New research reveals Göbekli Tepe's sophisticated engineering: massive rock-cut water basins (~3m deep, 8m diameter) carved into limestone, with channels directing rainwater into carved cliff basins. Stone slabs covered channels to keep water clean. Without this system, the settlement couldn't have existed. Labor-intensive work using flint and obsidian tools. 🏺⚒️
Göbekli Tepe water basins enabled Neolithic settlement survival
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Key facts
- Rock-cut water basins were carved into limestone bedrock at Göbekli Tepe
- Channels directed rainwater runoff into basins carved into cliff faces
- A large system near the hilltop is approximately 3m deep and 8m in diameter
- The large basin was covered with a stone cobble roof
- Water channels were covered with limestone slabs to keep water clean
- Without these water basins, Göbekli Tepe could not have existed as a settlement
- The basins required significant labor using flint, obsidian, and igneous rock pebbles
- Cup marks were created by twisting harder stones to depth of ~15cm, then smashing rock between them
Site mentioned
Sources
Göbekli Tepe (archaeological site) | Anthropology | Research Startersebsco.com
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How Göbekli Tepe is Reshaping Our Understanding of the Neolithicpopular-archaeology.com
Recently, a published scholarly study reported findings supporting a remarkable observation about the famous megalithic pillars of a nearly ...
(PDF) Göbekli Tepe – the Stone Age Sanctuaries. New results of ...researchgate.net
Göbekli Tepe – the Stone Age Sanctuaries. New results of ongoing excavations with a special focus. on sculptures and high reliefs.
Göbekli Tepe: The 12,000-Year-Old Ruins That Rewrite the Story of ...openculture.com
Though it was once believed to be a site used for ritual purposes only, later research unearthed evidence that suggests it was host to a variety ...
Göbekli Tepe: The Mysterious Site Older Than Stonehenge | HISTORYhistory.com
More than 11,000 years ago, hunter-gatherers built a monumental stone complex that is thought to be the world's first temple.
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