11,000 YEAR OLD CARVINGS not far from Göbekli Tepe make for CLICKBAIT HEADLINES

Yes, much of the press had a heyday with this one. A pre-pottery neolithic relief discovered in an excavation under the village of Sayburç, not far from Göbekli Tepe, has had some heads in quite a spin; not only does the main image of a man seemingly grasping his member while under attack by two leopards raise an eyebrow or two, but the whole of the carving has been interpreted as the world's earliest example of narrative art.
Here's our take on this head-turning prehistoric archaeological discovery.
00:00 - Intro
00:58 - Those headlines!
02:30 - A little context
06:14 - Other carvings in the area
07:49 - The Sayburç carving itself
11:45 - Is this a narrative scene?
14:40 - An alternative story?
16:22 - The meaning in the room.
18:30 - Outro & goodbyes
🔴 PATREON: / theprehistoryguys
We have a friendly and enthusiastic Patreon community helping us create our content through monthly subscription. Get access to exclusive (ad-free!) content, be on the inside track of what we're up to and help us build the channel.
🟡 BUY ME A COFFEE: www.buymeacoffee.com/prehisto...
If you want to show some love to the Prehistory Guys but don't want the commitment of a monthly subscription, you can make a on off donation by following the link below. NOTE: all single donations go forward to a special fund for our next location movie.
WEBSITE: theprehistoryguys.uk
Facebook: / theprehistoryguys
Twitter: / prehistoryguys
Instagram: / prehistoryguys

[@mfern45]

I think "dude flanked by leopards, grabbing his junk" is arguably the earliest known rendition of the heavy metal album cover.

[@badgerpa9]

The beginnings of Def Leopard???

[@tammiewilson5185]

Hahaha! Epic!

[@deanamyers57]

@mdern45 😂 rock on ✊

[@deanamyers57]

@@badgerpa9 💖 🤣 that punchline deserved a drum roll 🤣

[@DreadWaaaghGaming]

🤘

[@forestdwellerresearch6593]

Holding or fondling your own crown jewels is commonplace in Latin America today. Just the gesture can be used to offend someone else. The North Sentinelese, on the rare occasions they were visited were also seen waving their dicks at the unwanted Indian visitors. And those guys still are prehistoric even today. So to me it is a pretty safe bet that 10.000 years ago in Turkey this gesture was also meant to offend and warn any potential enemy. The leopards probably enhancing the message........."Don't mess with us or suffer the consequences. We are bad-ass dudes. We have mastery over the wildest of beasts and enormous penises!".

[@larryjeffryes6168]

Or they considered themselves superior to those who play with sheep : )

[@AncientArchitects]

Hi guys. I released a video yesterday on Sayburc. There are two areas of the village under excavation. The bench is in the north but the excavations in the south are more extensive with many t-shaped pillars, 2 anthropomorphic pillars, similar to what we see in the PPNB rectangular structures at Karahan, many enclosures (domestic and communal), domestic objects etc. The carved bench in the northern excavations is thought to be older, maybe late PPNA/Early PPNB. It decorates the interior of an 11-metre diameter enclosure and there is a second enclosure next to it. A Roman quarry has damaged some of this area and we can see pillars have been removed at some time. Happy to talk to you about it and share the info. I transcribed a presentation in Turkish on Sayburc given by the lead archaeologist last month. 👍

[@ansfridaeyowulfsdottir8095]

Yes, I saw that one. {:o:O:}

[@ThePrehistoryGuys]

Hi Matt! Thanks again for your generosity and sharing this extra knowledge. Do you know people from the Sayburç project? We're going to be announcing plans for a new project in 2023 that involves Rupert and I going to Turkey to film. The more we're up to date, the better a job we're likely to do! Michael.

[@ChristophersMum]

Oh boy...that sounds good...I'll need to do some catching up.😁

[@Kadath_Gaming]

Interesting to note also that the leopards are a male and female pair...🤔

[@AncientArchitects]

@@ThePrehistoryGuys Hi. Apologies for the slow response. I can probably put you in touch with Murat from the Turkish Arkeolojihaber KZbin channel. He organised the most recent Tas Tepeler presentation. He’s on Twitter also and knows all the right people. I’ll have a chat with him.

[@mariansmith7694]

..." I cling to it with white knuckles" hilarious 😂 considering topic. Lol.

[@cargilekm]

It could also be a "Liar's" bench. A place where old men could sit around and tell their tall tales of life in their age. Like a tavern or men's club. Cheers

[@kathyjohnson2043]

Ooh, I like that idea. We tend to assume important ceremonial significance to anything that required effort to produce, but people have always spent a lot of effort towards pleasure and decoration. There are ancient jokes and puns. I'm sure we told humorous stories for eons earlier.

[@cargilekm]

I really appreciate the likes, I just think that humans haven't changed all that much since we evolved into groups. I can imagine older people sitting around telling their tales even before fire. I can't see us changing the way our brains work. We need to be social, even if it is bragging or lying. We also pass on what we know to the young so they might benefit from our success and mistakes. Cheers

[@nosillalaluna7078]

Nice 👍

[@Sgtfroso1]

it’s just a bathroom

[@charleskyler1928]

On a fundamental human level, I know many a man who would instinctively cover one’s family jewels when confronted with two large kitties…. On that note, when I was very young on a family camping trip, my father exited the family tent tend to some business. He tells the story, he felt a warm breath on his neck and turned to be face to face with a bear standing on its hind legs. Great discussion gents.

[@schmitzkatzewupper]

I think u are right. if we watch the carving he doesn't look happy at all .. and I think that is a funny story that was told. Back then .

[@zefrum3]

yes this is a natural and usual psychological reaction to danger, to cover ones genitals. Most prevalent example is with dogs: they draw their tail down and cover their genitals when scared.

[@schmitzkatzewupper]

@@zefrum3 to Cover the genitals ?! How interesting... and it makes so mutch sense

[@robertsettle2590]

Not even true, MATE!!!

[@baysideauto]

I'm a ancient history nut of course I'm all over KZbin watching people's content. You two guys are a hoot. Earned my sub thanks fellas

[@willardsteele4857]

Welcome. They are awesome!

[@noeraldinkabam]

“How grandfather died” “The day father, peeing was surprised by two leopards and still won” “Beware! This is how dirty old men die!” I can go on and on.

[@nosillalaluna7078]

Attention: those whom publicly self gratify , will be thrown to the leopards ! Isn't this the law still in some countries?? 😆 LOL

[@lindasue8719]

Right?! That was my first thought LOL

[@marymeyer8185]

I simply think that anyone naked in the presence of big cats would want to protect themselves.

[@WisdomThumbs]

This... This is the golden grail of KZbin comments and replies.

[@chuckleezodiac24]

Clearly, we have overwhelming evidence that the central figure represents the Atlantean God known as Hand-Cock configured with astroarchaeological precision as a constellation in retrograde conjunction with Alpha Leonis & Alpha Lyncis.

[@Crecganford]

There are motifs that might align to this, and so give further clues to potential stories... although I had a good chuckle at "man goes for pee and is scared by two leopards", that's a classic pub story!

[@joanberkwitz2662]

That doesn’t look like a man’s head. It looks like a cat’s head. The ears and high and pointed. The face has a muzzle

[@rhondasisco-cleveland2665]

I’m so glad you two are you. Thank you for being here.

[@ThePrehistoryGuys]

What a lovely thing to say. Thank you Rhonda! 😊

[@lindasue8719]

That was beautifully said! ♥️👍

[@iknklst]

Just more proof that no matter what a poor guy can't ever take a leak in peace.

[@Mudhooks]

I like the idea of the man on the right needing a pee and just when he’s thinking “Ahhhh!! That’s better…” realizes that there are two leopards standing on either side of him. It has an almost comic feel to it. Even the wide-eyed look on his face, looking directly at the viewer, is exactly what someone in a cartoon would look like in that situation. Classic comedy. The other carving is harder to read. Possibly another cartoon-like image. The man holding something, possibly a snake or possibly something he picked, suddenly faced with the bull, says “Here. You can have it!” Speculative, of course… It would be interesting to see if there are more reliefs continuing around the perimeter of the space. What I also find interesting is the notion that they would have time for something like creating art for the sake of making art as this suggests. I would also be interested if there are traces of pigment onnthe reliefs.

[@AnneGoggansQHHT]

Or they are telling stories, or they are warnings in the latrine to beware of leopards and snakes 😂

[@zelly8163]

The controversial chap clutching his “membrum virile" appears to be, hush my mouth, more demon than human. Could the carving be a symbolic representation of the power of lust? Just throwing it our there, so to speak. Always fun hanging out with you both.

[@UtahGmaw99]

As an older woman I have a question. Have men really changed so much since then? No I don't think so. lol. Love the humor in this one. History is not as dry as most people think.

[@lawneymalbrough4309]

Women haven't really changed either girl.

[@lawneymalbrough4309]

Maybe that room was a public restriom with running water. The man is saying relieve yourself here. Peehaps the notches that were carved into the bench are for number two.

[@robertbrodie5183]

9000bc man grabs junk for 2 lepards 2022 man grabs junk over 2 cougars

[@squatch545]

Speaking for myself, I can't masturbate without leopards watching.

[@AloisWeimar]

@@Zehlendorf1scold and buzzkill

[@tomvalveede6808]

"l'm sorry, l will not lose my school boy humour, l cling to it with white knuckles!" Rupert. Love this, thank you! 🍀🍀🍀

[@sharonboltondesign]

THAT was the best! 😂😂😂

[@pencilpauli9442]

I'm not convinced that this is the oldest narrative art, and no idea how they seriously could have come up with the claim. The Lascaux bird headed "Shaman" with his bird staff and bison is dated at approximately 17,300 years B.P. Note that he is ithyphallic and depicted with a horned animal, though in this case a bison. Then there is the "... elaborate rock art panel from the limestone cave of Leang Bulu’ Sipong 4 (Sulawesi, Indonesia) that portrays several figures that appear to represent therianthropes hunting wild pigs and dwarf bovids; this painting has been dated to at least 43.9 ka on the basis of uranium-series analysis of overlying speleothems. This hunting scene is-to our knowledge-currently the oldest pictorial record of storytelling and the earliest figurative artwork in the world." From Nature, Article Published: 11 December 2019 "Earliest hunting scene in prehistoric art" Tate Modern describe narrative art as, "....simply a story. Narrative art is art that tells a story. Much of Western art until the twentieth century has been narrative, depicting stories from religion, myth and legend, history and literature (see history painting). Audiences were assumed to be familiar with the stories in question." So the above examples would qualify as narrative art.

[@808bigisland]

Wrong narrative and pretty words you copied :-) . Art is always a selfie of sex under the influence of multiple intoxicants. Here it is weed, shrooms and alc. The other art you cite are not portraits.

[@pencilpauli9442]

@@808bigisland Citation needed (or copying pretty words if you prefer) Did you attend the School of Hard Knocks by any chance, and graduate from the University of Life? "Art is always a selfie of sex under the influence of multiple intoxicants" As an artist I have never created paintings under the influence of recreational drugs. So I'm either not an artist or you are talking out of your bottom. My rhino is on the latter, since Titian, afaik, didn't do drugs either, and he definitely was an artist. #TheDeathOfActaeon It's not a selfie, it's a hunting scene btw 😉

[@veronica_._._._]

Thank You for your research, always helpful, when comments add data. Priapic Pot heads blurt? Not so much 🙄

[@nosillalaluna7078]

@@808bigisland hey ! BigHead , thought it's all about , live and let live , you be cool I'll be cool , peace , love and hari , hari where IAM assuming you are from ? Kindness is not pointing out the obvious and far be it from me to in anyway make an attempt to do so here . An ass is , an ass is , an ass is , an ass , until it's a RICHARD ! Just saying ... ✌️❤️🙏

[@coreck2]

What's most amazing for me is that they Had a decorated stone bench. As that would mean there should be way more od this stuff

[@eyesofisabelofficial]

Pointing Percy at the Prehistoric Porcelain ! Worth noting the Bas Reliefs similarity to recently outgoing cave paintings. Greetings from Coventry.

[@gordonstewart8258]

Why didn't you (or anyone else) mention the figure's face, which is clearly not human. I think that may be the key to the whole narrative. are we seeing a shaman performing some ritual? Was this perhaps some sort of animal spirit? Interesting, to say the least.

[@veronica_._._._]

Yes

[@jicajacobsonkimbreaux]

Looks like a nahual shaman to me.

[@veronica_._._._]

@@jicajacobsonkimbreaux Yes, Ur Shamanism. Method acting and NLP modelling are new ideas? As if. Animals are physiologically superior in every single way (apart from marathon endurance running) So yes trait modelling by identification actually makes as much sense as domesticating dogs did Smart people.

[@erlemartincarvalho1733]

Discovered your channel by chance. Thoroughly enjoyable insight to ancient man and archeology...in a serious yet humourous manner. Kudos.

[@emmetsweeney9236]

The phallic symbolism, plus the flanking felines, prove beyond reasonable doubt that these carvings are contemporary with First Dynasty Egypt and First Dynasty Sumeria, and are nowhere near 11,000 years old. This iconography is typical of - and unique to - the earliest phase of literate civilization in Egypt and the Fertile Crescent. When are "experts" going to stop making sensational and inflated claims about the antiquity of sites they are working at? Please, can this lunacy stop, as it is utterly destroying the credibility of archaeology as a discipline.

[@patriotUSA2007]

It could be similar to the erotic art in ancient Rome and Greece. Could also be their form of humor. The head also has some animistic features about it. No matter what, certainly fascinating.

[@saltysailor2308]

Thanks for noticing I find it odd so many others have not mentioned the animalistic typeface good on you

[@EridanuS86]

Bullshit, its all about the fertility cult, which they are practiced. There is a written record in the Bible, how they was swore, when they promised something to a person, they put their hands on the person's private parts under the waist and swore like that. It was a weird custom at those times.

[@ysannerawlings5437]

Great coverage guys! Re the 6 fingers on the 2nd image - interesting that Polydactyly, along with double dentition was frequently associated with the ‘giants’ purportedly found around the world and assumed to be the remnants of an antediluvian human species.

[@maisondusuave]

Older cave paintings look more clearly narrative to me! Much more so than this.

[@Faedotas]

Amazing content! Love you guys!! ♥️

[@ThePrehistoryGuys]

Thanks so much!

[@ShowMe888]

Could be the same message as the story of monk plucking and enjoying a strawberry even though he knows he's about to die.

[@sharon-anngerman9805]

Hello you lovely lovely informative gentleman...😁👋👋👋 I just discovered your channel and it's so interestingly funny and has peeked the interest, so here I am skipping through what I've already missed lol. I pray your both well and have stayed safe during these testing times🙃 Thank you for your insight and thoughts also thank you for your research and efforts. Loving the journey and happy to be carried away to the past with you both and I'm enjoying ever minute so thank you. Hope and pray you both the most success on the track of Life 🙏🕊️ 🇦🇺

[@ThePrehistoryGuys]

Thank you! You're very welcome Sharon. Hope to see you around. Michael 😊

[@skeptigal4626]

I love ancient history, and I love school boy humor, so you guys are perfect entertainment!

[@MH-ln6pv]

Sounds like a fairly standard Thursday night in Swindon

[@kimmcroberts5111]

Thank you for your work!

[@roxiepoe9586]

I love you. You are so smart, and nice, and sane, and funny. I never weary of listening to what you think/know about things that are impossible for me to see for myself.

[@ThePrehistoryGuys]

Wow, thank you! Means a lot hearing such words. Michael 😊

[@leekestner1554]

I think you are on the money about the guy taking a leak and being surprised by leopards. This bull is nearly identical to one carved on the T pillars at Gobekli Tepe. Both have the body erect but the head is seen from the top. I believe this is depicting a charging bull who is attempting to hook and gore and toss. It occurs to me that the "snake" may be a whip. This is because I was working at my college farm and the bull calves went fence hopping and had to be run in and sorted back into the right pens. Now these were weaned and already stood as tall as my chest, so about 4'6"; I had to hold him back with only a whip while the other cows were herded back to their pen. At first I just cut the air with the whip and got him to retreat. Finally I had to get him across his nose to keep him back. He bawled and got mad he tried again and I whacked him 3 times across his nose bridge. I called to the others to hurry because he was about to come through. I had reached the limit that I could keep him back. They closed the gate on the other cattle and I jumped to the side and up on the metal fence. He bellered and charged past hooking his head like the bull in the frieze.

[@SuperRobinjames]

The guy between the leopards is eerily reminiscent of the so called 'master of beasts'imagery we see thousands of years later in Mesopotamia.

[@telebubba5527]

Potnia Theron. It would be amazing, depicting a belief system that has dominated thousands of years longer than the Abrahamic ones. In fact up into the middle ages, from Scandinavia into India these images were used.

[@Cl0ckcl0ck]

Or a football player no wanting to get the ball in some part with a freekick. Probably didn't want to feed the leopards a sausage.

[@veronica_._._._]

The motif, Human flanked by 2 animals from an artist's decorative point of view is the most aesthetic. For example ometimes it was a woman (goddess?) Giving birth on a birth stool, flanked by 2 smaller birth attendants, or central stylised tree flanked by ... Down to the modern day shield, flanked by 2 mythical beasts. It's a timeless tripartite arrangement that humans really like. So we have to decide is it decorative primarily, or narrative primarily, or a blend? My take is, that this image is arranged decoratively but is narrative, read syncretically, it represents potency, specifically to do with dominating animals in the hunt "psychically" by having a kind of "woo" power of "predator dominance," and that the orgasm is just the most to hand (no pun intended) intense sensation to punctuate this conviction.

[@SuperRobinjames]

@@veronica_._._._ I have seen african tribesmen on TV,(maybe Masi), walk confidently towards a feeding lion and scare it from it's kill so they could eat it. This is the time when animal domestication started happening too, whoever looked at an aurochs and decided he could tame it had some cahoonas lol.

[@veronica_._._._]

@@SuperRobinjames l think the Germans are trying to breed rare breed cattle back to something resembling Aurochs, that would be so spooky, them coming out of the morning mist at you. Saw that clip too, they wait until the lion's are satiated on gut contents, fat and organ meat, then shoo them away for a min. nip in, grab one of the legs that's been left till last, and then leg it with the zebra leg on their shoulder! Good connect - l guess that does make lions kind of benefactors for them in their minds. Each Masai youth has to kill 1 lion too. Their lives are intertwined.

[@simoncaulfield33]

If I had a pound for every time I heard the expression "horny leopards" I'd have approximately £1! 😳

[@ThePrehistoryGuys]

🤣

[@dadsonworldwide3238]

Keep your hands to yourself. Eyes of judgment are upon you it's as swift as a leopard. Other tribes and nations will get you in your moment of weakness. These are well known near eastern animal symbolisms. In the Bible the 4 winged leopard is thought to be the quickness of Alexander the greats conquest.

[@thesharpiefp]

Horny leopards sounds like a punk band from the 80s😅

[@fourravens4638]

Prof Martin Sweatman made a convincing argument for the constellation symbolism of the animals depicted at Gobleki Tepe. I see the same symbolism here. The man between the felines reminds me of a "master of beast symbol " and the other man with the spear and snake has also survived until now, for example in Saint George. And the penis bit.. perhaps fertility linked to the milkyway, Egyptian pharaohs have been depicted similarly.

[@judygreenwood4696]

Great speculation!

[@patriciadean1649]

Love what you two do 😎

[@patdee5124]

I think the carvings head looks more cat like especially a side view.

[@bobthornton1109]

Or monkey like!

[@robotxul]

I think the carving with the man and leopards looks to be on a lower wall of what appears to be an indoor bathroom, I could be wrong but theres a hole in the floor and the bench seats are similar to other ancient toilets, and maybe the carving tells of the danger of peeing outside where danger lurks behind you.

[@janmulcahy1458]

The fella with the bull is probably holding up a red rag! 🤣🤣🤣

[@world_musician]

love the headlines! thats engaging the public for ya

[@andynichols9476]

Cling to it with white knuckles after conversing such a politely named topic of 'narative art' 😂 just won my subscription, but maturely.. i will say i follow other channels such as unchartedx and people like graham hancock, after learning everything i have from those sort of open minded people has given me the appreciation to enjoy your podcasts also, i truly enjoy the angles you guys approach the topics of these sites, thank you for your work. 😊

[@lindagates9150]

Linda here so 👍 thanks for the laughs loved the last one I endorse your choice as the best one I suspect there might be some older ones found since it could be a enjoyable activity although I am not equipped to know that it is indeed enjoyable 😇 sorry I have to go I owe I owe so I am leaving for work I an wondering as I leave the little man could be relieving himself and having a dump

[@schwadevivre4158]

My best beloved observed after your intro that it sounded like a normal Saturday night in Whitehaven

[@ThePrehistoryGuys]

🤣🤣🤣

[@wayne00k]

As a bench large enough for several people this was likely a communal setting - and could simply be a bit of humor shared amongst friends

[@Ck-zk3we]

If people sat cross legged on the bench than the carving would be much more visible.

[@mrmcg2575]

Good Sir I am holding on to my school boy humor with white knuckles too!! And I am not even a boy! Lol Thanks for these videos. I very much enjoy them.

[@eyemallears2647]

Thanks guys, new subscriber here

[@Wildflower0705]

Welcome to the Club!

[@youlemur]

One week later I am still shocked and awestruck that Rupert has got an actual camera at last! Instead of streaming from what I suppose was his good old trusty 1991 washing machine.

[@ThePrehistoryGuys]

Haha, well at least you noticed. I'm using my 1Dx mk2 which is great when we're recording but for live broadcasting it wasn't convenient as a webcam. Sadly the reason it always appeared that I was coming via the 1991 washing machine was all down to bandwidth, but we do recordings locally. Live shows will continue to come via the washing machine for the time being:) R

[@kurteibell2885]

Does the carving with the guy holding his junk look different from the other carvings? I think so, and I think they were done by different people at different times. It will be interesting to see what other carvings are uncovered.

[@ThePdog3k]

Nearly all of these ancient sites were inhabited or at least visited much later than their original construction dates. And there is quite similar art in all of these local 'tepe' sites which all date to roughly the same period.

[@TWOCOWS1]

Thank you for continuing to record and show the new Mirazan sites (the original, local Kurdish name for the recent official gov name). Mirazan ("miracle maker"). the local, childless women give offering at these hills, hoping for a child. The fertility myth of the hills, still lingers. Mirazan is the meaningful, localname for this entire super old civilization/culture. A lot better than the silly name of Gobekli ("potbelly")-- given to it by the ruling government there . I hope you continue showing us more and more of the Mirazan sites as they get dug up

[@michelewhite36]

I immediately wondered if that low bench might have originally been a washroom possibly repurposed or covered over somehow?

[@jacobluria526]

I don’t know who these two are. But that was educational and hilarious.

[@Wildflower0705]

as always! I love them and we are a realy nice Patreon Community...

[@HeardFromMeFirst]

Blimey its been a while...had no internet for 3 months..look forward to watching this later..❤ from a Londoner living in Spain...(part time now due to Brexit shengen rules) 😂

[@helenamcginty4920]

I want to know the story. Spent my (pre tv) childhood reading and rereading often gruesome fairy tales. Anderson and Grimm for starters. I think that Rupert has hit the nail on the head relating back to stories we know.

[@lindasue8719]

(I really should wait till the end of the video before I comment... 😄) My first thought when I saw the photo here was that the narrative is simply a cautionary tale referencing what happened to Joe down the road. 😄 (I had to laugh, after I wrote that then you talked about Joe, too LOL) When you showed where it's **situated** I couldn't help think if it was another artiste pulling a prank on the folks in attendance, not unlike the naughty figures one finds tucked away in medieval churches.

[@HypaBumfuzzle]

YYYAAAYYYYYYYY!!! hello sirs! Thank you for the stimulating breakfast for my brain this morning!!

[@alfonsoduran6910]

Six fingers is actually common in a lot of older statuary..

[@Daoland-Everywhere]

Considering that the space is round(ish) and possibly larger we may expect more imagery that clarifies the underlying story. So are there plans to dig up the whole place?

[@badgerpa9]

The fairy tale goes well with the current saying "do not get caught with your pants down" Poor guy just went to urinate without a guard to protect him. If you have a dog you know they watch you to see if you are looking around to protect them. They would have needed to teach the children not to go out on their own if there was leopards around. The "man" does look a little cat like also. please do not let go of your humor life is to short if you do not laugh often. Stay safe and healthy Gents.

[@cabbking]

To me, this looks like a possible public toilet. that hole in the floor may have been fitted with a wooden seat and the art was to identify that this was the place to pee.

[@badgerpa9]

@@cabbking But it has to be a religious site doesn't it? lol

[@Wildflower0705]

@@badgerpa9 😂

[@nomadpurple6154]

@@badgerpa9 Nice one!

[@stevechamberlain2419]

Nice relief carving :)

[@Getpojke]

I don't know if its just the angles I seen of this, but the central "onanist" figure looks like he has a leopard/feline face, whilst being surrounded by big cats. Could he be masked or some sort of god, hybrid animal/human figure? The other figure is holding a "snake"!? As the bull is presenting its head in this fashion; could it be a rope/lasso to place over the horn/head? Great video as always gents, thank you.

[@ionicafardefrica]

Im not sure they had tamed cows at that point in history. probably more of a hunting tale

[@medievalladybird394]

The man between the big cats does look a bit like a cat himself, I agree

[@veronica_._._._]

@@medievalladybird394 Ritual identification with apex predator.

[@paulnewman3292]

The image of the man holding his best friend: his face looks distinctly feline to me, especially the shape and positioning of the ears. Possibly a 'Lion-Man' precursor. Thoughts anyone?

[@joanberkwitz2662]

Agreed!!

[@veronica_._._._]

He is identifying with apex predators, (and using climax as an anchor), to "imagine" where the prey animals will be tomorrow, and to have courage and superhuman skills and sensory powers. (all lion motif) in the dangerous hunt. Self belief is a helluva thing.

[@willardsteele4857]

Lion man successor maybe. I recall that lion man statue goes back even deeper in time. Around 40,000 years.

[@jicajacobsonkimbreaux]

@@veronica_._._._ this is exactly along the lines of what I was thinking, maybe some kind of shamanistic ritual sex magic. Why would they be specifically hunting large predatory cats, though? I wonder which gods and goddesses were associated with big cats in this time period? Is there any other related iconography in the area? I'm assuming that when they classified these as leopards, it was because of some visible spotting of the coat. Is there any way that these motifs might be related to the very distant/ancient Jaguar cults found throughout Central and South America? We see many Mesopotamian-origin lion goddesses (along with some references to what appears to be Hathor in Vedic artwork in India/East Asia), but are any of those specifically spotted cats?

[@veronica_._._._]

@@jicajacobsonkimbreaux Not Tantric tho. "Solo". (Tantras focus on refining mutual pleasure. Sometimes on a imagined energy vampirism. They underpin one category of creation myth (or a within the time frame of this vid, a classical to modern period, have a goal of individuation paradoxically thru loss of self, inflation of ego and god identification) For Lion man, solitary onanism or a "near terminal erection" (priapism) brought about by the garotte or Spanish fly type toxins, cause a "passing into the other world", where the prey animal collective spirit actually dwelt, a death that was faked, and the life and "soul" risks huge. The petit mort association, too of course. So ordeal, sex and death are intimately related in a fully natural life, they will have observed the reality of the" post mortem erection" and drawn their own conclusions from that They were killing animals so frequently, artifacts around their deaths, would be central to their symbol system. Why kill large cats? If they did so, (like the current Masai), it was because you weren't formally a man until you had killed one. Initiation ceremonies are often strangely seen as "just hazing" to moderns, but they had a high attrition rate, were extremely traumatising (and still are in New Guinea) often caused dissociation and splitting and grave injury. Why did they come about then if the "costs" were high ? They gave male elders complete mental control over young men and boys. The initiates split off the reality; that the masked figures that had toturted them, were guised humans,close relatives often, not the tribal totems portrayed, this was very double binding. Graduate" to manhood and the men's house, die, or shatter/undergo serious maiming, were the 3 outcomes. Those that were physiologically or psychologically maimed became smiths, potters or healers, (not the high status hunters/warriors) any of those 3 trades, could also make themselves useful as shaman.. Back to our Lion man, who had internalised a lion spirit whole, (alter persona), rather than having the lion's heart/liver" his lights" his courage as an arms length extra tool at his disposal as a successful hunter would.. If the Goddess was the mother of all animals (cornucopia of prey animals) she was also likely depicted enthroned and flanked by leopards depicted like 2 "chair arms," (there is a famous figurine) I think Domesticated dogs were somehow on an opposite and opposing symbolic pole to Wild Large cats, on every continent, in human mythology, and so jaguars would fill that symbolic niche. Sekhmet the lioness goddess of the wilderness (Egypt actually had large solitary desert lions in that period) and plague drought and pestilence, also had a "mild side" Bast ( our word pussy) cat who represented healing. Off the top of my head, that's everything, yeah?

[@petehoover6616]

The frieze is in bas relief. The man is in haut relief. It is clear to men what happened: that man was not the original image. A teenager with some carving skills came along later and defaced it. He is graffiti. It also appears he was carved with a different technique, using different tools and with a different skill level from the two cats. I thought the lions' coats were carved with a toothed chisel at first, before I realized that would have been impossible. There is no sign of that tool on the surface of the man, who appears to have been sanded more.

[@MediaFaust]

It would make more sense if those cats were identified as "cougars".

[@Ck-zk3we]

Or Asiatic Lion

[@MediaFaust]

@@Ck-zk3we My point was that cougar is American slang for a sexually aggressive woman of mature age.

[@TheDeadlyDan]

That looks, to me at least, like possibly a theater or an enclosure for gaming of some sort. Wonder if it's an old brownstone?

[@wiretamer5710]

PPN Pre-pottery Neolithic is such a cool name for a very cool subject. I'm trying to wrap my imagination around an urban culture with a food surplus permitting megalithic monument construction, yet does not possess pottery. Where does that leave them for storing and transporting water, boiling water? If you have to rely on water proof baskets, leather, stone and wood utensils. One thing that comes to mind is the absence of the wheel, or related circular motion as a means of production. Without pottery, everything you make is a one off. Batch processing simply isn't necessary. Stockpiling excess manufactured goods for trade will be a great challenge. Without pottery there are no 'disposable' artefacts, So everything must be repaired or replaced from scratch. labor time is the ultimate measure of value.

[@douginorlando6260]

Baskets go back in time at least 8000 years before this relief. A Neanderthal cave had evidence of twine. Fibers spun together into strands with a clockwise twist, then 3 strands spun together using a counterclockwise twist. Also, very old pre pottery exists which is essentially clay pressed against a woven basket

[@megret1808]

Have been there. A highly recommended bucket list item. GT is situated directly between the headwaters of both the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Anatolia is covered with such deep time occupied locations. Cappadocia is an ant farm looking and really old

[@Shelmerdine745]

The talk should really be on why we haven’t seen more imagery like this in archaeology and why it causes snickering today.

[@JacqTracks]

Thanks!

[@briancottrelljr8998]

Reminds me of the early Egyptian myth and the romanized Mithra. Have you read Andrew Collin's book "The Cygnus Key". I know that he might be outside mainstream academia but his point still stick in my head.

[@darlahenri8095]

This is why cilization not only has not progressed but will never. Pityful😮

[@emseebe]

Given the amount of animal carvings associated with these sites in Turkiye, it would be interesting to explore any possible connections to the steppe nomads to the north who also had an abundance of animals portrayed in their crafts.

[@SThomson-cr1zr]

Don't ever lose your school boy humor. It keeps you young.

[@fonce9965]

My 1st thought of the guy in side relief "Attacking" the leopards, was not holding a snake or rattle in his hand, but instead, an ancient weapon known as a "SLING".

[@MyTv-]

Seems like a possible Keith Haring motif. If you ever seen one of his exhibitions, you know.

[@MrDivined]

Just a heads up, there's a high pitch sound coming constantly from Rupert's microphone! :)

[@lulubelle0bresil]

If we look at art we're familiar with, "chap holding a lightning bolt" "chap with wings" "chap holding an axe" "chap nailed to wood" "chap holding stone tablets" we immediately know the mythology it involves. This could be a creation myth - where we see an ordinary man they could see a god creating the universe, or a tale of bravery like the one you mentioned. The fact that there is a scene with a bull/aurochs right next to it seems indicative of its importance, since bulls appear in many representations in that area and in adjacent cultures. Then again it could be simply a tacky mural like the ones we see in Roman villas that someone had made to entertain their guests...

[@cA7up]

Lol one last shake😮😅

[@gayna2]

Its a grim fairy tale from pre history. The man in the middle is so preoccupied that he does not notice the danger around him. This would be a warning from mothers to sons in story form...at a time when being alert to your surroundings would be key to survival. And the moral of the story is......pay attention!

[@janetmackinnon3411]

Coes anone else see the head of the man facing out as the head of an animal? Or a man in a mask?

[@jamesbosha2475]

It’s the world’s oldest 2-panel cartoon. Everyone in the village knew the story of the hero who fought off a raging bull by seizing and brandishing a venomous snake at the beast. Knowing this tale our other would be hero-a sort of pre-pottery Charlie Brown-is ambushed by leopards and, unable to locate a convenient snake, he…well… The gag tells itself really.

[@noeraldinkabam]

Are the details on the knob carved or by accident?

[@domusaurea]

Could you please give the full reference for the paper at 2:47? Thanks!

[@ThePrehistoryGuys]

www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/sayburc-reliefs-a-narrative-scene-from-the-neolithic/3A35B54B3265C7224CB225FE70EBDD02

[@joeladkins1046]

What is the rest of the context of the building? What is the bench for? Or the two channels in the half circle ‘bench’

[@OhioShaolin]

13:10 man appears to be leaping -like the "Minoan" bull acrobats

[@marianne6876]

The different carving style looks like the man and the cats have been carved by different people. Maybe even carved at different times.

[@nosillalaluna7078]

Way to go ! Good observation!

[@majuscule8883]

Someone wanted to make fun of something sacred of a different culture, an much ancient phallic passage ritual from a different tribe that his people invaded.

[@ltramd]

My thought is that people settled in the area and with the passing of time, the opportunistic leopards began to prey on them (think Ghost In The Darkness) this is a warning sign and reiteration to watch out for predators when peeing before bedtime. There also may have been a convergence of people who spoke different languages or dialects coming from distant places. Carvings would help convey local messaging.

[@lesjones6745]

One can certainly imagine this guy, over 11,000 years ago, finding himself surrounded by leopards, is doing exactly what schoolboys under threat have always done: grabbed his 'manhood' and intoned the traditional 'Oh Mummy', imploring her for help.

[@middle-agedmacdonald2965]

The origin of how the Calvin pissing on "whatever" bumper sticker evolved.

[@gilpolanco1514]

It's just an old warning, "If you clutch the Zeus, you'll be eaten by leopards."

[@mdms2161]

I love yhe humour and the seriousness of the 2.

[@jonhylow1239]

So I believe that the 6 fingered humanoid was another humanoid life form on this planet, which was hostile to us, just like those predators on the wall.

[@thinginthewoods1414]

The carvings make me think of Gary Larson for some reason.

[@veronica_._._._]

His animals are drawn like that 😂

[@acfanter]

Made me wonder if it was a bathroom

[@Tipi_Dan]

The village on top of the tell will be evacuated and razed to enable comprehensive excavations of the site.

[@youlemur]

This looks to me like public toilets, with little drainage ditches that you squat above to relieve yourself, with a main drainage hole in the bottom, and with a sculpted figure of a man who is peeing.

[@EamonCoyle]

Why can't it be an early bit of hidden comedy and fun, if it is small and "hidden" why does it need to have a meaning. We should stand in awe because that was 11000 years ago and I think you would struggle to find a mason with that kind of talent today !!

[@rhettoracle9679]

Public restroom with fierce animals encouraging careful aim.

[@TheGrungy1]

Giggling hell. I'm rolling.

[@ChrisBV]

Given that ceramics were made 35,000 years ago, shouldn't we rename "pre-pottery neolithic"? Maybe "lost pottery neolithic"?