Dr. Lee Clare

Yeah, it's funny you say that because there are a couple of sites. I mean, excavated quite a few years ago now at Chayenu, I mentioned it earlier. It's one of the earliest sites that was discovered in the 1960s and actually excavation started shortly after the survey work. And that's located further to the east of Gobekli Tepe in the Diyarbakir region.

Yeah, it's funny you say that because there are a couple of sites. I mean, excavated quite a few years ago now at Chayenu, I mentioned it earlier. It's one of the earliest sites that was discovered in the 1960s and actually excavation started shortly after the survey work. And that's located further to the east of Gobekli Tepe in the Diyarbakir region.

Yeah, it's funny you say that because there are a couple of sites. I mean, excavated quite a few years ago now at Chayenu, I mentioned it earlier. It's one of the earliest sites that was discovered in the 1960s and actually excavation started shortly after the survey work. And that's located further to the east of Gobekli Tepe in the Diyarbakir region.

There they found the so-called skull building, and they have actually a building, a ritual structure, they say, and within that there was a room full of human skulls.

There they found the so-called skull building, and they have actually a building, a ritual structure, they say, and within that there was a room full of human skulls.

There they found the so-called skull building, and they have actually a building, a ritual structure, they say, and within that there was a room full of human skulls.

We don't know who those individuals were, but interestingly, just recently in the frame of the new investigations in the Orpha region at a site called Sephetepa, there was also a small room in a building discovered which also contained numerous skulls. So the burial traditions were varied. perhaps depending on who you were, your status, your age, your place in society.

We don't know who those individuals were, but interestingly, just recently in the frame of the new investigations in the Orpha region at a site called Sephetepa, there was also a small room in a building discovered which also contained numerous skulls. So the burial traditions were varied. perhaps depending on who you were, your status, your age, your place in society.

We don't know who those individuals were, but interestingly, just recently in the frame of the new investigations in the Orpha region at a site called Sephetepa, there was also a small room in a building discovered which also contained numerous skulls. So the burial traditions were varied. perhaps depending on who you were, your status, your age, your place in society.

That's how you mean there was a skull card, but also there was the inhumations, but also this skull collection point, as it were, in some of the buildings. Skull collection point. Well, there you go. Sorry, it's a bit of a strange term to use.

That's how you mean there was a skull card, but also there was the inhumations, but also this skull collection point, as it were, in some of the buildings. Skull collection point. Well, there you go. Sorry, it's a bit of a strange term to use.

That's how you mean there was a skull card, but also there was the inhumations, but also this skull collection point, as it were, in some of the buildings. Skull collection point. Well, there you go. Sorry, it's a bit of a strange term to use.

Yeah. I mean, as I said, we now know that the site was not a purely ritual site as previously sort of posited, but in fact, it was a settlement from the offset.

Yeah. I mean, as I said, we now know that the site was not a purely ritual site as previously sort of posited, but in fact, it was a settlement from the offset.

Yeah. I mean, as I said, we now know that the site was not a purely ritual site as previously sort of posited, but in fact, it was a settlement from the offset.

So in fact, we've got a couple of new, I say new, back in 2017-18, we had two new permanent canopies constructed over the site to protect the archaeology from the elements, because of course, the weather down there is pretty harsh, especially in the summer, it's very hot.

So in fact, we've got a couple of new, I say new, back in 2017-18, we had two new permanent canopies constructed over the site to protect the archaeology from the elements, because of course, the weather down there is pretty harsh, especially in the summer, it's very hot.

So in fact, we've got a couple of new, I say new, back in 2017-18, we had two new permanent canopies constructed over the site to protect the archaeology from the elements, because of course, the weather down there is pretty harsh, especially in the summer, it's very hot.

and the sun etc but to construct these canopies we had to sort of remove sondages where the legs of these things were going to be anchored into the plateau so we had to go through all the I couldn't drill for the archaeology we had to remove it first so we went through little sondages in several places right down to the base of the mound and found sort of

and the sun etc but to construct these canopies we had to sort of remove sondages where the legs of these things were going to be anchored into the plateau so we had to go through all the I couldn't drill for the archaeology we had to remove it first so we went through little sondages in several places right down to the base of the mound and found sort of