NEW HYPOTHESIS: The 11,000-Year-Old Göbekli Tepe Bone Plaque | Ancient Architects
Vložit
- čas přidán 9. 07. 2024
- Göbekli Tepe has its fair share of ancient mysteries, and a small bone object, often referred to as a spatula, is one of them, found in 2011 at the iconic 11,500-year-old site in Southeastern Anatolia and measuring just 5.3cm by 1.9 and with a thickness of just 3 mm.
You’d be forgiven for swiftly walking past it in a museum, but according to some, it’s an incredibly important artefact, because it’s the first pictorial representation of the famous Göbekli Tepe T-shaped pillars ever discovered. Or is it?
The claims regarding this small bone artefact are something I can look into without any bias. It is something that has always split opinion and so now, with a good knowledge of Pre-Pottery Neolithic Turkey, I feel I can give my own independent take.
In this video, I take a look at the claims made by Andrew Collins, the counter claims by the German archaeologists who work at Göbekli Tepe, and then I conduct my own analysis and give my own interpretation. I would love to know your thoughts so please do comment below and join in with the discussion.
All images are taken from the below sources and Google Images for educational purposes only. Please subscribe to Ancient Architects, Like the video, and please leave a comment below. Thank you.
Sources:
Great video by Megalithomania: • First Pictorial Repres...
Learn more on Andrew Collins' website: www.andrewcollins.com/page/art...
Read the article from Ancient Origins: www.ancient-origins.net/news-...
Check out the response from the German archaeologists: tepetelegrams.wordpress.com/2...
#AncientArchitects #GobekliTepe #AncientHistory
Hi! The audio goes a little strange in the final quarter as I recorded a section and my voice was less croaky! But I hope you enjoy the content! Thank you for watching and for being here! If you want to support the channel, you can become a CZcams Member at czcams.com/channels/scI4NOggNSN-Si5QgErNCw.htmljoin or I’m on Patreon at www.patreon.com/ancientarchitects
Have you tried looking at it upside down? Noone really knows what side is up, do they?
@@dbfi01 The very first impression I had was that it is a person standing inbetween two trees. Then I had the same thought and took the image from Andrew Collins website to have a look how it looked from a different perspective. The only angle that triggered my imagination somewhat is at 45 degrees to the left. With a bit of imaginatin it could look like someone bending over with two hands or spades stretching out. But in all honesty it looks like one of those kind of pictures where you can see an old woman or a young lady depending on how you focus. It's a shame it's broken because it could have given more clearance on how to look at it.
Matt I'd just like to go on record, to thank you for all your amazing work! It's all above board. . Precise , well written, and researched, as well as highly entertaining. Just riveting . Thank you my brother!
@Ancient Architects. Tjek this one out, he is good.
czcams.com/video/8YqTVuybV78/video.html
Bibles pretty sound when it says the light came on in man between the mouth of these rivers. So it had be custodians or priests passing down its location. Even if it's just when mankind decided to civilize.
Either way, this location had been known far too long without proper investigation which surprises me.
As a graphic designer I find it hilarious to think some day archaeologists might argue over my crappy 1st year design projects, not realizing I didn’t know what the hell I was doing 😂
Lol. Maybe whoever did this was a first year student too!
@@brianmsahin You never know!
Whenever I took notes in any subject I would often wonder what an archaeologist would make of them if that was all the information that they had from our civilization.
@@johnbigboote8900 Especially all the doodles in the margins (in my notes at least)
Your comment reminded me of a humorous coffee table book a friend had. Archeologist a few thousand years in the future uncovered a motel with skeletons in some of the beds and misinterpreted everything. They thought it was a catacomb and the bathrooms were a family shine to name a couple of mistakes.
Took the architecture board exams last weekend and one of the questions in history is about Gobekli Tepe. Guess what, your videos are the first things that came to my mind and so I answered confidently 😄 Thank you for your videos 😊
*Btw, I passed the exam and now officially a licensed architect ❤
Sending love from 🇵🇭
Brilliant laying out of your suppositions and conclusion. I had already started seeing the bird just when you said it. Now I can't unsee it. Modern people keep crucifixes and statuary in their homes, and wear religious symbols around their necks, as reminders of their faith. Reading for my anthropology degree, I understood that throughout all of time, people have the same emotions and this is how we can understand our ancient ancestors. Though they had vastly different cultures and conditions, they still felt the same emotions we do, and this is our commonality. Confronting death, loss, illness, the unknown, and forces beyond our control, motivates humans to create ways to cope. Millions of modern humans carry prayer beads, or faith based objects. I can imagine this little object being carried in a pocket, to help the owner stay focused on his/her spiritual comfort and practice, as they went about their daily life with the uncertainty of what tomorrow may bring. Beautifully constructed argument.
It can be so. However it also could be a decorated but quite a practical thing, a tool, such as a hides scraper. The picture where cracks are shown demonstrates that only the right part of the item was intensively worn, so the central part of it was lost.
It would be very interesting to perform a trace analysis of neighbouring parts of the items edge, and to try to find organic remains on them.
@@DX-ws5tm really? How do you know this for sure?
@@DX-ws5tm They didn't have pockets it's true but they had pouches, either around their neck or tied around their waist or slung over their shoulders. I think that the pouches turned into purses.
Vulture symbolism as a fertility figure is a good theory, one of many. I appreciate your well reasoned explanation of this tiny artifact that is 2" x 1" and very thin at 3mm. I suspect the missing part had a hole drilled through it so it could have been held on a leather or woven fiber necklace or bracelet. Whoever possessed it valued it. I have a notion also that these people may have practiced "sky burial" similar to what occurs in areas such as Tibet and Mongolia and India. In sky burials, human bodies after death are broken up and left for vultures and eagles to consume.
Jesus that's gruesome
Matt I'm inclined to think your interpretation is the best one. I also think this is a talisman/souvenir that we might buy outside a Cathedral or Temple just like today.
@Scott Bulgrin that was one of my first thoughts as well. 😀
@@DX-ws5tm prove it.
@@DX-ws5tm The Catholic church I attended as a child had a small “gift shop”. I remember our family getting a crucifix and some rosaries there.
@OtarTheMad Yes, the Catholic Church I attended as a child also had a small “Holy Items” gift shop in the foyer connected to the Church entrance/exit. In purchasing a Rosary and a St Christopher medal, I recall being told by the sales clerk that there is no need to seek a Priest to formally “Bless” the items, since all such items sold there had been previously blessed by a Priest…which always gave me a strange feeling when contemplated.
It could be like one of those drawings that kids make and wind up on the refrigerator. The broken off section might have said mom in gold macaroni. Jes throwing the idea out there …
😂👍
"Look mom, I drew preggers the bird!"
@@Oldsmobile69
🤣👍
Intruging hyothesis and very much plausible to be! Can't be unseen now, actually. You could even see what you interpreted as the legs as being the feathered wingtip, so the lower part of the object would depict the legs in a very reduced/stylized way. Great job as always, Matt!!
Oh and btw it really struck me when you showed the pictures of the bearded vultures. Such magnificent creatures! I see why ancient peoples would regard them as divine
Yes, your hypothesis definitely has merit. Vulture imagery was evidently the go-to iconography for the designers of Göbekli Tepe, so, on purely statistical grounds, there’s a strong likelihood of any drawing being a vulture. It was truly a culture of vultures haha lol. Plus, people tend to draw living things rather than inanimate ones, they’re just more interesting and enjoyable to draw, and have greater spiritual and emotional significance. Certainly, when you compare the drawing against photos of actual vultures, there’s a surprisingly convincing likeness. The square shapes could be both vulture wings and also referencing the capitals of the pillars, a preferred shape or decorative motif in that culture’s artistic vocabulary which occurred in various contexts irrespective of what they were meaning to represent.
I just want to note: @ 3:50 if that is a carving depicting a walkway receding into the distance- that would be EXTREMELY SIGNIFICANT as that would be the FIRST and ONLY known drawing with a 3D perspective/depth- something that would not be seen again for THOUSANDS of years until like the Greeks, if not even later... The "invention" of "perspective" is extremely "modern."
A votive offering related to the cult surrounding the sanctuary of Gobekli Tepe? Maybe Devotional Images were meant for pilgrims? Very interesting, thanks for all this information, greetings! ✌
Hi Ancient Sites! Hope you’re doing good!
@@AncientArchitects I'm doing great, your research on Neolithic Turkey is astonishing, take care!!
@@AncientArchitects 7
Except that similar religous structures are found in towns and other locations in Turkey, not just Gobekli Tepe. It was just the religous symbolism of the time.
I think it might be a Gobekli Tepe souvenir. If hunters and gatherers were visiting this ancient attraction then they must have had a gift shop.
Exactly what I was imagining too ☺️
@@DX-ws5tm Thank you. But I was being facetious. Everyone knows the Pyramids had the first gift shops about 7000 years later.
A very good interpretation, in my opinion. I also agree the stars and round hole interpretations are a stretch at best. They seem to have been force fit based on the interpreter’s preconception, in my opinion. The vulture iconography makes very good sense, and has more precedent than someone trying to draw a picture of some stones.
Thank you
Interesting take Matt, but I think we just need to keep this simple, it's two columns mirrored. All the structures in theTemple are mirrored so it only makes sense. As far as the marks on the columns it might just be a way for the artist to show that's a solid structure. I don't thnk people realise how small an artifact this is. The fact they got this much information on there is remarkable.
Vultures and renewal. Also because many cultures practiced "sky burial". The vultures ate the flesh of the dead. So very important in the entire death - resurrection - ascending etc. beliefs and rites.
Excellent interpretation of the fragment. Not sure I would have spotted it tbh. But when you point it out, especially with that real vulture and that pose, spot on!
Thank you! I thought so. I just wasn’t sure anyone would see what I see!
@@AncientArchitects The feet always bothered me. That "pillar" curving outwards like that, didn't make any sense. This one is perfect. You have it.
@@AncientArchitects Actually, you have me rethinking everything. Because two T-shape pillars make excellent sky-burial stands. You can place the body on a 'bed' with wooden poles and lift it on top. Now the body is a fair ways raised of the ground and dinner's served for the vultures.
There had to be a reason for starting to use T-shapes. What if the entire thing began as a mere "sky burial" site? You might just have unlocked the entire mystery with this key piece.
@@AncientArchitects Given that pareidolia seems to be an inherent characteristic of the human mind, people will likely see many different things, and will proceed to argue about which is the correct view! "Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose!"
@@JMM33RanMA I don't agree. There is context. Like the lines for feathers is precisely how it was still done at Çatalhöyük. It also happens to be a weak point in the "pillar" hypothesis. Likewise the feet and toes. The pillars don't have these features. And not only does The Vulture correspond with the carving, it also fits in with the other imagery we're seeing. No convoluted "stars" or "port holes" or "alignments" or whatever. Basic logic says the most straightforward is most likely to be the correct one. This interpretation is as elegant, beautiful and straightforward as they come. It clicks and fits instantly.
It's absolutely brilliant. Matt, should you read this, it's pure genius. And potentially huge in its significance (I think it is).
Have you considered that you may be looking at it upside-down? Also, maybe a microscope could help distinguish erosion, material flaws and intentional markings.
Thought about it but I could personally not see anything when rotating it. But you could well be right
I agree with you that my impression is also the object is upside down.
@@theshadow4737 What does it depict when turned upside down?
@@manoo422 I have no idea as half seems to be missing.
[Use ctrl+alt+up-arrow on a keyboard, return by same with down-arrow] That would create something that looks like a river system, possibly mythical, I don't know the terrain of that area and where rivers were flowing 11k years ago, making the premise of a 'bullroarer' moot, though, per my previous post, it would be interesting, considering the art could be that complex, if primitive (duh).
Oh man. I've started at these pictures for ages. I always thought it was an animal. Now you just completely blew my mind. It's totally the fit. Now I see it. I can't unsee it. Thanks Matt,
Glad some people agree! Thank you
Also. Do you think it's possible that they practiced things on bone before committing images to pillars or what have you.
The peoples who built this site, and made the items with it, were some seriously complex individuals for the period. Never ceases to surprise and amaze!
For me you really don't need to justify how qualified you are to comment on historical topics you always have a balanced view and over the last couple of years you seem to have become very evidence based with keeping speculation to realistic levels. I think I've been subbed for at least 3 or 4 year's and none of your videos are dogmatic and you seem to have the ability to amend your views when new theory's or evidence appear whilst still keeping an open mind to the more magical theory's around human civilization and history. Keep up the good work my good sir 🤠👍
The 11,000 year old bone spatula is impressive regardless of its meaning. However, I wonder if ancient "technology" that prceeded this was even more advanced. Specifically, the Denisovian bracelet that is dated from 40 to 65, 000 years old appears to display an incredible level of workmanship. One can only hope that more discoveries can further illustrate our true ancient history.
there has never been any ancient technology that matches even iron age tech or bronze age tech in prehistory, let alone any industrial technology.
Possibly though we can't rule out the possibility that this was carved by a not very talented individual, or someone still learning the art of carving.
@Luke McCampbell Carmine didn't mention anything in relation to the iron or bronze age and I don't think there was an implication that Denisovian technology was better than it, merely it was a comparison between two pre-pottery groups, one significantly further back than the other. I think you are jumping to a wrong conclusion my friend.
@@brianmsahin Exactly.
@Luke McCampbell I don't think the commentor was making any reference to iron or bronze age technology Luke. It was referring to Denisovian vs this particular piece of art. Some of their work is really intricate.
Matt, I think your description is the most plausible. I kept seeing a human in a costume and when you said bird, it clicked.
I like your comments. Often some people make huge waves with theories that go against all known concepts about ancient cultures. They were amazing in their own right without the need to explain what they developed as some great hidden/lost advanced knowledge or technology. Thanks for your analysis.
Something interesting in Pilar H is that all the animals are travelling in the same direction
Some historians are too quick to interpret everything in terms of astrological/astronomical terms. This is a breath of fresh air to find an interpretation based on iconography already identified at this site. Vulture symbols are extremely common in Gobeklitepe, they are a common bird in the region and are also a common symbol in some of the oldest religions in particular regard to funerary rites. Death is commonly linked with birth so I can see where the idea of a phallic symbol could come from but personally I think this is too much of a stretch.
I really enjoyed watching this and I'll definitely be watching more of your content. Excellent work!
I think it's upside down. An animal, with 4 legs and a head at the bottom. The point between the legs is perhaps a tail.
I think it’s an animal too!
This looks like a tool for measuring and making clothes. The patina and wear and tear suggest perhaps wool works. So if it is measuring things, the markings on the edge corresponds to measurements for that part of the human body clothing. The two rectangular figures behind the humanoid figure looks like two or one weaving loom thingy.
or some spool/reel for holding thin threads, or indeed could also been an instrument in weaving ( distance holder)
I didn’t even see the whole thumbnail when I clicked on the video and my first thought was “someone carved a bird” so I’m inclined to agree
One personal object surviving 1000’s of years would be astounding, but more likely would be one object surviving out of many that were made-maybe this is the first tourist item! There’s an idea that Gobekli Tepe was a place of educational significance, and that picture of the pillar with all the connected animals looks like a sequence of evolutionary development in a certain kind of animal. Maybe this bone was one way to remember all that a person would learn there. Neat stuff!
The amulet is packed with symbolisms,like drawings revealing it's immages depending on where on the picture you focus.
I will never unsee the vulture now! Thank you so much for your un-biased view on this artifact, it helps a lot!
To me, it looks more like two barefoot naked persons with hair, holding hands and looking at those three stars. And that pointed thing between them can be the excitement of the person behind them, who carved this xd
Quite convincing analysis& reconstruction! I like this hypothesis, in hindsight it is ready to follow each step, but in the making it's not a simple thing to do..💡
Great new point of view! You’ve done it again!
Imagine this having been made by some 8-year old to kill some time and now, 10 000 years later an army of grown-up academics are racing to give it ever more complex meaning…
Having read all the comments after watching the video think you have got this right
11,000 year old theme park map. Can't read it now, but one of those animals stands for "you are here, A-Lot parking" 😂🤣😂
😂😂
You’ve got the best idea I’ve come across! Well done.
maybe each decorated pillar had its own worshipper or even priest and every worshipper had a "name tag"? so every worshipper/priest would be assigned to its righteous pillar?
It is a beautiful piece & whoever made it had a wonderful
artistic ability. So many have it & they are just born with it.
I love the 3D explanation & it seems to show up. It could
well be their remembrance of a visit to this special place.
Really good analysis! I believe that Göbekli Tepe was a place where you placed the dead between the big pillars and let the holy birds eat the corpse.
great video as usual matt, thank you for posting. cheers mate.
Thank you
13:42 These seem perfectly similar to the two "eyes" at 13:09 .
Imo either they are all in, or all out.
I'd add that the other animals has round eyes. Making a round hole as eyes would probably be easier than two equal grooves.
I don't think it's Göbekli Tepe, though we can't rule it out entirely. It's probably abstract art, maybe representing people, or at least some kind of abstract art messing around with shape design and symbols, which is how symbols and writing came to be invented. The lines in different sections may actually be some early attempts at math before numbers, they might have been carved for some record or tally or for some obscure cultural purpose. The similarity in design to those pillars might be simply because there was an artistic style that spread for many centuries through the burgeoning cultures in the region that shared the same abstract geometric aesthetic with the culture that made Göbekli Tepe and the bone plaque is a relic of that same culture.
I think you proposed a well reason hypothesis. The symbol of the vulture in its various forms should be cataloged for more research. So interesting to wonder if these concepts were as important as ancient deities or as ordinary as an offhand design of a popular theme on a common tool.
My wife suggested that the bone object might have been the stone age equivalent of a stadium ticket, "Admit one to the temple," perhaps a season ticket. She sees the stick man carrying something for a sacrifice.
Andrew sees Cygnus everywhere. On the other hand, IIRC, some cultures associated Cygnus with vultures rather than a swan.
I see the vulture pecking at something on the ground. Its long beak has a fine point. The edge above is smooth and finished like an arrow head. It is broken from a larger image. It looks more elegant if you see the long beak pecking at the grown. No stick figure. Lose that idea of Collins - with all respect to him. I see this other image without the image needing to be magnified.
Maybe it was a child being taught how to carve?
Its one of the bringers of knowledge, standing in front of Göbekli tepe. In left hand he is holding the famous handbag.
You're always so insightful
Awesome. Always a pleasure to see your video.
Thank you
I think the pedestal holds a standing stone ,used in astronomy as a marker for celestial objects,as the T pillars are depicted head on (not sideways),it's not a path its a marker
I like the "Vulture" concept. The "Phallic" object below may be a stretch however. The fragment appears to be incomplete. In my view, it may simply be the "tail" of another creature, as it appears to want to continue further downward.(?) And, are we certain we are looking at it from the desired angle? Thanks Matt for the challenge.
I instantly saw a person. The legs even seem to have knees and a real leg shape. I don't think anyone would draw a vulture with square wing "haunches". The T shaped pillars are the obvious and it was found in a site predominantly covered with T shaped pillars. I think it is a man, in front of 2 T shaped pillars.
Absolutely 14:28 !!! This proves that we guys always aspire to create (either drawing like, or rhyming like... ) Dr. Seuss.
IIRC T-Shaped pillars are depicted in Ancient Egyptian pictograms in the background of scenes featuring the ‘giant light bulb’.
love this channel m8
I like your idea and thanks for sharing!
I’m a theater design major and we talk a lot about how material informs design. The properties of our materials add restrictions force us to make different decisions than our original concept. Nowadays we just choose a different material but when this carving was made obviously there were limited resources. Maybe the image is linear because curved lines were hard to carve. Maybe the carvings followed natural markings that already occurred in the material. Why did the creator use bone and maybe not something easier carve? Or is it that carvings existed on many materials but this one survived. So many questions!!!
I'm consumed by the thought that this a trading center. The t pillars could be a representation of the goods offered, as well as the supports for shade covering. Each circular enclosure is for a separate band. Not everything is a temple. It is much easier to imagine multiple groups working together rather than the instant we stopped being hunter gatherers.
Bravo. I immediately saw a birdman, but I think you’re hypotheses is most likely. It’s better than two pillars with random lines through them.
Looks like a man holding 2 fish slices. Could be an ancient version of Edward Scissor Hands?
Trust Hollywood to do another bloody remake!
the reality is this could also be a childs work and given to a parent as a gift. as humans we would love for this discovery to be some fantastic religious relic with some great meaning but we have to look at all the other possibilities no matter how mundane they might be
That's what I thought; a scrap of bone given to a child to draw on. The adult then keeping and polishing it because it was their child's best artwork.
sky burials had to be prevelant during this time ...i love the theory 👍
From this and other videos. I'm considering the idea that the T-Pillars had reed mimicking wigs on top of them.
A large bird is all I've ever seen in this engraving, similar to the pillars of course but closer to a hunched vulture
Anyone else just see a vulture? Just looks like a vulture with its haunches up to me.
Yes yes yes!!! That’s the last third of the video! Someone else sees it too! (This made me happy) 😂
Very interesting!
The idea with the bird - an eagle or so, I find very realistic! It should be discussed!
So let me get this strait. This bone object was buried at the sight, it looks like an exact representation of the sight and you think it’s a depiction of something else? This is nothing else but a keepsake like you would buy if you were a tourist at the Grand Canyon and you bought a picture of yourself at that monument. The people that visited this monument were no different than us. The owner wanted a keepsake and it was probably buried there for good luck or to say. “I was here”.
As I said earlier I don't think the bone fragment shows two t-pillars. The proportions are not right for t-pillars. Also, if the enclosures had roofs, the central pillars certainly were less prominent and the star observatory hypothesis does not work anymore.
Your Picasso-Vulture hypothesis is pure genius. I love it.
Humans back then were just like we are today. There is no reason to believe they were less intelligent or generally inferior compared to us. When they were able to see a human in a T-pillar with relief arms and hands, they certainly were able to see a vulture in this bone carving.
Why is not known how old it is? I thought it was possible to radio carbon date bone.
Is it known what kind of bone it is made of? How much longer can it possibly have been? Maybe the object on the lower end of the bone fragment actually shows tail and butt of another animal. I don't know, but I don't think it is impossible.
Apart from the topic of the video:
Small to medium size circular holes and objects in the Tas Tepeler sites usually are beautifully round and look like mathmatically perfect circles. But all the big, round enclosures are quite far away from being perfect circles. Why?
The ancient architects ;-) obviously had some kind of compass tool. Without one it is impossible to make near perfectly circular holes.
Almost certainly they also knew how to use strings (probably with knots) to measure the length of various objects. A string is a perfectly simple tool that can easily be carried back and forth between the quarry and the construction site. It makes it possible to premanufacture parts in the quarry and fit them in place in the construction site without much rework. It is proven that they premanufactured the T-pillars in the quarries and probably they premanufactured other big stone slabs too.
Once you have a string for measuring lengths, it just takes a bit of playing in the sandpit to find out how to draw circles using the same string. Scaling it up is no big deal.
My guess is, the round enclosures were never intended to be perfect circles or other geometric figures. The shape probably was the old form follows function thing. An enclosure that is more or less round, elliptical or oval simply is better suited to the proposed roof design than a rectangular enclosure.
So satisfying and fascinating. What a find!
The part you say are the vulture legs could be said to be the bottom of the wings and the phallic shape could be the space between its thick legs. Continuous line art can be confusing to interpret unless you are the artist creating it because they have a clear understanding of what’s inside and outside of the image. As for the small lines (so called dots) I agree too that they shouldn’t be interpreted much there’s a lot of them not even mentioned and could of been early scratches before it was used to draw upon, maybe even evidence of animals removing the meat.
It looks like a souvenir to me. A little bit of our trip to Gobekel. I have a little carved statue of liberty.
Note the object seems to have a profile thicker on the left vs right which might mean you are looking at it wrong. Looking at it sideways seems to me to be more meaningful.
On the top is an elephant in tall grass and below is a hunter. You could also turn the piece upside down. That way the bottom shape could depct a T shaped pillar.
Ah ha it's The Vulture Culture, it's a rather catchy name! Great insight on your part and you've made some excellent points, so I thank you.
to me the two square-topped shapes look like two people holding hands with the triangular shape as negative space.
I like your interpretation Matt, well argued I thought.
Thank you sir 🙏
I can see some of what you are saying it's unfortunate this piece is missing so much of the one side. I've looked at it from all angles and it is intriguing but again with the missing piece??. I hope they continue to work at this site and all these sites I believe there is much more important things to come.
Assuming it was carbon dated at age of "Temple" it could quite possibly be a trinket traded to visitors to take home.
I love your channel and have been a subscriber for about two years or so. At 2:46 in your video I noticed what appears to be a man-like figure in the center lower half of the fragment? A right leg and a left leg leading up to a right arm and a fist holding a bent rod of some type and a left arm with a crab-like appendage going up to a well muscled forearm and shoulder going up to a right facing head ? Any thoughts?
I really enjoy the way you support your theories. Always well thought out. As I was watching though I can't help thinking what about a kid making a drawing of a vulture? I mean these were people with families...an artisan that gave his kid a scrap piece of bone and a tool to keep him busy? Not very academic but it is very human 🙂
I think you're right on!!! My first impression was a bird head and likely a vulture. Really good work!!
Honestly, I think you are totally correct. Excellent analysis. Giving significance to the slight marks is definitely stretching it and choosing only particular pit marks to point to a star system while ignoring the other marks is bad science in my opinion. I go with the vulture. Yes, may not be right, but on our last visit to the area we actually saw soaring vultures near Göbekli Tepe. Three species are found in the area as far as I know, the Griffon Vulture, Egyptian Vulture and Cinereous Vulture so the depiction of this bird is a strong possibility. Well done!!
It looks like a man between two pillars. Samson in the Book of Judges, and the Pillars of Herakles spring to mind.
Amazing Matt!
My supposition is that it is a crude figure of a stick man with a mask depicting the birds with a turned down beak like on pillar #43.
The Sumerians did the same by wearing a bird mask and a feather train however much more elaborate in their drawings and carvings.The North American red man still makes and wears these things to this day in their ceremonies.This could easily be a totem or talisman in honor of the large birds.
The “feet” look, to me, to be representations of the hands on the pillars. The artist was doing the best they could to display as much as they could
I loved the premature explanation concept mentioned in this video.
For me, this statement just about sums up every problem with every baseless claim made for historic objects, events, buildings etc., and the fairly obvious connection of premature explanation with premature ejaculation really brings to life the way in which so many theories are given form, leapt upon, ravished, occasionally inseminated with foreign bodies by egos that seek to be the first to penetrate the subject, and in doing so, to fail and splash their impotent ideas into the minds of those followers who will read or listen to those who love to experience premature excitement.
Being the first to hold an opinion, and perhaps any opinion as long as they have an onanistic opinion that their hyperactive brains can cling to, is the problem faced by most historical you tuber's channels. So much excitement and so little foreplay and/or care for the subject at hand, and yes, premature explanations abound to cast a multitude of sticky deposits and fantasy depositions all over the unpenetrated veils of an apparently virtuous historical subject.
absolutely loved the video .... and i totally agree with your hypothesis about it being a vulture.... your idea is ground and has merit ..... the other theories seem so far fetched.... bird art yup that sounds about right considering the the huge amount of animal depictions at the site.... absolutely love you channel keep up the hard work....
I think you’ve got it. A vulture. My first thought was a map, especially because it’s a portable object.
I immediately saw the vulture. Could this be a tool used for scraping flesh off a bone, adorned with a vulture? To symbolize the user of this tool to spiritually become the purifier during a ritual? Looking at the rounded concave shape at the top of this tool, i could easily imagine a rounded bone fitting into it and the act of scraping made easier and less slippery. The damage on the right could have been caused by repeatedly hitting the side of another vessel in order to get the flesh scraps off the tool. Much like hitting the edge of a cooking pot with a wooden spoon in order to get bits of food cleaned away. Eventually the edge becomes brittle and breaks away.
The vulture comparison seems as good as any. The vultures feeding from the dead is a good representation of the special human trait of learning from past generations and recording events and knowledge to be passed down to the living after those who invented or experienced something are long gone. The feeding vulture is consuming knowledge. It may be worthwhile to look into the significance of the vulture headress that the queens of Egypt are depicted wearing. I think it has something to do with a cult of Nekhbet at El-Kab in Upper Egypt and symbolized protection of the king.
From this I could see an argument for the t-pillars being an architectural representation of shoulders... I didn't take that thought further.
WELL SPOTTED. TOTALY AGREE WITH YOU.
ONCE AGAIN GREAT VIDEO KEEP EM COMMING ;)
Thank you
You did it again Matt! I see the Vulture!
Cheers!
The iconography of all these sites blows me away! Compare to Assyrian, Babylonian, and Egyptian.
Mystery solved! As always, excellent analysis.
your vulture hypothesis sounds spot on, far more likely than t-pillars and stars
I like your interpretation of it being a vulture as seen head on. Lot of birds carved at Gobekli Tepe.
Great job. I can completely see the logic and image.
I agree on the Vulture idea. It is what I saw almost instantly when viewing the high resolution images...