New conference paper: Early Developments in Astronomy, Arithmetic and Proto-writing at Göbekli Tepe, 10,000 BCE

I will present the following paper at the...

Second MULTIDISCIPLINARY STUDY DAYS

geo-archaeological on Mediterranean megalithism

(Palermo, Sicily, October 2-4, 2025)


Title: Early Developments in Astronomy, Arithmetic and Proto-writing at Göbekli Tepe, 10,000 BCE

Martin B. Sweatman, School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh.

 

ABSTRACT

Göbekli Tepe, a megalithic site in southern Anatolia, consists of many sub-circular enclosures formed by megalithic T-shaped pillars and a large number of other rectangular buildings. The pillars of this very early settlement, some standing over 5 m tall, are adorned with a complex system of symbols, including animal symbols and other geometric symbols. It is believed to date to ~ 9,500 BCE, although an older origin date within the Epi-palaeolithic period is likely. Sweatman and Tsikritsis (2017) presented a compelling interpretation of these symbols; it is highly likely they are mainly astronomical. In particular, it is thought that Pillar 43 in Enclosure D likely records the date of the Younger Dryas comet impact, circa 10,850 BCE, using precession of the equinoxes and constellation symbols similar to the well-known Greek ones (see Figure 1). The same pillar (see Figure 2) also appears to display the earliest-known solar calendar using the earliest-known evidence for arithmetic (Sweatman, 2024). Meanwhile, another pillar in Enclosure D, 33, appears to record the mechanism of the impact; an encounter with the Taurid meteor stream. Together, the pillars of Enclosure D provide evidence for very early knowledge of astronomy, arithmetic and a kind of proto-writing that was not thought to have been available for several millennia. They also provide insight into events at the dawn of civilisation, when people began to transition to an agricultural lifestyle in the Fertile Crescent.

 

M.B. Sweatman and D. Tsikritsis (2017). Decoding Göbekli Tepe with archaeoastronomy: what does the fox say? Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry 17(1), 233-250.

M.B.Sweatman (2024). Representations of calendars and time at Göbekli Tepe and Karahan Tepe support an astronomical interpretation of their symbolism. Time and Mind 17(3-4), 191-247.

 

 

Figure 1. Right: Pillar 43 at Göbekli Tepe (photo courtesy of Alistair Coombs). Middle: a sketch showing the symbols uncovered so far on Pillar 43. Left: a scene around Scorpius in Stellarium using the Modern constellation set; the teapot asterism of Sagittarius is in yellow.

 

Figure 2: The solar calendar in the middle of Pillar 43.

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