Göbekli Tepe water basins enabled Neolithic settlement survival. 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
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. 🏺⚒️
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
Related site: Göbekli Tepe — view location, images, and history on the Ancient Nerds map.
Source: NEW | Göbekli Tepe WOULD NOT EXIST without THIS! by Ancient Architects