Enclosure E: Göbekli Tepe's unusual enclosure with two pillar bases

Megalithic structures< 4500 BC
Göbekli Tepe: The Mystery of the Missing Megaliths
Source: Göbekli Tepe: The Mystery of the Missing Megaliths by Ancient Architects

Site mentioned

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Enclosure E at Göbekli Tepe is unusual, but not pillar-less: its two raised limestone bedrock features are interpreted as bases for large pillars. The roughly 10 m enclosure has a carefully smoothed floor, a shallow rock-cut bench and a possible perimeter-wall foundation line. It lies about 100 m west and slightly south of the main A-D cluster, on the site's exposed western plateau, with cistern-like pits nearby to the northwest. Excavated from the mid-1990s, it was recognized as monumental after Buildings C and D were identified. ⛰️ 02:33-05:58

Key facts

  • Enclosure E lies about 100 m west and slightly south of the main A-D enclosure cluster, on the site's exposed western plateau.
  • Its two raised, hewn limestone features are interpreted as bases for large pillars, making the 'pillar-less' label misleading.
  • A 2017 description reported no identifiable superstructure.
  • The roughly 10 m enclosure has a carefully smoothed limestone floor and a shallow rock-cut bench.
  • A second concentric line in the bedrock has been interpreted as a possible perimeter-wall foundation.
  • Two cistern-like pits lie to the northwest and are associated with Complex E.
  • Excavated beginning in the mid-1990s, the enclosure was recognized as monumental after Buildings C and D were identified.

More about Göbekli Tepe

Sources

archive.org
Linked in video description
Göbekli Tepeen.wikipedia.org
Immediately northwest of this area are two cistern-like pits that are believed to be part of complex E. One of these pits has a table-high pin and a staircase ...
Enclosure E — Göbekli Tepeholylandphotos.org
Enclosure E composed of hewn bedrock on the west side of the tepe. In this image the two raised pieces originally served as bases for large pillars—as in the ...
Plan of Göbekli Tepe. Enclosures A, B, C and D are in the ...researchgate.net
Enclosures A, B, C and D are in the context, with enclosure E shown as a "satellite" because of the fact that it is situated outside, towards the west, with ...
Göbekli Tepewhc.unesco.org
Monumental structures, interpreted as monumental communal buildings (enclosures), were erected by groups of hunter-gatherers in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period ...
Enclosure D — The Largest Structure at Göbekli Tepegobekli-tepe.com
Explore Enclosure D, Göbekli Tepe's largest circular enclosure, with twin central pillars, animal carvings, and stone benches.
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