{"id":4648,"date":"2017-03-20T13:23:36","date_gmt":"2017-03-20T12:23:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tepetelegrams.wordpress.com\/?p=4648"},"modified":"2023-02-06T10:26:37","modified_gmt":"2023-02-06T09:26:37","slug":"guarded-by-beasts-a-porthole-stone-from-gobekli-tepe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dainst.blog\/the-tepe-telegrams\/2017\/03\/20\/guarded-by-beasts-a-porthole-stone-from-gobekli-tepe\/","title":{"rendered":"Guarded by beasts: a porthole stone from G\u00f6bekli Tepe"},"content":{"rendered":"

During the 2009 and 2010 excavation seasons at G\u00f6bekli Tepe, several new trenches at the northwestern hilltop of the tell were opened. Below the plough horizon, as we already had expected, soon rectangular rooms appeared, the characteristic features of the younger Layer II<\/a> at G\u00f6bekli Tepe. However, in the eastern part of the new trenches, the rooms ended quite abruptly. Instead of them, for some time, there was – more or less nothing. That is, of course we were not digging in sterile soil, the sediments were full of finds, just the architecture was missing.<\/p>\n

\"Northwest\"

G\u00f6bekli Tepe, the areas on the northwestern hilltop under excavation in 2010 (Photo O. Dietrich).<\/p><\/div>\n

What do you do as an archaeologist in such a situation? Dig on, of course. And after some days of rather monotonous work, that simple strategy paid off. The colour of the sediment suddenly changed into a reddish tone. At G\u00f6bekli Tepe, this is a clear indication that you have reached the filling sediments of the older building layer III. And, just to confirm the rule, soon the head of a new monumental pillar appeared.<\/p>\n\n\t\t