Archaeologists in Turkey have spent the previous 4 years excavating at a Neolithic mound in southeastern Turkey that will probably be flooded as soon as the development of an enormous dam is accomplished. The waters of the reservoir have already begun to gather, however water ranges have risen slowly, which has given the archaeologists sufficient time to carry out in depth excavations within the endangered space.

This extremely productive Neolithic website, which has been given the identify Gre Filla, has produced a wealth of historic artifacts left behind by individuals who lived within the area between 11,000 and 12,000 years in the past. The builders of those historic settlements additionally erected a number of stone monuments, organized in an order that implies they might have been included as a part of a temple that was used for ritual or ceremonial functions.

Gre Filla was solely found due to the precautionary excavations that had been launched in anticipation of the Ambar Dam mission. It’s regular in most nations for governments to ship in archaeological groups earlier than development begins on any infrastructure mission, to stop the unwitting destruction of historic treasures.

On this case what was found has created nice pleasure within the Turkish archaeological group, a lot in order that steps are going to be taken to make sure the ruins of Gre Filla should not submerged and misplaced without end. As soon as the present spherical of excavations is completed, the plan is to uplift, extract, and transport the monumental ruins of the Gre Filla Neolithic website to a different as-of-yet undetermined location, so they may stay accessible to researchers, vacationers, the media and members of most people.

An aerial view of the Neolithic website already referred to as Diyarbakır’s Göbeklitepe, which will probably be moved as the world will probably be flooded by an enormous hydroelectric dam mission . ( Arkeofili)

Getting a Neolithic Website Prepared for the Massive Transfer

The preliminary explorations on the Gre Filla Neolithic mound had been targeted on artifact discovery and elimination. However the unearthing of the traditional temple created new problems, since heavy stone monuments can’t be faraway from an archaeological website rapidly or simply.

The federal government in Diyarbakir, the province the place the Ambar Dam is being constructed, has been below strain to take motion to stop the destruction of irreplaceable historic treasures—and it seems they’re now prepared to take action, with the rising waters of the dam’s reservoir quick approaching the endangered Gre Filla website.

Talking on behalf of the federal government, Diyarbakir Tradition and Tourism Provincial Director Cemil Alp defined to the newspaper Mücadele Gazete that the monuments of Gre Filla will probably be moved very quickly and stored completely intact. 

“ that it is a rescue excavation,” Alp acknowledged. “A temple was uncovered throughout the excavations. The temple is similar age as Göbeklitepe and is a really precious work… we instructed that the works be carried in the identical method [removed and relocated just like the site’s artifacts].”

When this concept was proposed to the Diyarbakir Ministry of Tradition and Tourism, they responded positively to the suggestion and at the moment are able to implement the plan. The present problem is to discover a appropriate location the place the temple stays may be transported and put in, presumably someplace inside Diyarbakir’s borders.

“It is very important defend them moderately than [let them] disappear,” Alp declared, referring to the stone ruins . “Subsequently, the complete temple will probably be moved. You will not imagine it, however the temple you see will probably be moved.”

To handle the doubts of any skeptics, Alp identified that giant monuments discovered at archaeological websites in Turkey have been relocated earlier than.

“Let’s not overlook, Zeynel Bey’s Tomb, [a] mosque, [a] minaret and different historic buildings had been moved in Hasankeyf,” he identified.

What Alp is referring to right here is an historic Turkish village referred to as Hasankeyf, which was submerged by a reservoir created on the Tigris River by the development of the Ilisu Dam and hydroelectric energy set up in 2020.

Earlier than the dam was constructed and the world flooded, a handful of huge and traditionally important constructions, additionally courting to Neolithic occasions, had been faraway from Hasankeyf and brought to completely different locations. This delighted archaeologists and preservationists however didn’t present a lot comfort to the village residents who had been compelled to desert their properties for good.

This a part of the Gre Filla website may also be moved to a safer location, and you’ll think about the work concerned! ( Arkeonews)

The Gre Filla Neolithic Website or Diyarbakır’s Göbeklitepe

Gre Filla is an earthen mound situated in Ambar Village within the city of Kocaköy, Diyarbakir. Based mostly on its spectacular dimension and exact design options, Gre Filla and its fastidiously aligned rock constructions have been dubbed “Diyarbakır’s Göbeklitepe,” making an express comparability with Turkey’s most well-known and most visited historic monumental website.

Archaeologists have been furiously digging inside and beneath the mound for the final 4 years, frantically attempting to unearth as a lot of it as they will earlier than time runs out. The Gre Filla excavations have been sponsored by the Diyarbakir Museum Directorate, below the supervision of archaeology professor Ayşe Tuba Ökse from Kocaeli College.

Up to now, Ökse and her group have uncovered and catalogued 2,687 artifacts, all of which may be traced to Pre-Pottery Neolithic Period settlements .

“Grinding stone, whetstone, stone ax, chopping and piercing instruments, earth and stone figures, glass artifacts had been present in abundance. 1,023 of those artifacts had been delivered to the museum for exhibition whereas 1,664 will probably be used for publications and thesis research,” Ökse advised the Anadolu Agency information service.

Excavations on the north facet of the mound have produced proof of a settlement that dates again to the 12 months 10,000 BC, which is the oldest group discovered up up to now.

Given the pressing nature of those excavations, a big contingent of teachers and scientists have been concerned with this archaeological rescue mission. Archaeologists, anthropologists, artwork historians and artifact preservation consultants have all participated, with the objective of eradicating as many artifacts as doable and delivering them to the Diyarbakir Museum earlier than the Gre Filla website turns into inaccessible. Even when the efforts to maneuver the ruins together with the artifacts from Gre Filla show profitable, the dig group members know they have to keep the fast tempo of the continuing excavations to make sure that still-hidden artifacts and ruins should not left behind as soon as the dam mission commences.

Whereas there may be a lot evaluation but to be finished, the artifacts and the stone constructions the archaeologists have found up up to now have revealed many desirable particulars concerning the tradition and religious practices of the world’s Neolithic residents .

“We are able to say that a specific amount of formality habits has been exhibited right here,” Professor Ökse mentioned. “We are able to outline it as widespread utilization areas the place a perception and social life coexist. We do not wish to name them temples straight, since we do not have sufficient information. These are additionally known as particular constructions, similar to in Göbeklitepe.”

Fortunately, the Turkish archaeological group could have loads of time and alternative to proceed learning the profoundly fascinating settlement stays discovered at Gre Filla. So long as the elimination of the stone monuments is dealt with fastidiously, nothing vital ought to be misplaced following their relocation to a different space. Diyarbakır’s Göbeklitepe will reside on, in a spot that’s secure and shielded from the rising tides of “progress.”

Prime picture: A bit of the Gre Filla Neolithic website in Turkey. The positioning’s temple mound is scheduled to be relocated earlier than the world is flooded.         Supply: Arkeofili

By Nathan Falde