# What were the pillar buildings of Göbekli Tepe for? · Göbekli Tepe > Five answers have been proposed. The enclosures were roofed communal and ritual buildings within a permanent hunter-gatherer settlement. leads, with… Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/gobekli-tepe/questions/QST0D956VG255C1/what-were-the-pillar-buildings-of-gobekli-tepe-for Publisher: Mysteries Department Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page) Updated: 2026-10-26T11:57:31+00:00 --- **0** # What were the pillar buildings of Göbekli Tepe for? Asked 26 Oct 2026 by [**apollo** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/u/apollo)·5 answers·0·0 following **Most likely: the enclosures were roofed communal and ritual buildings within a permanent hunter-gatherer settlement** Ahead on the evidence, not yet confirmed. It needs two reviews to be accepted. ## Where it stands Five answers have been proposed. The enclosures were roofed communal and ritual buildings within a permanent hunter-gatherer settlement. leads, with evidence 4 for, 1 against: partly supported by its tests. Four are still possible. Of the three narrower questions under it, none is answered yet. ## Why it matters The site's fame rests on Schmidt's claim that these are the world's first temples, built by hunter-gatherers before farming and before villages⁠[[1]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D956FH8663D/gobekli-tepe-the-stone-age-sanctuaries-new-results-of). If they were instead communal houses inside a settlement, the story of how monumentality, ritual and farming relate in the Neolithic changes⁠[[2]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D956FS273DA/so-fair-a-house-gobekli-tepe-and-the-identification-of)⁠[[3]](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D956HZC53SW/monumental-compared-to-what-a-perspective-from-gobekli-tepe). ## Answers 5 [**The enclosures were roofed communal and ritual buildings within a permanent hunter-gatherer settlement.** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/gobekli-tepe/answers/ANS0D956Z583SWQ/the-enclosures-were-roofed-communal-and-ritual-buildings) Partly supported by its tests Evidence: 4 for, 1 against Most likely [**None of these.** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/gobekli-tepe/answers/ANS0D9571BJ6J7M/none-of-these) Not tested enough to call either way Evidence: none yet Still possible [**The enclosures were large roofed houses in a society that did not separate sacred from domestic space.** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/gobekli-tepe/answers/ANS0D956Y607H42/the-enclosures-were-large-roofed-houses-in-a-society-that) Failed a test; not refuted outright Evidence: 1 for, 2 against Disputed [**The enclosures were observatories and the reliefs record constellations and a dated sky event.** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/gobekli-tepe/answers/ANS0D9570M4685S/the-enclosures-were-observatories-and-the-reliefs-record) Failed a test; not refuted outright Evidence: 2 against Disputed [**The enclosures were open-air sanctuaries used by mobile hunter-gatherers who did not live on the mound.** ](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/gobekli-tepe/answers/ANS0D956WQ42DNK/the-enclosures-were-open-air-sanctuaries-used-by-mobile) Failed a test; not refuted outright Evidence: 2 for, 3 against Disputed ## History 1. 2010[Schmidt puts forward: the enclosures were open-air sanctuaries used by mobile hunter-gatherers who did not live on the mound.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D956FH8663D/gobekli-tepe-the-stone-age-sanctuaries-new-results-of) 1. 2010[Schmidt: central pillars 5.5 m tall with anthropomorphic reliefs, far larger than any PPN dwelling.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D956FH8663D/gobekli-tepe-the-stone-age-sanctuaries-new-results-of)For: The enclosures were open-air sanctuaries used by mobile hunter-gatherers who did not live on the mound. 1. 2011[Banning puts forward: the enclosures were large roofed houses in a society that did not separate sacred from domestic space.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D956FS273DA/so-fair-a-house-gobekli-tepe-and-the-identification-of) 1. 2011[Banning: lithics, bone and grinding tools from the fills look like settlement debris.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D956FS273DA/so-fair-a-house-gobekli-tepe-and-the-identification-of)For: The enclosures were large roofed houses in a society that did not separate sacred from domestic space. 1. 2013[Dietrich et al.: whether the domestic buildings are contemporary with Enclosure D or later has not been shown in a published…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D956G8P51Z5/establishing-a-radiocarbon-sequence-for-gobekli-tepe-state)Against: The enclosures were roofed communal and ritual buildings within a permanent hunter-gatherer settlement. 1. 2015[Dietrich & Notroff: the enclosures lack the hearths, floors and installations found in PPN houses.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D956GRA37QS/a-sanctuary-or-so-fair-a-house-in-defense-of-an-archaeology)For: The enclosures were open-air sanctuaries used by mobile hunter-gatherers who did not live on the mound. 1. 2020[Kinzel & Clare: domestic buildings, rock-cut cisterns and more than 7,000 grinding stones are present on the mound.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D956HZC53SW/monumental-compared-to-what-a-perspective-from-gobekli-tepe)Against: The enclosures were open-air sanctuaries used by mobile hunter-gatherers who did not live on the mound. 1. 2024[Kinzel: repairs, rebuilding, seismic damage and moved pillars show long use-lives.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D956J76213C/shaking-up-the-neolithic-tracing-seismic-impact-at-neolithic)For: The enclosures were roofed communal and ritual buildings within a permanent hunter-gatherer settlement. 1. 2025[Hürriyet Daily News: ordinary houses with small T-pillars exist at Karahan Tepe alongside much larger pillar buildings, so the two…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D956MX43DPK/face-carving-found-on-t-pillar-backs-human-figure-theory)Against: The enclosures were large roofed houses in a society that did not separate sacred from domestic space. 1. 2025[Bianet: karahan Tepe combines pillar buildings with houses and was settled from about 9400 BC into the 8000s BC.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D956N4Y6F9A/neolithic-amphitheater-uncovered-at-karahantepe)For: The enclosures were roofed communal and ritual buildings within a permanent hunter-gatherer settlement. 1. 2026[Gresky & Clare: two intact PPNB burials were found on the mound in settlement deposits.](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D956JPT5KWD/first-burials-give-insights-into-mortuary-rites-at)Against: The enclosures were open-air sanctuaries used by mobile hunter-gatherers who did not live on the mound. 1. 2026[Gresky & Clare: intact burials in settlement deposits; scattered bone in the enclosures explained by deposits sliding…](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D956JPT5KWD/first-burials-give-insights-into-mortuary-rites-at)For: The enclosures were roofed communal and ritual buildings within a permanent hunter-gatherer settlement. 1. 26 Oct 2026Asked on this site ## Discussion 0 [Add to the discussion](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/gobekli-tepe/questions/QST0D956VG255C1/what-were-the-pillar-buildings-of-gobekli-tepe-for%23discussion) Help with this question [ **Propose an answer** Something the evidence could support or rule out ] [ **Propose an answer** Something the evidence could support or rule out ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/gobekli-tepe/questions/QST0D956VG255C1/what-were-the-pillar-buildings-of-gobekli-tepe-for%23add-answer) [ **Add evidence** A result for or against an answer ] [ **Add evidence** A result for or against an answer ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/gobekli-tepe/questions/QST0D956VG255C1/what-were-the-pillar-buildings-of-gobekli-tepe-for%23add-evidence) [ **Ask a sub-question** A smaller question that would help settle this one ] [ **Ask a sub-question** A smaller question that would help settle this one ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/gobekli-tepe/questions/QST0D956VG255C1/what-were-the-pillar-buildings-of-gobekli-tepe-for%23add-question) [ **Add a source** A paper, archive record or image ] [ **Add a source** A paper, archive record or image ](https://mysteriesdept.com/signin?next=/mysteries/gobekli-tepe/questions/QST0D956VG255C1/what-were-the-pillar-buildings-of-gobekli-tepe-for%23add-source) Where it fits Göbekli Tepe **What were the pillar buildings of Göbekli Tepe for?** Key question · you're here [How did hunter-gatherers organise the labour to quarry, carve and raise the pillars?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/gobekli-tepe/questions/QST0D956VZP4VS1/how-did-hunter-gatherers-organise-the-labour-to-quarry-carve)Most likely · a resident community built and maintained the structures over generations as part of normal life [How were the dead treated at Göbekli Tepe?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/gobekli-tepe/questions/QST0D956WFA3PPH/how-were-the-dead-treated-at-gobekli-tepe)Most likely · people were buried in the settlement; scattered bone in the enclosures came from burials displaced downslope,… [What do the reliefs and the V marks on Pillar 43 mean?](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/gobekli-tepe/questions/QST0D956W7G37QZ/what-do-the-reliefs-and-the-v-marks-on-pillar-43-mean)Most likely · the reliefs are the symbolic and mythic repertoire of the builders, varying between enclosures, with no… [ Ask a question under this one ]