van Stolk, C. (2020, June 26). Ireland: Rocks of Newgrange. Blue Marble Earth. Retrieved
February 28, 2023, from https://bluemarbleearth.wordpress.com/2020/06/26/ireland-rocks-
of-newgrange/
Gunung Padang
The Gunung Padang is a giant located in Karyamukti, Campaka, Cianjur Regency, West Java,
Indonesia. This location hosts a nearby beach and mountainous terrain, as well as rich cultural
significance. Though it was once believed that the Gunung Padang was around 900 years old,
recent research suggests that this site may not only predate the Egyptian pyramids by 10,000
years but was developed by a highly advanced civilization for its time. This has brought on
considerable national attention, with the former president. However, it must be emphasized that
this is only a theoretical assumption, and the claims of the assumption itself are highly
controversial.
This structure is embedded into the side of the mountain and seems to have been built from the
large basalt rock columns created by local volcanic eruptions located at nearby beaches. These
rocks seemed to have been used in their natural state, stacked on top of one another to form a
stable structure. This forms the terraces seen above the mountain, each terrace being placed
higher than the other. This may lend it sacred or spiritual significance, and the open spaces below
the surface may hold the key for explaining the significance of these platforms.
The assumption that the Gunung Padang may be an extremely old structure comes from the use
of ground-penetrating radars unveiling the age of the various layers of the structure: with the
oldest known layer being 10,000 years old. This layer has evidence of constructed walls,
chambers, staircases, and other man-constructed spaces, though this must be confirmed by
digging. The uses of the spaces, if these are constructed spaces, are unknown.
Though this is entirely conjecture, it is possible that, with the assumption that construction was
like that of the Egyptian pyramids, technology like ramps and sleds may have been used to haul
the stones from the beaches from which they came from. However, the technology used by these
people, for now, remains a mystery.
It is entirely apparent that the surrounding site is completely devoid of any structure even close
to the Gunung Padang’s level of development, a point used to dispute the assertion that it is
10,000+ years old. Some theorize that glaciers may have destroyed surrounding structures, but it
is still unknown.
An Indonesian folktale tells a story of a couple surviving a deluge released by a god onto the
Earth. Many other cultures have similar stories, stories such as Noah’s Ark and The Epic of
Gilgamesh. Though it may be accredited to coincidence, the prospect that Indonesia may hold
the world’s oldest structure can change the way we view the origin of all humans, and how this
place may have served as the seat of human advancement.
Sources:
Seaver, C. (2022, November 3). Gunung Padang, the World's Oldest Pyramid. History Defined.
Retrieved February 28, 2023, from https://www.historydefined.net/gunung-padang-the-
worlds-oldest-pyramid/
Turtle, M. (2023, February 2). Mystery of gunung padang mountain - did ancient humans build
it? (2023). Time Travel Turtle. Retrieved February 28, 2023, from
https://www.timetravelturtle.com/gunung-padang-megalithic-site-indonesia/
Utomo, Y. W. (2014, June 6). Mari Terbang Ke Atas Situs Megalitikum Gunung Padang.
KOMPAS.com. Retrieved February 28, 2023, from
https://sains.kompas.com/read/2014/06/06/1957144/Mari.Terbang.ke.Atas.Situs.Megalitik
um.Gunung.Padang
Juffermans, E. (2021, July 2). Gunung Padang, the oldest pyramid in the world. Medium.
Retrieved February 28, 2023, from https://erikjuffermans.medium.com/gunung-padang-
the-oldest-pyramid-in-the-world-3b965e6e1772
Keep, L. (2020, February 14). A flood of myths and stories. PBS. Retrieved February 28, 2023,
from https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/blog/a-flood-of-myths-and-stories/
Perry, W. J. (n.d.). The megalithic culture of Indonesia. Google Books. Retrieved February 28,
2023, from
https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=OtgKAAAAIAAJ&lpg=PA96&ots=pHOKiMzOLb
&dq=fatanga%2Band%2Bfukan&pg=PA96&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=fatanga%20and
%20fukan&f=false