Gobekli Tepe: The First Temple b Donald B. Carroll

 The Serpent and the fox symbolism: above in the heavens and below on the earth. 

Gobekli Tepe; that incredible ancient megalithic sacred site from an era of at least 12,000 years ago located in modern day Turkey; the site is called by many the world’s first temple and the cradle of the gods.    The archeological excavation and research of it has barely scratched the surface, but what it is revealing about early cultures and civilizations is both tantalizing and incredible. At this point 4 megalithic stone circles (denoted as A, B, C, and D) are in the process of being excavated and analyzed along with two additional sites denoted as E and F. For the purposes of this article the focus will be on the megalithic stone circle, A, B, C, and D. 

Recent published research has identified purposeful created triangle geometry between the stone circles, B, C, and D.

“Their study of the three oldest stone enclosures at Göbekli Tepe has revealed a hidden geometric pattern, specifically an equilateral triangle, underlying the entire architectural plan of these structures”.

(https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-israeli-archaeologists-find-hidden-pattern-at-gobekli-tepe-1.8799837) 

Gobekli Tepe Triangular Pattern

When this research was made available, I posted an article in reference to my recent book.  In my book I had hypothesized: “I believe this triangle is a key aspect in Gobekli Tepe heavenly symbolism (author bolding) and for many such sites. (The Spirit of Light Cubit; The Measure of Humanity and Spirit by Donald B Carroll (Ch.6 pp.176-177) 

This discovery aided in validating my postulation on the importance of the symbolism of the triangle at Gobekli Tepe. Triangle symbolism has a long history in many ancient cultures.  Further, I had continued that this triangle symbolism was connected or yoked to the heavens and stars above. This connection was specifically identified today as the stellar asterism known as the “Summer Triangle” consisting of the stars; Deneb, Vega, and Altair. Multiple other researchers have agreed upon the alignments of these stone circles towards the star Deneb, and I concur with their postulations as Deneb, in the era of Gobekli Tepe, would have been a circumpolar star and these stone circles have been identified as having North-South alignment. Circumpolar stars, stars that never set, considered eternal stars have always been important in cultures.  

My research takes this agreed upon alignment with Deneb one step further to expand this stellar alignment to encompass the stellar asterism previously noted: the Summer Triangle. I am not the first to note the ancient observations of this Summer Triangle in Neolithic and Pre-Neolithic times.   The significance of an observation of the circumpolar stars of the Summer Triangle by the earliest societies has also been identified by Dr. Michael Rappengluck, an archeoastronomer, and confirmed by his peers, in the symbolic cave paintings of Lascaux circa 16,500 BCE, about 4,000 years before Gobekli Tepe.   It is with all this evidence I postulate, along with the current evidence presently provided about Gobekli Tepe that it was the Summer Triangle; being circumpolar stars provide the greater significance.

Before I go further, I would remind readers that many ancient megalithic sites around the world were created as spiritual symbolic sites, as Axis Mundis; places that connected heaven and earth. Researchers have already considered Gobekli Tepe to be, in part, a heavenly observatory.  Such sites are cultural axis mundis, and their symbolism and use accentuates the concept of uniting Heaven and Earth at these sites.  To quote Dr. Susan Ryan, Crow Canyon's director of archaeology referencing Ancestral Puebloan sites: “Architecture is the place where the ethereal and nonmaterial qualities of the cosmos were interpreted by ancient architects and emphasized in material form. Architecture communicates culturally prescribed, and accepted, information to the observer about Pueblo cosmology.”  (The Archaeology of Albert Porter Pueblo (Site 5MT123): Excavations at a Great House Community Center in Southwestern Colorado; Edited by Susan C. Ryan. 2015, p.84.) This observation can be applied to all such sites. As noted before all these sites were designed not only as physical structures to observe the skies, they we also designed symbolically to link the society’s cultural spirituality, bringing heaven and earth together. From time immemorial societies have connected their lore and spiritual philosophy in the great canvas of the heavens.

At Gobekli Tepe, as a starting point, I go back to the significance of the alignment to Deneb, thus the greater stellar palette of the summer triangle and its reflection in the triangular geometric design connecting enclosures B, C, and D. I propose that these enclosures and their underlying triangle geometry represent symbolically the tip of a serpent head with its body being the Milky Way.  The Milky Way has a long ancient history as symbolic representing a serpent. (See following Image)

Author’s CyberSky 5 planetarium program set at Turkey 12/21/10500 BC

As seen in the planetarium image provided the triangular spent head (the Summer Triangle, including Deneb) is located at the Northern point of the sky, slightly East of due North (The yellow outlined triangle). Then from this serpent head going the entire length of the sky is the Milky Way, the serpent’s body.  It has already been demonstrated that Gobekli Tepe enclosures B, C and D have a North-South alignment and their design geometry is that of a triangle, so the comparison remains on firm ground or sky, as the case may be.

The next step towards validating this Hypothesis is to confirm that Gobekli Tepe has significant serpent symbolism at the site.  The answer to that is a resounding yes!

“Snakes are the most prevalent motif at GT (Author’s bolding), although none appear on pillar 18 itself” (p. 242).

According to Peters & Schmidt (2004), “While the snake/serpent is the most popular motif by far, no snake animal remains have been found. (Author’s bolding) This contrasts with all the other animal symbols for which copious animal remains have been found. In fact, the most prevalent animal motifs are, in order (snake, fox, boar, crane, and aurochs). In terms of animal remains we have, in order (gazelle, aurochs, wild ass, mouflon, fox, and boar). Even fish remains have been found, but not a single snake. (Author’s bolding) This singles out the snake symbol as potentially having a different meaning to the other animals. Given the many threatening postures assumed by snake motifs at Gobekli Tepe, the relationship snake/serpent = death and destruction is viable, but far from certain. Comets are certainly dangerous and destructive. Moreover, the serpent motif is a good symbolic representation of a meteor track.” (Sweatman, M. B. and Tsikritsis, D. (2017). Decoding Göbekli Tepe with archaeoastronomy: What does the fox say? Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry 17(1), 233-250.)

As pointed by Sweatman and Tsikritis serpents are the most prevalent by far and though many remains of the animals depicted have been discovered at Gobekli Tepe, including fish remains, however no remains of serpents have been found.  I believe this an important and significant evidence of the sacred esteem serpents were held in at this site.  Whereas Sweatman and Tsikritis point out as having a potentially different meaning at Gobekli Tepe, it is one of death and destruction possibly and may symbolize a comet or meteors. I put forth a different interpretation here of serpent symbolism, one that is more positive and corroborated in ancient cultures throughout the world and acting also as symbols of connecting heaven and earth together. A brief synopsis of such symbolism would be ancient Egypt’s Nehebukau deity, uniting the Ka and Ba, the double headed serpent bar of the Maya, linking them with the cosmic deities and the Far Eastern concept of raising the kundalini (coiled serpent). (For greater detail, history of serpent symbolism see; The Spirit of Light Cubit: The Measure of Humanity and Spirit (Outskirts Press, May 2020).

Other researchers of Gobekli Tepe have included four hypotheses as for the serpent being the most depicted animal at Gobekli Tepe.

“The animal most frequently depicted is the snake, most likely the Macrovipera lebetina. Four hypotheses for the meaning of the snake imagery have been previously suggested: As a representation of the penis; as a death related symbology; as supporting a narrative with the goal of building loyalty; and as associated with the “journeys” of a shaman. Each of these are considered against the actual snake depictions and actual snake behavior. Ethological data would seem to best align with the snake as a death related symbol, although that use itself could also facilitate loyalty or be associated with shamanistic activities.” (Henley, Tracy & Lyman-Henley, Lani. (2019). The Snakes of Göbekli Tepe: An Ethological Consideration. Neo-Lithics. 19. 16-19.)

Though Henley and Henley include the possibility the depictions of serpents to be associated with the journeys of shamans, they also see it as a death related symbol.  As noted earlier and explained my interpretation of the serpent symbolism is much more positive with examples from societies around the world. 

I advance with the fact that the only remains not found are of serpents is evidence of the high esteem and sacredness serpents were afforded. As an example of this perspective, I provide an image of a limestone carved sculpture of a human head with a serpent on it. This was found at another archeological site near and related to Gobekli Tepe called Nevali Cori and dated to approximately 8500 BC.

 

By Dosseman - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=116257236

I think it is clear in this sculpture; this is not a threatening serpent. I see a clear representation of the spiritual “serpent energy” rising up to the crown of the head; symbolizing reaching higher consciousness. It is a depiction of bringing Heaven and Earth together in one’s consciousness. If you look closely at the carved serpent of this Nevali Cori head, you notice the serpent head is triangular and two sides of the triangle are accented, highlighting the “V” of the triangle. Below is a statue from ancient Egypt with a similar serpent style on its head which aids in the suggested context.

Closeup of Henu statue serpent. MMNY (Author’s image)

Egyptian Henu statue. MMNY (Author’s image)

You can find this statue in the Metropolitan Museum of New York. Dated to 350 BC in Egypt, it is a Henu ritual figure and in “probably the final pose in a ritual dance of praise and jubilation called the Recitation of the Glorifications.” The MMNY description also states, “...the figure carries a triangular-headed serpent over its forehead; this emblem is found on a restricted number of royal images.”

I want to bring to the reader’s attention that the serpent on the statue’s head, rather than being the expected depiction of a serpent head on the vast majority of Egyptian busts, i.e. The Uraeus cobra: here it is simply triangular/V-shaped. The MMNY notes such triangular head type serpents are limited to royal images. The images of the serpent rising from the forehead (Uraeus)in so many Egyptians images are visibly different. The triangular head serpent is linked to the Egyptian ritual of glorification.

Its goal is the transfiguration of the ka-spirit of a deceased person into a deified state, into being an akh, that is, a transfigured and brilliant spirit of light to live in the Northern stars in eternity. Egyptologist Mark Smith sums up…the aim of securing their elevation to a particular state of existence. Important features of this elevation are the complete restoration of mental and physical faculties and integration with hierarchy of gods and blessed spirits. (Richard J. Reidy. Eternal Egypt: Ancient Rituals for the Modern World. Publisher: iUniverse (January 20, 2010) p.123.)

 “The complete restoration of mental and physical faculties and integration with hierarchy of gods and blessed spirits”; the physical is restored and united with the Divine. This aptly describes uniting Heaven and Earth within oneself. I believe the Nevali Cori head has the same type of symbolism. This is serpent symbolism at its most positive and fits with the prevalence of the serpent symbolism and their apparent revered status at Gobekli Tepe and, as has been shown, around the world; represented with a triangular head.

As to the depictions of animals at Gobekli Tepe it is documented that serpents are the most prevalent, by far.  In the excavations at Gobekli Tepe, to present, the individual count of the most dominant depictions of animals are; 46 serpents, 12 foxes, and 7 boars.  The serpent is depicted almost four times as many as the next animal, the fox.  In a different aspect the excavations the most predominant animal remains included are 7949 gazelles, 2574 aurochs, 1177 wild ass, 971 foxes, 944 capras, and 863 wild boars. (Peters, Joris & Schmidt, Klaus. (2004). Animals in the Symbolic World of Pre-Pottery Neolithic Göbekli Tepe, South-eastern Turkey: A Preliminary Assessment. Anthropozoologica.)

All this evidence both in the skies above Gobekli Tepe and below on the grounds has led me to postulate that the serpent symbolism is a highly significant aspect for the purpose and design of this site; that the serpents were not considered primarily as death and or destruction but of the link between the heavens and earth for the “shamans”.

There is still more evidence for all that I have proposed. It was provided earlier that depictions of serpents were almost four times as widespread as the next depicted animal, the fox.  Yet, at the same time, while no remains of any serpents have been found, almost 1,000 remains of foxes have been excavated; the fox remains being the fourth most animal remains unearthed.  This, in my view, seems to be an unusual discrepancy between these two scales between animal depictions and animal remains, especially with how many researchers have cited that some of the anthropomorphic pillars appear to be wearing fox loin clothes and/or carrying an apparent fox under their arms.  Such presentations appear to give the fox depictions more weight, based on the number of fox remains.

 I pondered this discrepancy for some time and think I have discovered the reason for this. Just as ancient cultures linked their earthbound sacred sites to the heavens; it was in looking back into the skies that gave me the possible answer.

Allow me to provide some “backstory” for my stellar evidence for GT ancient culture and their possible symbolism.  I am well aware that the attempt at interpreting the purpose, symbolism, and consciousness of such an ancient culture with the meager evidence at hand is treading on thin ice and I will tread carefully. Fundamentally, since our early evolving consciousness, human beings seem prone to measuring and identifying ourselves and our place from our daily existence to the cosmic scales in the pattern of the universe. Whether from cave painting, developing jewelry, having burial practices or creating sacred sites with their symbols, with some evidencing archetypal concepts, while others appear emblematic to a specific culture.

In daily life the sun went in a line across the sky, the shadows grew longer in line as the day passed, and the moon and stars followed suit in their own tracks. Events, occurrences, and acts followed one after the other. Yet as such observances continued, time would reveal to us not only linear concepts but nonlinear cyclical events also. The sun would rise and set and come back around, the moon would rise and set and move through phases and come back around, seasons would come and go and return, and stars would do the same, ad infinitum. Perhaps these cyclical events in the heavens beyond our reach versus the linear spatial realities of Earth literally below our feet was the progenitor of a consciousness that incorporated spiritual and metaphysical aspects that went beyond space and time, a perception that was greater than that. Imaginably resolving this apparent dichotomy expanded our consciousness in order to square the circle and bring Heaven and Earth together.

Though there is a clear challenge of interpreting the thought behind such prehistoric sacred sites, it is not extreme to consider that these ancient accomplished engineers, architects and astronomers understood such concepts as past and future being separate from the present, the cyclical movements of the seasons, the sun, the moon, the stars and interpreting them along with metaphysical, shamanistic types of concepts. It is well within the realm of possibility that these ancient prehistoric people’s consciousness was evolved to the point of grasping a thought process of time and space along with more ethereal concepts and symbolism.

It is with this preamble I turn our eyes to the heavens for a possible answer for the serpent and the fox depictions, the found and not found remains, and some symbolism at Gobekli Tepe. This aspect came from the discovery of the Vulpecula (fox) constellation. This is a small and not well-known constellation and is found in the center of the Summer Triangle, the same Summer Triangle presented here as the head of the serpent that spans the entire sky. The fox constellation is literally in the serpent’s mouth. I include the following images of the fox constellation and its position inside the Summer Triangle (The serpent’s mouth)

 

Title: Lacerta, Cygnus, Lyra, Vulpecula and Anser / Sidy. Hall, sculpt. Creator(s): Hall, Sidney, etcher. Date Created/Published: [1825] Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31380681

In this artist’s presentation you can see the fox in the bottom center. The swan: representing Cygnus, dominates the center and Deneb is located in the middle of the swan’s body. To the right of the swan and the fox is the constellation Lyra (a lyre) with the star Vega in its upper right-hand corner.  The constellation Aquila (not shown) with the third star of the triangle, Altair, would be down below towards the center of the fox body.  Drawing one line from Deneb to Vega, then a line from Deneb to Altair and another line from Vega to Altair creates the triangle with the fox bisected by it.

The next image shows the nighttime stars themselves. 

Author’s CyberSky 5 planetarium program set at Turkey 12/21/10500 BC

Though it may be somewhat difficult to identify at the Northern top of this image on the right of the Milky Way is marked Cygnus (Deneb) directly down from Cygnus is Lyra (Vega) and on the left side of the Milky Way, above Sagittarius is Aquila (Altair), the Summer Triangle is, though faint, outlined in red. The Vulpecula (fox) constellation is located partly in the Milky Way on the left side almost in a horizontal line to Lyra. This puts the fox in the mouth of the serpent.

 It needs to be recognized in today’s charts of constellations; Vulpecula is a relatively modern constellation.  Vulpecula was introduced by the Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius in the late 17th century. Today’s constellation generally go no farther back than 4,000 years, still thousands of years after the time of Gobekli Tepe’s construction.  Even with caveat, I would put forth that history shows us that many ancient cultures identified constellations in similar manners and symbolism in an almost archetypal manner. I would ask for the acceptance of what I have postulated here for the sake of its possibility, and I will continue on to present, with the evidence provided by Gobekli Tepe of the elegant answer for the enigma of the serpents and foxes at GT.  It also provides a plausible explanation for the anthropomorphic figures on the pillars wearing a fox pelt on their loin clothes and the fox remains at the site.

To recap what has been presented here has been the North-South alignments of the Gobekli Tepe enclosures at the time when the star Deneb (part of the Summer Triangle) would have been the Pole star. Also presented was the triangular geometric design incorporated into enclosures B, C and D. Included is the researched evidence of the predominance of serpent depictions and the lack of any serpent remains versus the secondary depiction of foxes with such depictions of them being held (captured) or fox's pelts being worn as loin clothes and a large prevalence of fox remains being excavated at GT.

This evidence fits the proposed scenario in the night sky, the great serpent capturing and devouring the fox in the heavens and is a plausible explanation for the evidence so far uncovered at Gobekli Tepe. It also falls in line with serpent symbolism throughout history and many cultures. The serpent is the representative symbol of connecting (yoking) oneself with both heaven and earth and overpowering ones strictly earthly bounds perhaps being represented by defeating the fox.

There is much more detail I could go into with the research I have done but I believe, for the purposes of this article, what has been presented gives sufficient plausibility for my postulations. I understand that will the present limited evidence this can only be presented as a possible hypothesis for some of the purpose of GT, yet there is a straightforward elegance to this hypothesis. 

In an addendum to this hypothesis, it should be noted because of the North-South alignments of these enclosures' researchers have also suggested that there was also an alignment to the constellation Orion which, at this time period, whose upper half would be visible with its belt of three stars at the Southern horizon.  There also has been suggested of a possible alignment to the star Sirius in the Southern sky. In using the CyberSky 5 planetarium program, Sirius appears only to become visible in the era around 9200 BC.  The point of this addendum is that when Sirius becomes visible is in the same possible timeline as the construction of enclosure A.  These similar timelines provide the possibility of further links to the importance to serpent symbolism as Gobekli Tepe.  When Sirius becomes visible at Gobekli Tepe, this event also makes visible the stellar asterism called the Winter Triangle.  The Winter Triangle is created by the stars; Sirius, Procyon and Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse being the shoulder star of Orion.   This occurrence creates across the night sky a triangle of stars (The Summer Triangle) in the Northern sky and a triangle of stars (The Winter Triangle) in the Southern Sky connected (yoked) together in body by the Milky Way. This creates the appearance of a two headed serpent, having a triangular head at each end.

 This becomes significant in different aspects.  First, there is Gobekli Tepe’s enclosure A, also known as the” snake room” for its prolific depictions of serpents. In enclosure A, on Pillar 1 is a side covered with a mesh or net of serpents with two heads, having a head at each end. With enclosure A, from the data, possibly being constructed in the same time period that the 2-headed serpent appears across the night sky, perhaps this is more than a curious coincidence. Another curious validation of the possible archetypal cultural spiritual philosophy thought process is the similar double headed serpent symbolism found in the Ancient Egyptian culture (Nehebukau) and the Maya culture (the double headed serpent bar).   

The new evidence along with the serpent and fox symbolism, architecture geometric design and stellar alignments provide compelling indications for the presented hypothesis that this site was a place of sacred ritual gathering, a place that brought heaven and earth together, an axis mundi, not only in its stellar alignments and serpent symbolism, but in the consciousness of those that came there.  The fact that other cultures are millennia apart (such as the Ancient Egyptians and Maya) raises another plethora of questions of some kind of passed on communication of knowledge or possible global archetypal symbolism. Perhaps the Psychologist Carl Jung, the founder of analytical psychology, has part of the answer in his concept of the collective unconscious:

“The existence of the collective unconscious means that individual consciousness is anything but a tabula rasa and is not immune to predetermining influences. On the contrary, it is in the highest degree influenced by inherited presuppositions, quite apart from the unavoidable influences exerted upon it by the environment. The collective unconscious comprises in itself the psychic life of our ancestors’ right back to the earliest beginnings. (Jung, Collected Works vol. 8 (1960). "The Significance of Constitution and Heredity in Psychology" (1929), 229–230 (p.112) 

As noted in the very beginning of this writing the archeological excavation and research at Gobekli Tepe are in its infancy and even at this early stage these discoveries are already rewriting archeology and the concepts of early humankind and their civilizations. It will be some time before any hypotheses pertaining to this vitally important and magnificent site are confirmed.  We owe a great debt of gratitude to the founder of this site, Dr. Klaus Schmidt, his team, the overall direction of Turkish prehistorian Necmi Karul, and Zeynel Abidin BEYAZGÜL; Mayor of Şanlıurfa Metropolitan Municipality. 

 My many thanks to Alison Ray for editing this article.