The Ancient Mystery of Gobekli Tepe: Unraveling History's Greatest Puzzle

[@megaprojects9649]

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[@cramittv633]

Would love to see what you folks think of some of the other sites made famous by Graham Hancock and his recent Netflix show that visits many different locations including Gobekli Tepe.

[@TheSulross]

coverage of what may have happened in the Younger Dryas and the melt off of ice sheets of northern hemisphere was very superficial (i.e., the impact on humanity around the globe, etc). And it very likely intersects with what happened at this site per its evolution through the centuries it was inhabited (or used)

[@WildAnatolia-3-6-9]

There is a picture of Göbeklitepe on the Sumerian tablets.

[@fawziekefli2273]

"The pre-pottery period was the time before pottery was invented." I love the way that worked out for the archeologists.

[@lauriepenner350]

Archaeology is weird. Imagine if future archaeologists discovered our society through the remains of a single adult toy store, and historians called us "the D**do People" for the rest of history.

[@RHCole]

An apt description of our society.

[@MonkeyspankO]

That's pretty much how archaeology works...atleast until evidence to the contrary becomes overwhelming

[@battlesheep2552]

It's how science works, you focus on the most likely explanation, then when you find evidence to the contrary you move on to the next most likely explanation

[@lauriepenner350]

"These artifacts probably had a ceremonial or religious function. Due to the number and variety of objects found, this building may have been a temple or shrine."

[@arthas640]

I think about this a lot actually. People often think that Egyptians were obsessed with death simply because for most of the last 2000 years most of what we knew about ancient Egypt were just their pyramids and tombs, people often think stone age humans only or mainly lived in caves because that's where we found many bodies and artifacts since they're far better preserved there, and people used to mainly think of the Norse as nothing but warriors and Vikings because many of the records from that time were written by the people the Vikings raided. Our understanding changed a ton when we got more info on each of those cultures but it's funny how narrowly people viewed them for a long time.

[@dragonxx444]

And the fact that they already used ground penetrative radar that shows structures UNDER the one we see today. So even older than 9000BC

[@Michael-zf1ko]

What I find insane is that around 9000-8000BC is just as old to the ancient Egyptians as the ancient Egyptians are to us. Like, if you can picture just how ancient the Pyramids are, this place would be twice as old as that.

[@johno1544]

@@Michael-zf1ko Cleopatra is closer in time to us now then she was to when the Great Pyramid was new.

[@Noqtis]

always remember boys: no one in the history of humanity was as close to first contact with aliens than us! :D

[@BabyMissions]

"Well, it was either a temple, an observatory, or a KOA campground... but no matter what it really was, they liked animals and carved a lot of wieners." - Almost every archeologist... at almost every archeological site.

[@RHCole]

Take a look at graffiti today: We haven't really changed in 12,000 years 🤷🏻‍♂️🤪

[@aaronaaronsen3360]

@@RHCole I saw some modern graffitis in many instances of a winged penis. I learned that in the Roman antiquity it was used as a lucky charm in the form of an amulet. Another time I was in a antiquity museum where I saw some stones that were used in battles as projectiles. People carved insults in Latin on them, the same way US soldiers painted FU to Adolf on the bombs they were setting up in planes during WW2. You're right, humans didn't change much 😅

[@insane992]

it was clearly an prehistoric aplebees, mass process of wheat for beer, and alot of carving of meat and depictions of famous men on the wall

[@insane992]

times may change but what we really want more than anything is to draw dicks, and enjoy some good steak and beer❤

[@rexmann1984]

@@insane992 Applebee's on a weeknight? They must've been fancy.

[@zam6877]

The challenge with such early sites is the urge to impose our assumptions...that we have also imposed on far later developed societies/civilizations

[@paradox7358]

I find it fascinating that this place would have had a name originally, which has been lost to time. We'll never know what the people who built it and lived there called it and called themselves.

[@vic5015]

Per a history professor I had once, we *know* that Jewish high priests had a special name for God that was known only to them and passed down to their sons. Unfortunately, with the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans and the subsequent death of the last high priest, this name is lost to history, as there is no indication that name was ever written down.

[@PepesCashino]

Gobleki tepenians

[@NarwahlGaming]

Someone invents a time machine and goes back to ask them but, through a mistranslation the guy who gets asked thinks the traveler is asking for _his_ name, specifically. Traveler: _"They called themselves 'Jeffs'!"_

[@islammehmeov2334]

The creator gives the name GÖBEKLI TEPE

[@aaronaaronsen3360]

@@NarwahlGaming I think I saw somewhere that explorers in the Americas asked natives what was the name of a mountain and started writing it on maps. Eventually they discovered that in the local language it meant "it's a mountain". Or maybe it was in a Discworld book, I'm not sure 😅

[@acmelka]

I appreciate Simon being a real person. Half the voices on videos aren't anymore.

[@nobodyfromnowhere3597]

Proto city of hunter gatherers. Hell this place is so ancient that first Sumerian cities are as far from it as we are from Sumerian cities.

[@cynthiadiaz7533]

Well done video. Thank you for the informative discussion of this important ancient edifice.

[@_maxgray]

Really enjoyed this video, and especially appreciated your reference to primary sources by a variety of researchers. More like this, please!

[@nicholasbrown668]

his primary source is Wikipedia lmao

[@Dabuhl40]

Been waiting on a SW update on this for years 🎉 let’s gooooo

[@chrismac2234]

I really should start a channel. Gobleki tepe isnt the only site. Initially identified as a prehistoric site in 1963 in the frame of a Turkish-American archaeological survey project, Göbekli Tepe was more or less forgotten for over thirty years, attention turning instead to the site of Çayönü Tepesi (Ergani/Diyarbakır) discovered during the same survey. In the interim years, excavations at Çayönü and other sites, including Cafer Höyük, Hallan Çemi and Nevalı Çori, revealed much more about the transition from hunter-gatherer to sedentary societies. Gobleki tepe is something else.

[@ignitionfrn2223]

0:35 - Chapter 1 - The site 5:50 - Mid roll ads 7:10 - Chapter 2 - Ancient temples 10:25 - Chapter 3 - Ancient barbecue area 11:55 - Chapter 4 - Astronomical observatory 16:45 - Chapter 5 - Ancient brewery 19:15 - Chapter 6 - Current thinking of gobekli tepe

[@Chkhitoooo]

🆙

[@codyc8138]

Your videos are fantastic. Thank you. Fan from 🍁 🇨🇦 .

[@sechran]

It's an industrial scale cereal mill? ... My god! That scorpion carving? It's the neolithic Captain Crunch!

[@vic5015]

Been waiting for Simon to cover this fascinating archeological site.

[@pedro426]

He did a video on this on his geographics channel, I’d recommend checking it out, though I agree this video goes far more in depth into some of the theories of the structure

[@jamess3241]

If they've only excavated 5% of the site then how can they make all these final calls about them not having written history and stuff?

[@Im-Not-a-Dog]

Because theres basic writing(pictographs rather than letters) on the blocks we have found, which would lead to the reasonable assumption that the people who made it probably had a basic writing system, but we havent found anything that seems to be a historical reference within the pictographs we've found, leading to the assumption that the pictograph-writing system they had was used more for religious purposes rather than for accounting history or economic trade as we've found with some of the earliest Babylonian cuneiform tablets, which is generally considered the first proper writing system.

[@jamess3241]

@@Im-Not-a-Dog right on, thank you.

[@jamess3241]

@@OfficialFA what??

[@penitent2401]

Most of what is not uncovered yet are the more minor portions of the site, they surveyed and scanned the area and made the calls to target what they deemed most likely to be the most important places to dig first. With each digs taking years to complete and has chance of causing damage to surrounding areas this step and pilot digs are essential. So far they have found pictogram and attempts at recording that are early precursors to a writing system. It stands to reason that if they does have a written language then they would not have been still using these precursor methods.

[@larryaftertheroad6174]

The scorpion and vulture icons really mean step on a scorpion and become vulture food

[@Jake-qz5uf]

Just a reminder to keep the people of Turkey in your thoughts and prayers after last weeks earthquakes

[@wowplayer160]

Still waiting for the cctv. Got a link?

[@Scooty_Scooty]

Yeah because thoughts and prayers are what they need. How about doing something more for them instead of nothing like you suggest.

[@aaroneaton4849]

Would you consider a video about the Paisley Caves in Oregon? The Paisley caves is one of the oldest sites in North America of humans, somewhere around ten thousand years old. Maybe a Sideproject video?

[@nicholasbrown668]

just go read the Wikipedia article, its pretty much the same as his videos

[@aaroneaton4849]

@@nicholasbrown668 well sorta yea. I am just from Oregon, and would really enjoy seeing Simon make a video about my state :)

[@ccooper8785]

Another video, the 3rd one today featuring you and your awesome, awesome beard !!!! No wonder your head looks like Megaminds....

[@Meinstein]

Living on the border of the US and Canada, I can imagine a hunting camp where guys get together, hunt, make beer and chip at their totem. Over years, the place would get popular and you would regulate the game and bring grain from home and make more beer and chips and before long.. you have a early day Disneyland.

[@NarwahlGaming]

🎵 It's da second week of deer camp and all da guys are here! 🎶

[@Meinstein]

@@NarwahlGaming that song actually personifies the local flavor.

[@NarwahlGaming]

@@Meinstein It's the only way to live life! 😂😂

[@Sniffl3s-fl]

Absolutely crazy that you can clearly see the carvings 10000 years, our concept of time is so skewed and we have definitely lost so much in transition

[@vaheohanian8418]

Armenians for thousands of years have been known for their BBQs with shish kebabs, Shawarma dishes and stuffed grape leaves as well and Portasar (or in gibberish Gobekli Tepe) sits on the Western Armenian Highlands. Portasar was most likely the birth place of the Zoroastrian religion. Thus Sprach Zarathustra in a "2001 : A Space Odyssey" and monolith way.

[@gbtriumph3216]

Funeral, Barbecued meat, and Beer. Hmmm...gee....I cannot IMAGINE what happened at that site. MUST HAVE BEEN RELIGIOUS!

[@RHCole]

Pit fighting.

[@nirvana131995]

I would love to see a biographics on Graham Hancock and what Simon's thoughts are of his theories regarding early technologies and restartings of civilization.

[@OfficialFA]

This is just mainstream stuff, this guy doesn't really challenge the theories that archaeologists come up with. Not to say we should just jump into conspiracy theories but it does need some consideration...

[@zoidberg78]

You can infer what he thinks by his use of highly problematic in regards to his one mention of Grahams series. As great as Simon's shows are he's probably not the person you want reviewing Hancock's work because he's going to go into it highly biased in favor of mainstream archeology and against Hancock's theories so you're unlikely to get a fair review

[@nirvana131995]

@@zoidberg78 That's what I would enjoy. I'd like to hear his opinions on Hancock's theories, and any issues he has with them. I like discourse, and I enjoy hearing from different perspectives. Especially from intelligent people I respect.

[@ToshydoshyAkamota]

I agree, there’s a sense of scoffing at anything not mainstream on most of his channels. Especially to conspiracies that have popped up over the past couple years, now being proven true… Love the show, but I do find it a bit elitist and under researched

[@TheJefers123]

@@nirvana131995 I personally don't care for Simon's opinion on archeological things, if they were important the tangents on his other channels would be more profitable

[@brianmsahin]

Excellent video and a really fascinating place. Being lucky enough to have visited the area in November 2021 it was certainly an unforgettable experience. There is even a not very professional video on my channel that I put up there for extended family to see. I would definitely recommend a visit though unfortunately after the devastating earthquake in the area it may be some time before it will be possible. We even felt the shakıng more than 800 km away which was quite shocking as we thought it was just another of the numerous small tremors we feel in the area.

[@JonMembersonly]

They will never admit civilization is older then the current timeline. They keep finding Tepe sites all over Turkey, what they were all nomads coming and going? Lol or they actually lived at some sites, used others for food, religion etc. Thats a civilization! The idea that hunter gathers just woke up one day and built this place might be the dumbest idea ever!

[@blckspice5167]

If your claim is true, those sites still need to be verified and dated. Finding out what the nomads were actually doing takes time. 2. That is not civilization, which requires permanent settlement and agriculture to be considered such. Even if it was, there's no evidence 3. He never said they woke up and built it. Evidence shows it was built over time. Thousands of years of history.

[@JonMembersonly]

@@blckspice5167 Well no the main theory for the largest T Pillars is that they literally came out of nowhere. The rest like he says was built over time, along with worse craftsmanship (another common theme at ancient sites). Civilization is not a easy thing to define, I get that. But these sites are EVERYWHERE in that area. They keep finding new ones, even some in the sea! All are dated to this same time period. To me it's starting to look like this was a civilization with towns or villages, temples, hunting sites etc.

[@frontrangejrs]

@@blckspice5167 The evidence any archeologist gives you about how long it took to build the Tepes or that they were not a civilized society is unfounded and biased. They don't want a rewrite of civilization timeline because it breaks their narratives and will ultimately lead to them not getting funded if popularity moves away from their own projects. We are in a time right now in archaeology is having to cope with a break down similar to other fields of study. Geologists are already supporting expanded timelines because their science has no problem supporting. Archaeology barely gets any funding at all so the idea of things being more popular that could get more funding than what they have spent their careers on terrifies them. When they say their is no evidence surrounding civilization of the Tepe sites, they are projecting. They want to be dismissive because any archaeologist who holds to their guns that civilization didn't start until Mesopotamia is gonna look like a creationist in the beginning of Darwinism and this is coming from a historian.

[@leftfield123]

Hasn't this site done just what you say isn't being done? The site was obviously the work of a civilized people and it's discovery pushed back the timeline of civilizations by a few thousand years. And who are the "they" you refer to? If it's historians or archeologists, then they don't usually make claims until they can be proven.

[@JonMembersonly]

@@leftfield123 Archeologists is they and no this wasn't a civilization so the timeline hasn't changed. That's my argument. Obviously it was a civilization. Tepe sites all. Over that area, MASSIVE underground cities with tunnels that run for miles connecting them! That's not a civilization??

[@francisfischer7620]

Isn't it amazing that what we see is only a bit of it?! And they had nothing but stone tools! Truly stunning!

[@user-qb4ex8mh5h]

Tinfoil Hat: It was an ancient "grocery store" with the animals marking the "aisles" for which their meat could be processed/found.

[@aaronaaronsen3360]

F*ck the ancient astronaut theory, it was Walmart all along ! 😅

[@Michael-zf1ko]

I am no historian, but I would definitely take that as a theory of it being some old market XD. Usually the truth is always the most boring answer.

[@timvyfvinkel4542]

Those hunter-gatherer bands sure could carve stone reliefs.

[@rebelrun6137]

The hand bag looking images depicted along the top of pillar 43 have been found in multiple sites across the world

[@markf3229]

That has intrigued me for a long time. Can be seen at sites which have been considered abour 10,000 years old What is the meaning behind this. Did they have manbags then.

[@rebelrun6137]

@@markf3229 I believe the sites were built by differing cultures aswell. Usually in the hands of or depicted with beings that are "keeper's of knowledge".

[@Pushing_Pixels]

Yes, they are present in Sumerian and Babylonian imagery, also Central American, South American and I think Egyptian too. Probably others as well.

[@TorianTammas]

@@Pushing_Pixels So what they depict figures with hands and heads. We are humans the number of symbols we use a limited. In my wife handbag we searched for alien artifacts but found none we asked friends on other continents with hand bags and they did not find alien artifacts either.

[@TorianTammas]

@@markf3229 really which sites would that be?.Who dated them with what method?

[@dotter8]

According to Ai-Moitor, Gobekli Tepe was not damaged by the earthquake.

[@murrayscott9546]

Nemrut Dagh, in Eastern Turkiye is also a mysterious site. Many collosal heads, carved from stone - nearly identical, they dot a mountain plateau.

[@philrabe910]

Sky Burials? Wow. One of my favorite films is Martin Scorsese's, Kundun. Amazing piece of work.

[@radialgroove]

hell yeah im so glad you covered this

[@sonderamv]

Sometimes I think that prehistoric humans just looked at each other and said “lets confuse the shit out of people in the future”. Then the other guy laughs, says “oogga boogga LOL, lets do it LMFAO”

[@Karmabim123]

I've already watched several accounts of Gobekli Tepe but this one gives a better more balanced review of the evidence and or lack thereof.

[@danelynch7171]

Even without any of the "woo woo" stuff, this site is absolutely fascinating! And intriguing.... Who built it and what did their lives look like? How did they have the time and knowledge to do all of that? What was it's purpose? it's such an interesting glimpse into life so far back that it's mind blowing

[@TorianTammas]

@@danelynch7171 Simple they gathered and hunted in large groups and shared. The time the typical Anericans soends in front of a TV they used to build things.

[@danelynch7171]

@@TorianTammas you sound fun to be around.

[@Soliloquist24]

What I love is that we think the reliefs are amazing now, but imagine just how much more beautiful these were when first created.

[@AlexAltair]

I how much detail this video goes into! I think it's a step up in script-writing, my new favorite Simon video.

[@nicholasbrown668]

you shouldn't think he's good lmao, im his warographics and biographics videos he just straight up recites Wikipedia

[@nicholasbrown668]

he also has a really really weird habit of spouting propaganda and western racial terms against Russians

[@jamisojo]

​@@nicholasbrown668 Please provide detailed examples of what he's doing wrong, or keep your biased opinions to yourself. Nobody is going to take your word for it.

[@nicholasbrown668]

@@jamisojo In the A10 video he straight up recites Wikipedia for half the video and in his videos on Ukraine he regularly references the word "orc" so yes he is a piece of shit Wikipedia artist 😉 and in his latest F16 video, he praises a con artist and group of con artists for something they never even did (and the only source that supports him is......Wikipedia)

[@nicholasbrown668]

@@jamisojo I can also point out his most recent videos on Ukraine as doing nothing but spouting Ukrainian propaganda over and over again, his video over the T90 just verbatim used an article from Army Recognition as half the script, and several of his videos over US jets are again just verbatim Wikipedia his latest F16 video literally praises the "fighter mafia" and Pierre Sprey, a renowned Con Artist and lying piece of shit who claims he designed every US Aircraft from the F16,A10, F15, F35

[@shreyansbodhankar9465]

This was done on Geographics before. Now in Megaprojects also.

[@judeau9151]

I thought I hit “do not recommend” on all your channels, but it appears I missed one! Amazing

[@jondeere5638]

The problem with mainstream archeologists is that they will often attempt force any new discovery into the accepted paradigm. Oftentimes this is similar to pounding square pegs into a round hole.

[@coltoneverett9636]

I’ve been waiting for a video on this by Simon. 🎉

[@RHCole]

He did one already on another channel I think. Geographics maybe?

[@slaapliedje]

My theory of Gobekli tepe is they were stories in stone. People got together and told stories while having their barbecue, and to talk about their myths (history).

[@squallp]

It is a really mind-blowing site. It shows that religion is much older than civilization in contrast to nowadays opinion.

[@dontcomply3976]

The OG megaproject

[@CeasarJames]

I asked for this 6 days ago on emperor Qins video and 6 days later it’s done! Confirming why Simon is my number 1 KZbinr 🥰❤️👊🏼

[@rtqii]

In a statement, the Göbekli Tepe Research Project team confirmed the news initially reported by Turkey’s General Directorate of Cultural Assets and Museums: that the 11,500-year-old structure in southeastern Anatolia was not damaged by the recent quake.

[@rocarr180]

1) trees planted on site 2) roads pored on top of site 3) money over uncovering and learning about the intended use of the site 4) W.H.O involved 5) Suspected that people don’t want site uncovered

[@mashrien]

Our dear bearded KZbin *overlord* Simon needs to upgrade to 4k recording and video on YT so we can better observe our wonderful knowledge wizard when he's edumakating us

[@arthas640]

It makes sense it would have more than 1 use. Back then even temples often had multiple uses: in ancient temples in the Levant for example they often would sacrifice animals there for religious purposes but they also butchered and sold the meat as well. People often did the same with many offerings which were either sold to fund the temple or were given to the poor. In ancient Egypt and in medieval cathedrals/churches the church often functioned as a university, library, record keeper, and copier in addition to offering charity services and of course religious services. The idea that a religious building is only a religious building with limited utilitarian uses is a rather modern concept, especially in ancient times when construction was far more expensive most buildings would have multiple uses.

[@tobins6800]

Let's not forget that the good idea fairy has been striking the entirety of humanity since the dawn of time.

[@Timelesstere]

The large stone pillars look like an evolved ceremonial homage version of a simple hand threshing stone. The square edges and width would be effective when struck with a bushel of wheat and then ergonomics would have dictated a waist high stone sunk into the ground.

[@michaelmurray2595]

Great video. Manty thanks.

[@johnmay6090]

Excellent video!

[@shawndunlap714]

You forgot to mention that it's 12,000 years old 👍

[@HybredTV]

He didn’t, as this thing reeks of status quo reinforcement

[@jimmyboy2]

He does at 1:14 ... "thought to be between 9600 and 8800 BCE" ... I'd add that's a range of 800 years. If correct, that places it post the younger dyras. Also questions the 10,000 BCE "cave man hypothesis" ... were humans knocked backwards i.e. the younger dyras disrupted human advancement and the surviving groups tried to copy/continue older methods?

[@shakazulu301]

As a student of history,,, the Temple Trope is so frustrating… we literally have no clue! They could have been giant orgy buildings. They could have just been a chill spot. ‘It was a temple’ is just a lie that’s easier to say as, ‘we just don’t know, it’s just a building’.

[@Blizzard0fHope]

i know. . . virtually everytime anancient building is discovered out comes the temple lines again

[@mtacoustic1]

Monuments? As an engineer, it looks much more like foundation stones for storage tanks with non-flat bases; so they can be drained from the bottom.

[@ryanrodriguez6219]

How many channels do you have? It feels like I’m subscribing to a new channel every time I watch a video featuring you. Also what’s your name or what do you like to be called? Anyhow thanks for the informative video.

[@jsinope2786]

…and not a single mention of Aliens!

[@mikep490]

It'd be funny if they find out this was simply an early shopping mall.

[@chriskenny9532]

Again, the older the material, the better crafted it appears to be.

[@bettyswallocks6411]

A shame they didn’t have a system of writing. This being a temple site with beer brewing evidence, they must have had their own equivalent of the Sumerian Ode to Ninkasi.

[@dr.buzzvonjellar8862]

The last advanced human world culture ended in cataclysm. This site was assembled by survivors. It’s not that human beings were just figuring out agriculture, it’s that they were just coming out of a 1000 year period of having had to go back to hunting and gathering to survive.

[@Jackedhobbit]

So what you’re saying is it was a seasonal place to bring in the grain harvest, have a bbq and make some bread and beer? Sounds like a good time.

[@Jayjay-qe6um]

Conservation work at the site caused controversy in 2018, when Cigdem Koksal Schmidt, an archaeologist, and widow of Klaus Schmidt, said that a damage was caused by the used of concrete and "heavy equipment" during the construction of a new walkway. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism responded that no concrete was used and that no damage had occured.

[@AquaeAtrae]

4:55 "This part of Anatolia is very earthquake prone." Magnitude 7.8 earthquake on Feb 6, 2023 left over 44,000 dead... and yet, somehow, multiple articles confirm that "Earthquake in Turkey Did Not Damage 11,500-Year-Old Monolithic Site." Apparently, they really don't build buildings like that anymore. :(

[@leftfield123]

I've read most of the comments and there are a few misconceptions. One, the site isn't that big. Most of the important structures are located in a circular central area that may be 40 or 50 yards wide. Two it took hundreds of years to construct so the builders had plenty of time to work on it. Three, many mentioned that hunter-gatherers couldn't have stayed long enough to build it. The host points out that this was at the time when domestication of plants and animals was starting so it could have easily supported a permanent settlement.

[@casparcoaster1936]

Of course, if youre going to throw a big barbie, ur going to brew a lot of beer

[@kylerjones4411]

FYI, re. the roughly 14m mark, if they moved the monuments around, and if this site was occupied for thousands of years, that's actually evidence that the layout *is* celestial considering the constellations move over time with precession.

[@stephennewton2223]

You'd have to document that they were moved in conjunction with the apparent motion of the stars. Hard to do.

[@obviouslytom]

Younger dryus did. Go in the ocean and you can find remnants of villages and city's that would have been near the shore line during the ice age.

[@ryanc473]

I do always love that pretty much everything is chalked up to "well, it's gotta be for religion" if we're unable to determine another use. I wonder how much that's truly the case, as I find it difficult to fathom that, in early cases like this, religion came before settlement. Maybe I'm totally wrong, and I'm far from an expert on the topic, but it just seems odd to me that some sort of religious ritual would come before we figured out how to, you know, reliably feed ourselves without having to run around all over the place. It just seems like it's backwards logic... And as to why someone would spend so much effort on it if not for religion? Well, think about it, how many nice things do you have just for the sake of having nice things? Do you have pictures, or drawings, or paintings, that have no religious meaning but are simply enjoyable to look at? I'm not saying that religious icons/places of worship/etc aren't artistic or requiring more work than one would logically think is necessary, but rather that I would never be surprised if past humans made nice things not so much for religious ritual but rather because, well, they were interesting and fun to have. I mean, hell, I've been known to save interesting rocks I come across lol, is it really such a stretch that our ancestors may have done the exact same thing? It kinda reminds me of some of the old runes/inscriptions on things that everyone is so sure has some major significance... only to later discover that it essentially translates as "(name) was here" or some other meaningless scribbling, because, turns out, past humans weren't as different in a mental sense as we generally assume them to be. They weren't dumb by any measure, they just weren't always as educated, which is an important distinction. We always look back and think they must have been like primitive cave men are depicted in cartoons, but in reality, they were still humans just like us. They didn't have the same technology, or the same society, or even the same understanding of high level mathematics or engineering or medicine or the like, but they also weren't just primitive animals. Just as an example, the might not be able to sufficiently tell you why, but they'd be easily able to figure out that when they throw a rock, it travels in a parabolic arc and gets pulled back down to the ground. They couldn't give you the mathematical equation to calculate the position of the rock at any given point in time, nor could they tell you that the reason they fall back to the earth is due to an attractive force known as gravity that warps spacetime in a specific manor relative to the mass of the object, but they could absolutely figure out how best to throw the rock to hit something at a distance without knowing all that underlying physics. It's not like Isaac Newton was the very first person ever to figure out that stuff falls when you drop it lol. He was just the first to give a solid mathematical model for the phenomenon that was known for ages. Edit: also, another fantastic example of just how intelligent people were in the past is the antikythera mechanism. Despite not having the underlying theory to accurately determine why the planets moved the way they did, the civilization that made it was able to correct for multiple eccentricities of the planetary orbits that they otherwise were unable to explain (but knew they happened, and even figured out how to intricately correct for it, despite presumably not knowing the underlying reasons why)

[@aaronaaronsen3360]

I think religion or some type of spirituality is as old as humans. It was most probably used to explain the unexplainable, like "what is happening with the temperature rising they going down then rising again", "why this kind of food is available when it's cold" and "what the hell is up with those tiny lights in the sky at night". As you said, people were as smart as nowadays but without all the knowledge we have, so they tried to explain the world surrounding them with the little knowledge they had, plugging the holes with a lot of imagination.

[@TorianTammas]

Yes religion cane before cities. We have the evidence. humanity up.to 150.000 years old. Matter of death and how to cope with opened the door for religion.

[@garnetnard4284]

Sorry this is KZbin and I’m here for short comments, not blog posts.

[@terrancelopez9631]

Flash-foward a few million years when future civilizations discover Nickolodeon's Legend of the Hidden Temple. "Ah yes, this film clip here shows a tribal member of what is known as the "Blue Barracudas" being scarified to a Temple Guardian."

[@gbennett58]

Stone age people were much more sophisticated than we thought they were.

[@iambiggus]

Not surprised it's such a hard thing to figure out. I'm on Urban Dictionary almost daily trying to figure out what the people 20 years younger are talking about.

[@mikehogan1257]

Good episode Simon, but you didn't even touch on the crucial issues ....how did they cut and erect the pillars, what tools did they use (no mention at of such tools being found on the site) where were they cut and transported from. All when supposedly barely emerging from a hunter gatherer society. I repeat no tools mentioned as being on site ?? Please cover off in future (and would love to see you cover Nan Madol)

[@danelynch7171]

If there was a "dedicated artist class" who were trained to make the carvings, we should eventually find even more of them. There should be caves and tombs full of these amazing relief carvings, just waiting for people to find them

[@semaj_5022]

Turkey has some of the richest history on the planet and some of the most fascinating and ancient structures and monuments around. It deeply saddens me to think what history might have been lost in the recent earthquake alongside the many tragic deaths, and in Syria as well. I wish nothing but the best for the people of the region and hope to keep learning more about the history of their homeland

[@timfriday9106]

it is where civilization began. almost all the animals and plants we use today originated or are related to plants that originated in this turkey/syria/Kazakhstan area

[@babakaz2763]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:East_Terrace_(4961356591).jpg Nemrut dağı is a unesco heritage site in Adiyaman, where a number of large statues are erected around what is assumed to be a royal tomb from the 1st century BC. U know why all statues are beheaded? Because they witnessed so many earthquakes, beheadedness become their "original condition" and nobody dared to change that.

[@babakaz2763]

After 2100 years we are still learning, but slowly.

[@arthas640]

kind of crazy but many of the oldest artifacts and archeological sites we have are in a rather narrow stretch of land from Turkey south along the Mediterranean into Egypt and east from Turkey along the Euphrates and Tigris rivers into the Gulf. That relatively small area has many of the oldest settlements discovered so far and many of the longest inhabited places on earth. The first multistory buildings, the first tower, and the first settlement walls were all in the Levant and the first real civilizations and empires were mostly in the Fertile Crescent. Israel alone has nearly as much Paleolithic and Neolithic sites/artifacts as Europe or North America. The hunt for Jericho basically jump started archeology in the region and the city has layers stretching back to before the invention of pottery going back roughly 12,000 years. It's crazy but settlements often just kept building up layers from garbage, ash, and dirt in paper thin layers every year until the settlement is on top of an artificial hill.

[@semaj_5022]

@@arthas640 it seems like a lot of people in the area(the fertile crescent, as it's so accurately called) also tended to rebuild their settlements and cities on top of one another, so not only is there an unimaginable amount of history along that stretch of land, it goes pretty damn deep, too.

[@GeraldCarter-xk1dr]

I think this is one of the many origins for Noahs ark. It is a list of the known animals in the general area to chronical them (all male symbolism or not). The facility was buried on purpose as it would not have survived the test of time left as is. The fact that it is pretty much still intake proves that out. The peoples of that time new the earth was endangered from previous meteor Strikes. They were accumulating becoming worse each year reaching a climatic point and then tapering off in the following years. By then utter devastation had occurred. Whenever this is discussed, they make it seem like it was an isolated event in 1 timed year. I think there are more of these types of structures waiting to be found. Regardless of what I think, I do enjoy this subject matter and videos. He does a great job of narrating.

[@ratchet2505]

Thank you Simon for smudge'ing one of my favourite netflix series 😅

[@TorianTammas]

This series is just a fictional story.

[@olewetdog6254]

Just consider how difficult it is for us to comprehend 100 year time frames. The US is only around 250 years old. Now imagine multiplying that time frame by 120 and that's roughly where this thing is. Just astonishing.

[@Hornet_Legion]

Sounds like it was the world's first supermarket. Slaughterhouse/grain mill for people to bring their critters and wheat to be processed for sale or personal consumption.

[@BZEDAKING]

Nothing more soothing than an explosive ass peeing after a hard night's drinking while watching a Whistler vid. 👍Also I love this subject and how much its passed off Egyptologists 🤷‍♂️🤣

[@StoneInMySandal]

Martian Sweatman completely ignores all the symbols on the pillar that don’t fit in with his baseless and aspirational claims. His entire argument is an appeal to authority, where he is the authority. His paper is really bad.

[@A_J502]

Recommendation for video: AGM-114 missile. With almost as many variants as there are letters, used on helicopters, drones, turboprop, special ops, and even ship defenses, the AGM-114 is a missile which has revolutionized air to ground combat.

[@julians-p112]

i've watched and read a lot about what Graham has to say and I'm not saying he's 100% right but holy hell is he ever convincing. There are a few stretches he makes in his arguments but I think he is worth listening to, He has been proven right about a few things more than once. Look at the amazon. I respect his research for sure. everything anybody puts as much time as he did into his work is worth taking somewhat seriously

[@juanf5391]

(4:09) D pics have been around since 12,000 B.C.E. I've been to both Egypt and Peru, and they have a bunch of ancient sculptures and artwork that are just straight D pics.

[@dragineeztoo61]

Thanks, much I agree with - much I don't. But, unlike many others, at least you have the courage to say "I don't know".

[@drake101987]

It seems like a hunting lodge. Animal bones, the walls covered with depictions of beasts, and beer. A bunch of dudes built this to get away from the women and children.

[@of6176]

I’m still leaning towards Hancock on this one, good video though

[@computingananswer766]

I would agree. It's not the speed in which you speak but the content of the words you utter. Hancock speaks at half the speed that Simon does but conveys twice the information.

[@nobbynoris]

@@computingananswer766 Yeah but Simon's information is based on fact unlike Graham Hancock's fantasies.

[@arthas640]

@@nobbynoris Yeah it's pretty easy to share large amounts of information in very little time when it's all pulled straight out of your ass. It's pretty telling that he only started calling some of his books "fantasy" because nobody thought his supposed "non fiction" was close enough to reality to even qualify as theories and were outright fiction. Some of his claims are downright laughable like claiming that because the Piri Reis map (a map discovered in the 1920s but claimed to be over 500 years old) didnt explicitly show ice on Antarctica that that's proof the continent was ice free until recently but completely ignores all the research that proves the continent has been frozen for millions of years.

[@eriggle83]

Absolutely!

[@Ba11leFieldAce]

@@nobbynoris care to fill us in?

[@bretr7327]

Sounds like an ancient pub and grill.

[@JonMembersonly]

Strange how every site around the world the craftsmanship always degrades over time. One would think you improve.. But ya no civilization here to see during the last ice age. Handbags anyone?

[@blckspice5167]

Happens every time a civilization collapses. Egypt, Romans, the Indians in the 1400s

[@trekkifpv1976]

While i agree with the inference that there may have been a more advanced society before or during the last ice age there needs to be more evidence to make that conclusion and the implication that there is a cover-up to hide this idea from the public also requires evidence you cant make a definitive or even a tentative conclusion based on nothing but conjecture

[@CoopaCoop]

Earthquakes filled in that gigantic site that still hasn't been fully uncovered yet, but somehow didn't wreck the pillars, status, rock pilled walls, and everything else? Earthquakes just neatly filled it all in? That sounds the least probable..

[@leftfield123]

Earthquakes are just one theory and it's no longer widely accepted. Also, the site is no where near being "gigantic." The main structures are centralized in a relatively small area.

[@airiannawilliams3181]

Just tossing my 2 bits out there. It does resemble a place of learning in my eyes. How to effectively kill a creature, what to and what not to eat, learn to tan hides, grind wheat to make flour, if course alcohol too, and who knows what else is buried within the site. Until a heavily used burial area is uncovered, I would have to assume the population lived within walking distance of this site, rather than at the site directly.

[@josephgriffin2388]

In 12,000 years, they'll find underground cities we're building today.

[@fleuripis2872]

Hey mate, nice work! Can you do a Megaprojects video on the World Bank, Federal Reserve and the Central Banking system?

[@SirBoden]

Well done

[@oldstrawhat4193]

Great video!!