Çakmaktepe, older than Göbeklitepe

[BillTre]

Some of @Evo's posts got me interested in this a few years ago.
There have been some threads on here about Göbeklitepe (in Turkey), one of the oldest known archeological sites.
Çakmaktepe, one of several sites near and somewhat similar to Göbeklitepe that have been recently described, however it is even older.
This video argues that it an early settlement based on trapping large animal herds which allowed the people there to settle down. The video also places this site in a sequence of settlements leading to villages eventually based on agriculture.

 

[Astronuc]

I heard a video about Çakmaktepe a couple of days ago. I recognized references to Göbeklitepe, but I had not heard about Çakmaktepe before. It is supposed to be about 12000+ years old, or slightly older than Göbeklitepe, and there may be more sites in the region.




A new (Feb 2026) PBS NOVA video on Göbeklitepe.



I was trying to resolve the end of the last glacial period, which 'ended' about 11700 years ago with the end of the Pleisocene and beginning of the Holocene, or the transition between the two periods. Ostensibly the climate was very different at that time, and the climate changed dramatically over the next 1500 years.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_Glacial_Period
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10th_millennium_BC

 

[Klystron]

When studying modern maps showing ancient sites, consider technological limitations particularly transportation. Assuming some level of animal domestication and wheeled manufacture, an ox cart or donkey or camel caravan might traverse 8 miles on a good travel day. A lightly burdened rider might cover 20 miles, less on uneven terrain; a fit adult runner somewhat less. Convenient water sources are critical. Carrying food, forage and water reduces cargo carrying capability while increasing travel times.

Sites that appear adjacent to modern eyes could be distant, culturally and linguistically distinct in ancient times. A human anthropology class visited a 6000 year old dig near the modern California coast then drove in a few minutes to a similarly dated site in nearby hills. "Now let's walk back to the first site," the senior anthropologist stated for emphasis. Though possible following modern roads and cleared trails, the journey that took us less than an hour by automobile would ential weeks of arduous trekking 6000 years ago requiring planning of a major expedition.

(Sources include "The Ohlone Way" by Malcolm Margolin. The emphasis on transporation limitations are my own. Margolin and others note language and cultural disparities among then contemporary native American tribes living in what appear to be close proximity by modern standards.)