Archaeological digs have already unearthedmany unknown secretsof Göbekli Tepe , one of the first temples ever constructed by humans . The find of numerouscarved human skullsat the Neolithic ritual site in Turkey now paint a picture it was also the site of the world ’s earliest " skull religious cult ” , a radical who practiced the ritualistic adoration of maimed human skull and skeletons .
A German team of researchers has revealed inScience Advancestheir find of three carve skull fragments showing “ antecedently undocumented treatment ” of human remains , along with over 400 bone fragments . They think the most likely scenario is that these modification were made so the skull could be suspended by a cord .
This is the early archeological evidence of carved skulls for ritualistic purposes . These “ skull cults ” have been documented throughout the world , include parts of the Pacific , South Asia , the Americas , and other nearby areas of Eurasia . Although it bear some similarities to the practice of the Naga people of India , the style of this modification is unique within the Early Neolithic of Anatolia and the Levant .
Looking at other anthropological evidence for these culture , the research worker believe the skulls were carved to venerate ancestors not long after their death or to put recently " complete " opposition on exhibit . The skulls feature recondite gash down their center ( the sagittal axes ) and one feature a cakehole drilled directly through it , along with traces of red ochre paint . Other minor cut marks on the skull also indicate they were defleshed .
Various microscopic techniques verified the cuts were designedly made using Flint River tools and not from natural causes such as animals gnawing or wear and tear . The researchers also said there were no polarity of healing on the bones , indicating the macabre modifications were probably do shortly after death . Using the limited amount of bones the researchers had at mitt , they conclude that one of the individual was 25 to 40 twelvemonth old and likely to be female .
Göbekli Tepe sits in southeastern Turkey , just 50 kilometre ( 30 miles ) Union of the Syrian boundary line . It ’s believed the internet site was ground around 11,500 yr ago and abandoned some 9,000 year ago . The social system is the earliest known case of a human - made construction construct specifically for the ritual necessity . In other words , it ’s one of the domain ’s first temples . Previous evidencehas also suggested it acted as an early astronomical “ observatory ” .
Curiously , they still have not in reality feel any whole bodies buried at the site . There is also no evidence that say people lived at the site . Perhaps then , the researchers say , this mean the site was consecrate for the solitary purpose of this strange rage .
