Mysteries Department
Sign inRequest access
0

How were the dead treated at Göbekli Tepe?

Asked 26 Oct 2026 by ·Part of What were the pillar buildings of Göbekli Tepe for?·3 answers·0·0 following
Most likely: people were buried in the settlement; scattered bone in the enclosures came from burials displaced downslope,…Ahead on the evidence, not yet confirmed. It needs two reviews to be accepted.

Where it stands

Three answers have been proposed. People were buried in the settlement; scattered bone in the enclosures came from burials displaced downslope,… leads, with evidence 1 for: partly supported by its tests. Two are still possible.

Why it matters

Burial under house floors is the PPN norm; its absence was long used to argue that no one lived here⁠[1]⁠[2].

Answers 3

Evidence: 1 for
Most likely
None of these.
Not tested enough to call either way
Evidence: none yet
Still possible
Evidence: 1 for, 1 against
Disputed

History

  1. Gresky et al. puts forward: skulls were removed, carved and displayed; bodies were not buried on the mound.
  2. Gresky et al.: three skull fragments with deep deliberate incisions and a drilled hole.For: Skulls were removed, carved and displayed; bodies were not buried on the mound.
  3. Gresky & Clare puts forward: people were buried in the settlement; scattered bone in the enclosures came from burials displaced downslope,…
  4. Gresky & Clare: two intact burials of mid-9th millennium BC date were found in 2026.Against: Skulls were removed, carved and displayed; bodies were not buried on the mound.
  5. Gresky & Clare: taphonomic analysis of the scattered bone is consistent with displacement by sliding settlement deposits.For: People were buried in the settlement; scattered bone in the enclosures came from burials displaced downslope,…
  6. Asked on this site
Add evidence
1What it bears on2What you found3Where it comes from
Which answer?
Does it count for or against it?
In a sentence, what did you find?
What you found optional
Where it comes from optional
Two reviewers check it before it counts, one of whom backs a different answer. You'll hear back by email: accepted, needs changes, or a duplicate.
Propose an answer
Your answer, in a sentence
What would rule it out? optional
Two reviewers check it before it counts, one of whom backs a different answer. You'll hear back by email: accepted, needs changes, or a duplicate.
Ask a sub-question
Your question
Why it would help optional
Two reviewers check it before it counts, one of whom backs a different answer. You'll hear back by email: accepted, needs changes, or a duplicate.
Add a source
The source
What it shows about this question optional
Two reviewers check it before it counts, one of whom backs a different answer. You'll hear back by email: accepted, needs changes, or a duplicate.

Discussion 0

Add to the discussion