Historiography of the first decade of research on Göbekli Tepe Complex in Southeastern Turkey (1995–2004)

Abstract

Abstract. The purpose of the article is to analyze the primary stage of knowledge accumulation and interpretation of Göbekli Tepe complex in historiography (1995–2004).

Scientific novelty. The article examines the initial stage of research on Göbekli Tepe, a key site of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic in Upper Mesopotamia. It also provides, for the first time, a comprehensive review of scholarly works published in English and German from the beginning of its excavations in 1995 to the first substantial synthesis in 2004. The main results of the Göbekli Tepe studies during this period are introduced into the Ukrainian academic discourse. Particular attention is given to the interpretation of the site and the assessment of its role in the process of Neolithization as proposed by the excavators. The article characterizes the knowledge accumulation about the complex and the formation of a historiographical tradition originating with K. Schmidt. It demonstrates the progressive expansion of scholarly perspectives and the growing significance of Göbekli Tepe for archaeology throughout the annual investigations.

Conclusions. Most publications from the first decade of research on Göbekli Tepe consist essentially of concise excavation reports, which are typical for archaeological sites still under study. Concurrently, however, a historiographical tradition began to crystallize: the elaboration of terminology and chronology, the outlining of key issues, and the substantiation of what would subsequently become the prevailing interpretative paradigm – the conception of the site as a «temple» with an exclusively ritual function. In the early 2000s, Göbekli Tepe began to attract increased attention from scholars not directly engaged in the fieldwork. Analyses were conducted of its paleobotanical and archaeozoological materials, as well as its complex symbolic system. The site assumed a preeminent position in the archaeology of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic Near East, deepening and significantly altering the understanding of the transition of Upper Mesopotamian hunter-gatherer communities to agriculture. Its outstanding role in the study of the origins of Neolithization was widely acknowledged.