Gobekli Tepe Temple

Pottery was utilised for a variety of purposes such as storage, food preparation, ritual activity, transportation and more. Stone artefacts were another source of evidence with objects such as pestles and mortars, vases, hammers and tools. The stone artefacts that were produced locally were made from imported fine stones such as alabaster, limestone and marble. Architecture was another prominent feature that showed what Theran culture was like. There were three types of buildings including the mansions, freestanding buildings and joined houses, each belonging to the according wealth of an individual. Additionally, wall paintings of the frescoes from Akrotiri provide some of the most famous images such as the Boxers, Fisherman, Ladies, Lilies, Monkey, Papyrus and Spring frescoes. In many cases all four walls were decorated to create a panoramic scene with naturalistic representations.

Fig. 1 Statue of Yuny and Renenutet, ca. 1290–1270 BCE.; Fig. 2 Akhenaten and his Family,18

is spectacular. This structure requires a lot of work to maintain, now it’s a prime tourist spot.

Göbekli Tepe is a very interesting archaeological site that is located at the top of the mountain limestone ridge in Southeastern Turkey near the Syrian border (Banning 620). It is known as the earliest monumental building, or temple, that mankind has ever created and it was built even before the stage of agriculture, which dates back to some 11,600 years ago (Mann 1st page). Göbekli Tepe belongs to the PPN (Pre-Pottery Neolithic) in terms of its chronological context in world prehistory (Banning 620). In fact, the site can be divided into three different stratigraphic levels that are level 3, level 2A, and level 2B (Banning 620). Level 3 is the oldest level which appears to date back to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A (PPNA) (Banning 621). Each of the buildings measured 15 m by 10 m and contained T-shaped monoliths surrounded by a wall made of stone and mortar (Banning 621). Two U-stone shaped entrances could by identified in two of the buildings (Banning 621). However, the most monumental aspect of the Göbekli Tepe can be attributed to the sophisticated carvings of wild animals, such as scorpions and boars, on the pillars which appears in the pillars of level 3 and level 2A (Banning 621). Moreover, Level 2A, which dates to Middle PPNB, has smaller and more rectangular buildings than Level 3 and it contains delicately implemented tiled floors and T pillars without any decorations (Banning 621). Level 2B dates to the time between level 3 and level 2A, however,

By the 7th century BCE the site had been rededicated to the worship of Apollo by the Greeks. ”(Illustrated History of Landscape Design, pg 8) The designers engrave seats along the slopes of the mountains

In 1950, V Gordon Childe drew up a list of traits of to what he considered to be the common characteristics of early civilizations. According to Fagan & Scarre, a recent archaeologist Charles Redman divided Childe’s list into primary and secondary characteristics. The primary characteristics included cities and states, together with full-time specialization of labor, concentration of surplus, and a class-structured society. For the secondary, the characteristics included symptoms or by-products of these major economic and organizational changes: monumental public works, long-distance trade, standardized monumental artworks, writing, and the sciences (arithmetic, geometry, and astronomy)(Scarre and Fagan 2003). One of the most common characteristics involve was a large, dense population living in a city. This essay well state and describe two early cities in Mesopotamia and explore the layouts and characteristics of these two cities. Also, whether each city is unique or share common characteristics with each other. The two cities are Maskan-shapir and Ur.

When examining the archeological site known as Gobekli Tepe, two concepts might tell us about the importance, and hidden purpose behind the construction of this early civilization monument. The first has to do with the idea of what our ancestors thought of as "religion". Some archeologists, such as Prof. Klaus Schmidt, who uncovered the site, believes that Gobekli Tepe is "the first human-built holy place." If this is true, then the site might actually tell us what kind of religion our ancestors practiced 11,000 years ago. The T-shaped pillars that form the circular structure of the temple have engravings of animals that may have been considered sacred to our early human ancestors. Just like how they painted animals in caves, they proceeded

What is most riveting however, is its age. Using organic material embedded in the façade of its stone pylons, Gobekli Tepe’s lower levels have been carbon to as early as 12,000 years ago, making them the earliest architectural forms ever discovered (German Archaeological Institute). This predates nearby sister site Nevali Cori by about 500 years (Author unknown), and the world’s first city Catalhoyuk by 1,500 years (Symmes 2010:48). The vast, more complex scale, as well as the marked artistry and sophistication above that of its cruder sister sites, makes the very existence of Gobekli Tepe practically an impossibility. Ian Hodder, director of Stanford’s archaeological program states that Gobekli Tepe is “unbelievably big and amazing, at a ridiculously early date; many people think it changes everything [that] all our theories are wrong.” (Symmes 2010:46 ).

The artworks of Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, the Aegean cultures, and Ancient Greece have similarities that not only reflect objects and images, but also the media, style and representation. These countries were not always wealthy, clever, creative and powerful enough to gain supplies, but they all find a way to create art with what they had. They have all influenced on each other’s cultures and belief through their artistic values and ways, ranging from the materials and tools they use, position and representation of their monuments and their religious intent.

A possible history of the site would include the initial settlement by Culture D. There is no evidence of any artificial structures. It is possible that they used biodegradable materials, meaning that evidence of their settlement decomposed. After Culture D abandoned the site. Culture C then settled the area. Assuming that Culture B built the temple, there is no evidence of structures. There is a trash pit, so it can be inferred that Culture C did live in the area. Because their artifacts were so close together, it is possible that Cultures C and B lived very close in time. It is possible that Culture C abandoned the site due to some kind of natural disaster or that they were pushed out by Culture B. As they settled the area, Culture B dug up the dirt in the process of building their temple. That dirt contained artifacts of Culture C. It is also possible that they found artifacts from Culture C during this process and found them significant enough to include them in their own burials. Once Culture B moved off the area, their remains were most likely buried until Culture A found the site. As their house was built directly on top of the temple, it is possible that Culture A used the remains of the temple to strengthen the foundation of their house. Because the area was settled so many times, the soil was dug up and churned many times, meaning that artifacts from each culture were spread throughout the various strata of the

The British Museum in London holds many ancient pieces of art. There are so many galleries and exhibits inside the museum that several pieces do not get the attention they deserve. One such piece resides in the Assyrian exhibit inside the museum. It is a collection of three alabaster panels that act as registers of a narrative story. The expertly carved reliefs illustrate the great lion hunt performed by an Assyrian king in an arena. So much emotion is portrayed in the brutal imagery of the lion hunt. These great alabaster slabs once resided in an Assyrian palace in present day Nineveh. The reliefs were excavated in the 1840’s by Hormuzd Rassam, employed by Austen Henry Layard of the British Museum. Rassum found the palace by secretly digging at night because the site was originally claimed by French archeologist Victor Place. Since the excavation, the lion hunt reliefs have been displayed in the British Museum. The lion hunt reliefs features so many qualities ranging from historical to artistic. In this report the topic of why the reliefs were made, how they represented the king, the symbolism of the lion, and artistic prowess of the piece will be exposed.

This is proof of the Sumerian architectural abilities. The architecture in Mesopotamia are considered to have been contemporary with the founding of the Sumerian cities, but there was some complexity in the architectural design during this Protoliterate period (c. 3400-c. 2900 BC). This is shown in the design of many religious buildings. Typical temples of the Protoliterate period--both the platform type and the type built at ground level--are, however, much more elaborate both in planning and ornament. The interior was decorated with cones sunk into the wall, covered in bronze. Most cities were simple in structure, but the ziggurat was one of the world's first complex architectural structures.

A formal analysis, contextualizing, and compare and contrast of the Egyptian sculpture of Isis nurturing Horus and the Byzantine icon, The Virgin of Vladimir

Ever since ancient times, humans have used their uniquely creative minds to organize and construct awe-inspiring architecture. Our planet, once an empty canvas for human innovation, is now coated with manmade constructions. But before towering skyscrapers, grand hotels, and modern chapels came into existence, the world was bejeweled with ancient forms of engineering. Two of the more popular constructions from the ancient world include Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids at Giza. These incredible megaliths are seemingly very different, but share various similarities, and both help archaeologists gain insight to the religious beliefs and socio-political organization of the people who constructed them.

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