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Neo-Lithics. The Newsletter of Southwest Asian Neolithic Research , Bd. 21 (2021)

Review of Konrad N. Godtfredsen and Moritz Kinzel, 2020. The fox: a tale from Neolithic Shk��rat Msaied. Istanbul: Ege Yay��nlar��. ISBN 978-605-7673-50-3., Neo-Lithics. The Newsletter of Southwest Asian Neolithic Research , Bd. 21 (2021)

In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird die These aufgestellt, dass die heutige Landschaftsauffassung von dem neolithischen Fundort G��bekli Tepe (S��dostt��rkei) nicht auf Grundlage einer tats��chlichen Erforschung der Landschaft entstand. Stattdessen gehe ich davon aus, dass sich die Landschaftsauffassung durch eine semantische ��bertragung der dem Platz zugeschriebenen Singularit��t auf die Landschaft herausbildete. Verschiedene Aspekte, die das heute g��ngige Narrativ zum G��bekli Tepe und insbesondere das zu seiner Landschaft pr��gen, werden als Spiegel rezenter Denkweisen und Wahrnehmungsformen angesehen. Ziel der Arbeit ist es einerseits diese These zu ��berpr��fen und andererseits ��berpr��fbare landschaftliche Analysen zu liefern, die als dringend notwendig erachtet werden, um zuk��nftig ein theoretisch begr��ndetes und reflektiertes Narrativ zum G��bekli Tepe entwickeln zu k��nnen. Einem hermeneutischen Ansatz folgend, wird die Landschaft des G��bekli Tepe in ���zirkul��r��� aufeinander aufbauenden Teilen aus der Perspektive unterschiedlicher Landschafts bzw. Raumbegriffe betrachtet. Um sich der Landschaftswahrnehmung im Neolithikum n��hern zu k��nnen, wird ein emphatischer Zugang gew��hlt, bei dem von den eigenen abweichende, intersubjektive, also nachvollziehbare Wahrnehmungsmuster betrachtet werden. Mit Hilfe dieser Vorgehensweise, die gewinnbringend arch��ologische und geographische Arbeitsweisen interdisziplin��r miteinander verkn��pft, erfolgt eine Neuinterpretation des G��bekli Tepe. Die St��tte wird hierbei nicht wie bisher meist angenommen als die Neolithisierung vorantreibend angesehen, sondern als r��ckw��rtsgewandter Ort, an dem an der pal��olithischen Lebensweise festgehalten wurde. Es wird gezeigt, dass die Standortwahl nicht aus den in der Literatur zumeist angef��hrten Gr��nden einer gew��nschten Kontrolle, Effizienz oder Prominenz erfolgte. Stattdessen sind die Architektur und der Standort des G��bekli Tepe als Ausdruck der Unsicherheit zu interpretieren, die der Transformationsprozess von einer aneignenden zu einer produzierenden Lebensweise im fr��hen Neolithikum ausl��ste. Die These, dass das Narrativ zu der Landschaft des G��bekli Tepe stark auf heutigen Denkmustern aufbaut, wird als best��tigt angesehen., This thesis assumes that the present landscape conception of the Neolithic site G��bekli Tepe in southeastern Turkey is not based on an actual investigation of the landscape. I instead hypothesize that this conception was formed by projecting the singularity ascribed to the archaeological site onto the landscape through a semantic transfer. Various aspects that characterize the narrative of G��bekli Tepe and especially of its landscape common today are seen as a reflection of recent ways of thinking and perception. The objective of this work is to on the one hand verify this hypothesis and on the other to provide verifiable landscape analyses. They are considered essential in order to be able to develop a theoretically valid and reflected narrative of G��bekli Tepe in the future. Following a hermeneutic approach, the landscape of G��bekli Tepe is examined from related, progressive perspectives that correspond to different concepts of landscape or space. In order to approach the perception of landscape in the Neolithic, an emphatic approach was chosen. Intersubjective, i.e. relatable patterns of perception which differ from one���s own are considered. Applying this approach which successfully combines archaeological and geographical methods in an interdisciplinary way, a new interpretation of G��bekli Tepe was developed. The site of G��bekli Tepe is not, as widely assumed, seen as a driving force behind the neolithization, but rather as a backward oriented place where the Paleolithic way of life was maintained. It is shown that the choice of location was not made for reasons of intended control, efficiency or prominence which are mostly represented in the literature. The architecture and location of G��bekli Tepe are rather to be interpreted as an expression of the uncertainty triggered by the transformation process from a hunting and food-gathering to an agrarian-based way of life in the early Neolithic. The assumption that the narrative on the landscape of G��bekli Tepe is strongly based on contemporary thought patterns is considered as confirmed.

Space and landscape are central terms in the investigation of past societies and their interrelationship with the environment. However, even though these terms are so central, their definition is ambiguous what hinders a successful communication of research results and an open discussion. In this contribution we sketch the historical development of the understanding of space and landscape. Based on this summary we propose to think of these terms inclusively by integrating four different viewpoints on space, i.e. space as container, space as system of relations and connections, space as product of human perception, and space as construct. We employ our integrative viewpoint by developing different research questions for a holistic analysis of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic archaeological site Göbekli Tepe., Raum und Landschaft sind trotz ihrer zentralen Stellung in der Erforschung vergangener Gesellschaften und deren Wechselbeziehung mit der Umwelt bis heute nicht eindeutig definiert. Dies stellt ein zunehmendes Hindernis für die wissenschaftliche Kommunikation und offene Diskussion dar. Im Rahmen dieses Beitrages skizzieren wir zunächst die Bedeutungsentwicklung beider Begriffe, um darauf aufbauend eine neue Sichtweise vorzuschlagen, die die unterschiedlichen Facetten des Landschafts- und Raumbegriffs – als Container, als System von Lagebeziehungen, als Kategorie der Sinneswahrnehmung und als Konstrukt – integriert. Veranschaulicht wird diese alternative, holistische Betrachtungsweise anhand des präkeramisch-neolithischen Fundplatzes Göbekli Tepe.

This contribution provides a first characterization of the environmental development for the surroundings of the UNESCO World Heritage site of G&ouml, bekli Tepe. We base our analyses on a literature review that covers the environmental components of prevailing bedrock and soils, model- and proxy-based climatic development, and vegetation. The spatio-temporal scales that are covered are mainly the Eastern Mediterranean region and the Late Quaternary&mdash, whereby special attention is given to available data from the close vicinity of G&ouml, bekli Tepe. Information on Late Quaternary geomorphodynamics is largely absent for the environs of G&ouml, bekli Tepe, we therefore included remote sensing data, different terrain modeling approaches and field-based geomorphological mapping to gain insights into past process dynamics. The findings indicate that the environmental conditions at G&ouml, bekli Tepe during its time of occupation differed significantly from today, showing denser vegetation and a wide spread sediment cover. Different hypotheses are developed that aim to guide future research on environmental changes and their variations during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. These activities are crucial for a more profound understanding of the environment of the site, its potential perception by humans and therefore for the development of narratives on their landscape creation motives.

Exploring *landscape* as a spatial concept raises more issues than is apparent at first sight. The investigation of the terms *landscape* and *space* is an interdisciplinary endeavor, in which the variety of concepts and methods is as widespread as the ambiguity of the terms (ranging from philosophy, sociology, arts, history, and archaeology, to geography and other natural sciences). Abstract concepts of space are not the subject of this article. Instead, as an archaeologist and a geographer, we wish to focus on the interrelation of humans and societies with their natural environment.

This study presents a meta‐analysis of radiocarbon ages for the environs of Göbekli Tepe – one of the oldest monumental structures worldwide – using cumulative probability functions to diachronically assess phases of geomorphodynamic activity as controlled by natural or anthropogenic drivers. We employ sediment cascades as a heuristic framework to study the complex responses of the geomorphological system to various triggers at local to supra‐regional scales. Possible triggers include climatic variability as documented by supra‐regional hydroclimatic proxy data, regional demographic trends, and local to regional socioeconomic developments such as the emergence of sedentism or the introduction and dispersal of livestock herding. Our results show that phases of intensified geomorphodynamic activity occurred between ca. 7.4–7.0 and 5.8–3.3 ka BP. These phases roughly coincide with phases of population growth in southern Turkey and climatic variations in Turkey and the Levant. The phase between ca. 5.8–3.3 ka BP also corresponds to the time when organized agriculture and the seeder plough were introduced. Also, the identified phases are in agreement with the general trend of varying geomorphodynamic activity in the Eastern Mediterranean as driven by human impact and climatic change. However, neither the Younger Dryas–Holocene transition nor the development of herding during the Pre‐Pottery Neolithic left a clear signature. We demonstrate how the different depositional environments in the studied landscape compartments vary with respect to their spatiotemporal coverage and discuss challenges when trying to understand processes that once shaped landscapes of past societies. © 2020 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Geomorphodynamic activity in the surroundings of the Early Neolithic hilltop site Göbekli Tepe is significantly intensified between ca. 7.4–7.0 and 5.8–3.3 ka BP, reflecting demographic, sociocultural, and climatic variations. The studied landscape compartments form a sediment cascade whose different depositional environments vary with respect to their spatiotemporal coverage. Preservation of colluvial deposits in upland catchments represents a key challenge when studying ancient hilltop sites such as Göbekli Tepe in semi‐arid environments like southeastern Anatolia.