Revising the story of human origins–again
(Photo c. 2008 by Berthold Steinhillber; used with permission.)
Take a good look at the carvings on the stone in the photo above (original here). Very similar to Egyptian hierogliphs, aren’t they? Especially since they present their subjects in profile, so common among Egyptian carvings and paintings.
Yet this carved stone comes from a site in southeastern Turkey called Gobekli Tepe, where German archeologist Klaus Schmidt, featured in this month’s issue of Smithsonian, has unearthed enormous carved stones roughly 11,000 years old.
Schmidt’s find has generated a lot of excitement about revising the origins of human history.
Get used to it. What archeologists think they know about human history and the reality of our past are very different. There will be a lot more changes to the narrative before we gain even a glimmer of true understanding.
Tags: ancient civilizations, archeology, Egypt, excavations, hierogliphics, history, Turkey
