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engineered in Mexico at the same time, only underlining since passed. If that were the case with Gébekli Tepe, it how the frontiers of "civilisation" are being pushed back would mean that knowledge of astronomy is older by on both continents. In fact, there is evidence of Barbary millennia. The past five decades have so radically sheep being cultivated by our ancestors in North Africaas reshaped our understanding of the period 10,000-4000 early as 18,000 BC. Furthermore, several grains of emmer BC, specifically the level of "civilisation" our ancestors wheat have been found at the Palestinian site of Nahal —_ had achieved in those days, that this shouldn't at all Oren, suggesting cultivation of this crop occurred there come as a surprise. And it seems that it's a given that as early as 14,000 BC. somewhere, even older towns are waiting to be In any case, it is clear that Gébekli Tepe is not alone. It — uncovered. may be receiving much of the focus, but another site, However, it is equally clear that entering into the arahan Tepe, 63 kilometres east of Urfa in the Tektek mindset of these hunter-gatherers—how they saw these Mountains, deserves attention. Discovered in 1997 and animals and what they believed happened to the dead— investigated by archaeologist Bahattin Celik of the is a difficult subject which will require years of study. Turkish Historical Society, it has been dated toc. Alas, it is an area where few archaeologists dare to tread, 9500-9000 BC. It has a number of and in all likelihood they will hop [-pillars as well as high reliefs of a from one site to the next, as they've winding snake and other carvings Could it be that they done for several decades, and wil similar to those at Gdbekli Tepe. ° "only" uncover the fact a Covering an area of 325,000 m’, began to make their civilisation is much older than arahan Tepe is much bigger than descent and, millennia we've assumed. Already, other Gobekli Tepe. The stone pillars P Q sites are vying for Gdbekli Tepe's are spaced 1.5 to 2.0 metres apart later, established what Is fame. The previously mentioned and protrude above ground level, known as the Sumerian site of Jerf el-Ahmar, located along waiting for an archaeologist to . ape . the Euphrates in Syria, has been expose them fully. Other carved civilisation? dated to 9600-8500 BC. Other stones include a battered torso of sites will certainly soon submi a naked man and polished roc their applications. It's likely they with forms of goats, gazelles and rabbits. will all reveal that they are part of our history, but not as It is too early to draw any extraordinary conclusions __ we know it. oo rom these sites, apart from the fact that our history is no onger as we know it. But just as Jericho proved in part About the Author: hat the Bible contains historical facts, these sites may Based in the UK, Philip Coppens has contributed 14 yet substantiate some of the Sumerian myths which articles to NEXUS, most recently "Unearthing Europe's claimed that agriculture, animal husbandry and weaving Oldest Pyramid Complex" (see 16/01). He is the author of ad been brought to mankind from the sacred mountain several books, including The New Pyramid Age (2007; Du-Ku, which was inhabited by the Anunna deities. | reviewed in NEXUS 14/06). He was a speaker at the Though it's unlikely that this mountain was Gébekli Tepe, | NEXUS Conference in Queensland, Australia, in October we are probably in the correct general vicinity here atthe 2007. rontier of the Taurus Mountains. Philip Coppens can be contacted by email at Around 8000 BC, descendants of the creators of Gdbekli info@philipcoppens.com and via his website Tepe turned on their forefathers’ achievements and _http:/Awww.philipcoppens.com. entombed their temple under thousands of tonnes of earth, creating the artificial hill—a "belly'—that we see — Endnote oday. Why they did this is unknown, though it was a . See http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article- decision that preserved the monument for posterity but 157784/Do-mysterious-stones-mark-site-Garden- also involved an extraordinary amount of time and effort. Eden. html. Schmidt argues that the local landscape began to change around that time: as the trees were chopped down, the _ Reference soil began to lose its fertility; the area became arid and Quotations from Klaus Schmidt are sourced from the web bare, and the people were forced to move elsewhere. _ page http:/Awww.forteantimes.com/features/articles/ Could it be that they began to make their descent and, 449/gobekli_tepe_paradise_regained.html. For millennia later, established what is known as the additional information, see his book Sie bauten die ersten Sumerian civilisation? Such a scenario is just one — Tempel. Das riitselhafte Heiligtum der Steinzeitjéger ("They Built possibility. he First Temple: The Enigmatic Sanctuary of the Stone Even in ancient Egypt, religious constructions were Age Hunter"), Verlag C.H. Beck, Miinchen, 2006, ISBN 3- often abandoned if not dismantled after a while because — 406-53500-3 (English edition to be published by Oxbow they belonged to a particular "cycle" of time that had in 2010). since passed. If that were the case with Gdbekli Tepe, it would mean that knowledge of astronomy is older by millennia. The past five decades have so radically reshaped our understanding of the period 10,000-4000 BC, specifically the level of "civilisation" our ancestors had achieved in those days, that this shouldn't at all come as a surprise. And it seems that it's a given that somewhere, even older towns are waiting to be uncovered. Could it be that they began to make their descent and, millennia later, established what is civilisation? About the Author: Based in the UK, Philip Coppens has contributed 14 articles to NEXUS, most recently "Unearthing Europe's Oldest Pyramid Complex" (see 16/01). He is the author of several books, including The New Pyramid Age (2007; reviewed in NEXUS 14/06). He was a speaker at the NEXUS Conference in Queensland, Australia, in October 2007. Philip Coppens can be contacted by email at info@philipcoppens.com and via his website http:/Awww.philipcoppens.com. Endnote 1. See http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article- 1157784/Do-mysterious-stones-mark-site-Garden- Eden.html. Reference Quotations from Klaus Schmidt are sourced from the web page http://www.forteantimes.com/features/articles/ 449/gobekli_tepe_paradise_regained.html. For additional information, see his book Sie bauten die ersten Tempel. Das rétselhafte Heiligtum der Steinzeitjdéger ("They Built the First Temple: The Enigmatic Sanctuary of the Stone Age Hunter’), Verlag C.H. Beck, Miinchen, 2006, ISBN 3- 406-53500-3 (English edition to be published by Oxbow in 2010). 40 ¢ NEXUS JUNE — JULY 2009 known as the Sumerian www.nexusmagazine.com