{"id":6463,"date":"2017-08-09T14:04:52","date_gmt":"2017-08-09T12:04:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tepetelegrams.wordpress.com\/?p=6463"},"modified":"2023-02-06T10:24:44","modified_gmt":"2023-02-06T09:24:44","slug":"a-short-note-on-a-new-figurine-type-from-goebekli-tepe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dainst.blog\/the-tepe-telegrams\/2017\/08\/09\/a-short-note-on-a-new-figurine-type-from-goebekli-tepe\/","title":{"rendered":"A Short Note on a New Figurine Type from G\u00f6bekli Tepe"},"content":{"rendered":"

This text has been published originally (and in slightly different form) as a short contribution by Oliver Dietrich and Klaus Schmidt (\u2020) in Neo-Lithics<\/a><\/em>\u00a0[external link] 1\/17, 43-46.<\/em><\/p>\n

The most striking aspects of G\u00f6bekli Tepe are without question the monumentality of the site and the rich imagery. Besides the reliefs on the pillars, there is a wide range of stone sculptures and figurines. Klaus Schmidt, who excavated the site for 20 years, has dedicated several papers to this find group (Hauptmann and Schmidt 2007; Schmidt 1998; 1999; 2008; 2009; 2010<\/em>); a comprehensive synthesis is still missing (for the anthropomorphic sculpture Dietrich et al. forthcoming<\/em>). A total of 149 sculptures has been found to date at G\u00f6bekli Tepe. Of these, 86 depict animals, 38 humans, four anthropomorphic masks, three phalli, nine are human-animal composite sculptures and a further nine are indeterminable. Many of the sculptures are in a fragmentary state, which may have its reason in social practises connected to the early Neolithic imagery \u2013 including intentional fragmentation and deposition of a selection of fragments, mostly heads in meaningful contexts next to the pillars (Becker et al. 2012; Dietrich et al. forthcoming<\/em>). Many of the fragments may have been originally part of sculptures in the shape of the \u2018Urfa Man’, the oldest life-sized human sculpture currently known, discovered during construction work at Urfa-Yeni Mahalle (Hauptmann 2003; Schmidt 2010. 247, 248-249<\/em>). But there is also a range of other types, and the current contribution is dedicated to one of those.<\/p>\n

The figurine<\/strong><\/p>\n

During the 2012 autumn excavation season at G\u00f6bekli Tepe, a small figurine (5,1×2,3×2,7 cm) was handed in as a surface find from the north-western hilltop of the tell (Fig. 2). The motif of the figurine is an ithyphallic person sitting with legs dragged toward his body on an unidentifiable object. He is looking up and grasping his legs. Between the legs, a large erect phallus is depicted (Fig. 3), and a quadruped animal is sitting on the person\u00b4s left shoulder (Fig. 4). As one half of the figurine has a thick layer of sinter, the question whether there originally was another animal on the other shoulder remains open. The animal species cannot be determined with security neither, but the general form is consistent with depictions of large wildcats or bears at G\u00f6bekli Tepe (e.g. Schmidt 1999. 9-10, nr. A8<\/em>). The material of the sculpture is unusual for the site on the other hand. Nearly all sculptures and figurines so far known from G\u00f6bekli Tepe were made from local limestone. The new figurine is most likely made from nephrite<\/a>[1]<\/a>. The figurine is perforated crosswise in its lower part. A functional interpretation for this detail is hard to give as one perforation would have sufficed to wear it as a pendant for example. Maybe the figurine was meant to be fixed to a support.<\/p>\n\n\t\t