Turkish Stonehenge: Gobekli Tepe

By Joe Plegge

Joe Plegge has discovered the astronomical purpose of T-shaped pillars at Gobekli Tepe, an archaeological dig site in southeastern Turkey. Similar to the famous Stonehenge in England, Gobekli Tepe also has circles of stone pillars. Joe Plegge discovered that Gobekli Tepe was used as a solar calendar, some 7,000 years before Stonehenge was built. This discovery sheds new light on the society of early humans and redefines the beginnings of civilization and astronomy. His book, Turkish Stonehenge: Gobekli Tepe, details the findings of his research.

According to Mr. Plegge, there are over 1,000 stone henges in Europe, and Stonehenge, the most popular, is just a short drive from London. It has stone pillars in a circular pattern, and they are aligned to follow the solstices. People gather every year at Stonehenge to observe the June Solstice.

Gobekli Tepe is currently being excavated by Prof. Dr. Klaus Schmidt, in association with the German Archaeological Institute, officials from the Turkish Government, and the Sanliurfa Museum. This site includes numerous circular structures made from carved limestone pillars. While researching the dig site, Joe Plegge discovered that at least one of the stone circles was designed specifically to track equinoxes and solstices.

In Turkish Stonehenge: Gobekli Tepe, he reveals the origins of the people who built the stone circles and where they learned to carve stone. Using straightforward and uncomplicated language, he describes how solar events were observed at Gobekli Tepe and at Stonehenge. Finally, he offers the proof that the descendants of the builders of Gobekli Tepe migrated throughout Europe and settled in England thousands of years before Stonehenge was built.

"The legacy of Gobekli Tepe will be the celestial knowledge that was passed from one culture to the next," said Joe Plegge. Before the invention of the wheel, writing, or metal tools, hunter/gatherers in 10,000 BC built a 20-acre complex. That alone would be considered a remarkable feat, but Mr. Plegge's discovery shows these early humans were much more advanced than previously thought. Their knowledge of celestial observations played a key role in their survival.

Many people believe mankind first kept track of these solar events to assist with agriculture. Mr. Plegge's discovery proves that our ancestors were monitoring the seasons over 1,000 years before grains were first domesticated. "At the time of the construction of Gobekli Tepe, humans in this area were in the process of transitioning from hunter/gatherers to a settled society," stated Joe Plegge. "They started to harvest wild grains, and this ultimately lead to the first strains of domesticated wheat."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Joe Plegge
• Release date: Nov 15, 2012
• ISBN: 9780988226616

Joe Plegge

Joe Plegge (rhymes with Peggy) is a retired educator and computer professional, and he currently resides with his wife in Dickinson, North Dakota. A son of a U.S. Army dentist, Joe travelled around the world with his family. He worked as a civilian instructor at the U.S. Army Armor School teaching communicative skills to officers and NCOs. He started writing educational computer programs in 1990 and worked in the computer industry for 25 years.

Book preview

Turkish Stonehenge:

Gobekli Tepe

Joe Plegge

tmp_d430936305a32c137e81064e21641ca1_zIwhla_html_m4f6997fc.jpg

Plegge Enterprises

Astronomy compels the soul to look upwards and leads us from this world to another. –Plato

Turkish Stonehenge: Gobekli Tepe

Copyright © 2012 Plegge Enterprises

Published by Plegge Enterprises at Smashwords

All rights reserved. This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Author: Joe Plegge

www.turkishstonehenge.com

ISBN: 978-0-9882266-0-9

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations and Credits

Chapter 1 - Overview

Chapter 2 - Location

Chapter 3 - The Builders

Chapter 4 - Site Burial

Chapter 5 - The Totem Pole

Chapter 6 - Architecture

Chapter 7 - Celestial Observations

Chapter 8 - Additional Astronomical Evidence

Chapter 9 - Origins in Cave Art

Chapter 10 - Usage

Chapter 11 - Stonehenge

Chapter 12 - DNA Evidence

Chapter 13 - Conclusion

Bibliography

List of Illustrations and Credits

1.1: Archaeological Site at Gobekli Tepe

1.2: Sketch of the First Four Excavated Stone Circles

1.3: Bas-relief Carving of a Fox

2.1: Map of Turkey, Courtesy of the CIA World Factbook, Modified

2.2: View from the Top of Gobekli Tepe

3.1: Pillar 27 in Stone Circle C, Public Domain Photograph, Wikipedia, Cropped

3.2: Timeline of Major Historical Advancements and Events

3.3: Map of Major Ancient Villages within 150 Miles of Gobekli Tepe

3.4: Urfa Man Statue

4.1: Central Pillars in Stone Circle D

4.2: Map of the Fertile Crescent, Courtesy of the CIA World Factbook, Modified

5.1: The Totem Pole

6.1: Quarry Photograph Used by Permission of David Mayes, Melbourne, Australia

6.2: Sketch of Stone Circle A

6.3: Photograph of Stone Circle A

6.4: Sketch of Stone Circle B

6.5: Photograph of Stone Circle B

6.6: Sketch of Stone Circle C

6.7: Photograph of Stone Circle C

6.8: Sketch of Stone Circle D

6.9: Photograph of Stone Circle D

6.10: Photograph of Stone Circle E

6.11: Photograph of Stone Circle F

6.12: Cup-marks and Post Holes

7.1: Illustration of Equinoxes and Solstices

7.2: Illustration of Sunrises and Degrees

7.3: Illustration of Sunlight through Pillars with Holes and onto Pillars with Cup-marks

7.4: Pillar 43, View from the East and Pillar 30, View from the West

7.5: Computer Simulation of Stone Circle D during an Equinox

7.6: The Tilted Stone

7.7: Pillar 19, Stone Circle D

7.8: Computer Simulation of Stone Circle D on the December Solstice

7.9: Computer Simulation of Stone Circle D on the June Solstice

7.10: Pillar 30, Detail

7.11: Photograph of Hole Stone 1, 2009, Used by Permission of Markus Numberger, Herxheim, Germany

7.12: Hole Stone 1, 2011

7.13: Photograph of Hole Stone 2, 2009, Used by Permission of David Mayes, Melbourne, Australia

8.1: Pillar 43, Stone Circle D, View from West

8.2: Pillar 12 in the Walkway around Stone Circle C

8.3: Stone with Cup-mark on the Wall in Stone Circle F

8.4: Pillar 15 (Background) in Stone Circle B

9.1: Public Domain Photograph of the Black Stag in the Lascaux II Cave, France

9.2: The Crossed Bison, Photograph Used by Permission of Don Hitchcock, donsmaps.com

11.1: Photograph of Stonehenge, Courtesy of the CIA World Factbook, Cropped

11.2: Drawing of Stonehenge (Knight 3)

11.3: Drawing of Reconstructed Stonehenge (Knight 3)

11.4: Computer Simulation of a Trilithon

11.5: Public Domain Computer Simulation of the Heel Stone at Stonehenge, Courtesy of MorgueFile.com

11.5: Public Domain Computer Simulation of the Station Stones at Stonehenge, Courtesy of MorgueFile.com

13.1: The Continuing Excavation at Gobekli Tepe

Back to top

Chapter One

Overview

In southeastern Turkey near the city of Sanliurfa, there is a buried man-made complex of stone circles and adjoining rooms called Gobekli Tepe, a name meaning belly-shaped mountain. The complex was constructed around 10,000 BC and covered with dirt to form the top of a hill. Excavations began in 1995 by Prof. Dr. Klaus Schmidt, and he continues to work with officials from the Turkish Government, the Sanliurfa Museum, and the German Archaeological Institute to uncover the site.

With each passing year, Gobekli Tepe reveals more and more secrets, giving us hints as to its meanings. While researching the work of Dr. Schmidt and his crew, I have made a startling discovery