Image: Göbeklitepe Building C 5372 (cropped)

Description: Building C feature at least two, more likely three, concentric walls. It has a round-oval ground plan and has a diameter of some 30 metres. As such, it is the largest of the excavated megalithic monumental buildings so far discovered at Göbekli Tepe. Its two central T-shaped pillars appear to have been destroyed in antiquity, when a large robber pit was excavated into the building and the two monoliths intentionally destroyed. It is still unclear when this destruction occurred, but most likely in the prehistoric (Neolithic?) period. Remarkable for this building and also for Building D, is that the two central pillars were slotted into two carefully carved pedestals. These pedestals had been worked from the natural limestone bedrock. The floor of this building is the equally carefully smoothed natural rock surface of the limestone plateau. The western central pillar was partially restored in 2009. On its left broad side there is the depiction of a large fox (in low relief). The bottom part of the eastern shaft was found in-situ, i.e. still inserted in its carved podest. This pillar is still preserved to a height of 2 metres, though its original height was probably around 5 metres. It appears that this pillar had also been subjected to burning at the time of the deliberate destruction, as testified by its flaky appearance. All other T-shaped pillars belonging to Building C are found at more or less regular intervals within the two inner concentric walls of the building. Eleven pillars have so far been found in the inner ring, while the second ring features seven pillars. This number would very likely increase if excavations were continued. It dates from the 10th-9th mill. BC
Title: Göbeklitepe Building C 5372 (cropped)
Credit: Own work
Author: Dosseman
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0
License: CC BY-SA 4.0
License Link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Attribution Required?: Yes