Findings at Göbekli Tepe doing no favours to evolutionary theory

by Damien F. Mackey “But the idea that agricultural amenities spawned religion is making an about-face in light of the fully constructed temple complexes discovered at Gobekli Tepe … in southern Turkey”. Brian Thomas Another insightful article (2012) on the most intriguing of sites, Göbekli Tepe: https://www.icr.org/content/oldest-temple-topples-evolutionists-history-religion Oldest Temple Topples Evolutionists' History of Religion BY BRIAN THOMAS, PH.D. …. "Anthropologists have assumed that organized religion began as a way of salving the tensions that inevitably arose when hunter-gatherers settled down, became farmers, and developed large societies," according to a National Geographic feature in June 2011.1 But the exquisitely carved pillars of the world's oldest known temple, Gobekli Tepe, contradict that evolutionary version of ancient human history.2 Standard evolutionary anthropology—the study of ancient man—insists that humans invented religious worship as they emerged from an ape-like ancestry. Religion supposedly emerged after the development of agriculture provided people with enough free time and close proximity to bicker, thus also providing them with an incentive to invent God and religion. Evolutionary storytellers such as H. G. Wells provided possible reasons why early humans developed religion. In 1939, Wells speculated about Neolithic peoples: Tabu, that is to say primitive moral control, and magic, which is primitive science, are now grouped about the directive priesthood, and an elaborate astronomy fraught with worship, links the plough and the labouring beast and the sacrifice upon the altar with then constellations.3 Similarly speculative, the National Geographic's report on Gobekli Tepe asserted that "those who rose to power were seen as having a special connection with the gods."2 But the idea that agricultural amenities spawned religion is making an about-face in light of the fully constructed temple complexes discovered at Gobekli Tepe (pronounced Guh-behk-lee Teh-peh and roughly translated "potbelly hill") in southern Turkey. The remarkable findings there show that mankind was able to worship from the beginning of the human race. Many mysteries surround the temple site. Nobody knows why the pillars at the complex were buried on purpose, perhaps centuries after their careful construction, or why they depict stylized ornamental patterns, as well as images of birds, snakes, a scorpion, bulls, foxes, reptiles, a man, and even possibly dinosaurs. And no one knows why the pillars were arranged in the four stone circles that excavators have uncovered so far, or why they were built at all. "In fact, nobody really knows how Neolithic man managed to hew these pillars," according to Elif Batuman, who described his visit to Gobekli Tepe in the December 2011 issue of The New Yorker.4 These general questions may never find answers, but these fascinating ruins have clearly rebutted certain evolution-inspired claims about ancient humans. Batuman wrote, "The idea of a religious monument built by hunter-gatherers contradicts most of what we thought we knew about religious monuments and about hunter-gatherers."4 Archaeologist Klaus Schmidt, lead researcher of the excavations, has suggested that perhaps religious worship evolved first, and this development triggered the need for agriculture. But this reversal of the standard evolutionary story only shows that man-made histories are subjective, plastic, and unreliable. Biblical history places the cradle of civilization geographically close to where Noah's Ark landed, near the Middle East's Fertile Crescent that includes parts of Turkey. So, it makes sense that Gobekli Tepe was one of the first building sites of post-Flood peoples. This amazing find vindicates what the Bible has said about mankind all along. The earliest humans were every bit as smart and able as modern ones—perhaps even more so. And according to Scripture, people were made on one day by God and in His image—with all the faculties necessary to imagine, build, farm, and worship. References 1. Mann, C. C. The Birth of Religion. National Geographic. Posted on ngm.nathionalgeographic.com June 2011. 2. Cosner, L. and R. Carter. How does Göbekli Tepe fit with biblical history? Creation Ministries International. Posted on creation.com July 26, 2011, accessed January 3, 2012. 3. Wells, H. G., J. E. Huxley and G. P. Wells. 1939. The Science of Life. New York: Garden City Publishing Company, 1458-1459. 4. Batuman, E. The Sanctuary. The New Yorker. December 19 and 26, 2011: 72-83. ….

German archaeologist may have been misrepresenting anthropological data

Top German Archaeologist Accused of Faking Prehistoric Discoveries Axel von Berg was among the world’s most respected archaeologists. Now, his historic findings are being called into question. German Archaeologist Faked Skulls & Fragments As Prehistoric https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbsFMb1tB9k We read at: Top German Archaeologist Accused of Faking Prehistoric Discoveries By Tim Brinkhof December 6, 2024 Axel von Berg, long ranked among the world’s most respected archaeologists, is facing allegations of falsifying some of his most important prehistoric discoveries. Authorities in the German province of Rhineland-Palatinate have launched an investigation into claims that Von Berg misrepresented the age and origins of several artifacts, including a skull he famously identified as Neanderthal in 1997. The controversy began earlier this year, when the Interior Ministry of Rhineland-Palatinate received evidence suggesting a senior employee at the General Directorate for Cultural Heritage had tampered with archaeological findings. A report in the German newspaper Der Spiegel has identified Von Berg as the accused, claiming to have received inside information. According to the publication, an initial investigation by the ministry found that 21 skull fragments had been incorrectly dated, with 18 more potential cases of falsification—involving finds from spearheads to armor buckles—still under review. Von Berg rose to prominence following a 1997 discovery at a volcanic site near the town of Ochtendung, where he claimed to have unearthed Neanderthal skull fragments while the construction workers clearing the site for redevelopment were away for Easter break. “I knew where to look,” he recalled, “but I was also lucky.” After review by prominent archaeologists and paleontologists, the find was celebrated as a breakthrough and covered extensively in scientific journals. In the issue of the journal Berichte zur Archäologie an Mittelrhein und Mosel in which Von Berg detailed his discovery, he described the fragments as coming from a “typical Middle Paleolithic context,” with a French Neanderthal expert concurring with his assessment. Recent investigations, however, have revealed that the skull fragments belong not to a Neanderthal but to a human from the early Middle Ages, making them much less significant. Mackey’s comment: And this may be only the tip of the Axelberg. See also e.g. my articles: Messing with the Neanderthals https://www.academia.edu/82426592/Messing_with_the_Neanderthals Sawing off the jaws of Neanderthals to make them appear more ape-like (6) Sawing off the jaws of Neanderthals to make them appear more ape-like