Göbeklitepe in Context

Göbeklitepe (c. 9500–8000 BCE) is renowned for some of the earliest monumental buildings yet identified, with its spectacular decorated T-shaped pillars often dominating discussions of this Pre-Pottery Neolithic site. This talk shifts the focus to the broader context of the settlement. It examines the chronology of the site, its environmental setting, and its place within the cultural landscape of Upper Mesopotamia, including its relationships with contemporaneous sites in the Tas Tepeler region and the upper Euphrates and Tigris basins. Drawing on recent discoveries and ongoing research at the Göbekli Tepe UNESCO World Heritage Site, the talk also explores the archaeological evidence for ritual practices and their implications for understanding social developments during the long transition from hunter-gatherer lifeways to early farming communities.

Dr Lee Clare coordinates the Göbekli Tepe Research Project at the German Archaeological Institute (DAI). He completed his master’s degree at the University of Cologne in 2005, majoring in prehistoric archaeology. After completing his PhD in 2013, which focused on Early Holocene climate-culture interactions in the Eastern Mediterranean, he joined the DAI’s Orient Department as a post-doctoral fellow. In 2015, he took on the position of research coordinator of the DFG long-term project at Göbekli Tepe. In 2019, he moved to the DAI’s Istanbul Department, where he is now acting consultant for prehistoric archaeology. His areas of academic interest include Neolithisation and Neolithic dispersal processes, Early-Middle Holocene, absolute chronologies, culture-climate interaction, prehistoric conflict and cognitive archaeology.