Surprise · Ancient Monuments
Older Than Farming
Göbekli Tepe
The question
Roughly how long ago were the carved stone pillars of Göbekli Tepe raised?
- About 2,000 years ago
- About 11,500 years ago(correct answer)
- About 4,500 years ago
The answer: About 11,500 years ago
Göbekli Tepe's monumental round-oval and rectangular enclosures were built by hunter-gatherers between about 9600 and 8200 BCE, roughly 11,500 years ago. Their T-shaped limestone pillars, some up to 5.5 metres tall, are carved with wild animals. UNESCO calls the site one of the first manifestations of human-made monumental architecture.
- Civilization
- Pre-Pottery Neolithic hunter-gatherers
- Region
- Western Asia
- Period
- c. 9600–8200 BCE
- Location
- Germuş mountains, south-eastern Türkiye
- Featured in
- Daily Discovery #007 · 8 November 2026
Image: Kerimove, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (image source, opens in a new tab)
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