16 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Carvings at Göbeklitepe could be World’s Oldest Calendar

Experts suggest that markings on a stone pillar at the 12,000-year-old Göbeklitepe archaeological site in Türkiye probably represent the oldest solar calendar in history, having been established as a memorial to a catastrophic comet strike.

According to a recent study from the University of Edinburgh, the markings at the location might be a record of an astronomical event that marked a significant turning point in human civilization.

Southeast Türkiye’s Göbeklitepe is well-known for its array of enormous, T-shaped stone pillars adorned with animal and abstract symbol carvings. According to recent analysis, some of these carvings might have functioned as a kind of calendar that tracked important celestial events and marked the positions of the sun, moon, and stars.

This finding suggests that prehistoric humans utilized these engravings to document their observations of the universe, possibly signifying a primitive lunisolar calendar that combined solar and lunar cycles to predict the passage of time.

A fresh analysis of V-shaped symbols carved onto pillars at the site has found that each V could represent a single day. This interpretation allowed researchers to count a solar calendar of 365 days on one of the pillars, consisting of 12 lunar months plus 11 extra days.



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



Detail of pillar 43 of Göbekli Tepe. Photo: Dr Martin Sweatman
Detail of pillar 43 of Göbekli Tepe. Photo: Dr Martin Sweatman

The summer solstice manifests as a distinct, unique day, symbolized by a V hung around the neck of a creature resembling a bird and believed to symbolize the summer solstice constellation at the time. Other statues nearby, possibly representing deities, have been found with similar V-markings at their necks.

More than a millennium before other known instances of lunisolar calendars, Göbekli Tepe may have had a highly developed calendar. This challenges our understanding into question the accuracy with which early humans were able to track celestial cycles and other astronomical phenomena.

Scientists believe that these carvings at Göbekli Tepe may commemorate a comet impact that occurred around 10,850 BCE, nearly 13,000 years ago. The comet strike is believed to have triggered a mini-ice age lasting over 1,200 years, which caused the extinction of many large animals. This event might also have led to changes in lifestyle and agriculture, paving the way for the rise of civilization in the Fertile Crescent of Western Asia.

It is thought that the Taurid meteor stream is the source of the comet fragments that struck Earth, and this is depicted on another pillar at Göbekli Tepe. Further proof of the ancient people’s astronomical knowledge comes from this 27-day stream that seemed to originate from the constellations of Aquarius and Pisces.

Left: Plan of A-D enclosures in Göbekli Tepe. Right: Pillar 43 in Göbekli Tepe, enclosure D. Image Credit: Alistair Coombs
Left: Plan of A-D enclosures in Göbeklitepe. Right: Pillar 43 in Göbeklitepe, enclosure D. Image Credit: Alistair Coombs

This discovery suggests that ancient people recorded dates using precession, the wobble of Earth’s axis affecting constellation movement, at least 10,000 years before Hipparchus of Ancient Greece documented it in 150 BC.

These carvings held significance for the people of Göbeklitepe for millennia, hinting that the impact event may have triggered a new cult or religion that influenced the development of civilization.

Dr Martin Sweatman of the University of Edinburgh’s School of Engineering, who led the research, said: “It appears the inhabitants of Göbekli Tepe were keen observers of the sky, which is to be expected given their world had been devastated by a comet strike. This event might have triggered civilization by initiating a new religion and by motivating developments in agriculture to cope with the cold climate. Possibly, their attempts to record what they saw are the first steps towards the development of writing millennia later.”

DOI: 10.1080/1751696X.2024.2373876

University of Edinburgh

Related Articles

Bronze Age and Roman-era settlements unearthed in Newquay

10 April 2023

10 April 2023

Archaeologists from the Cornwall Archaeological have uncovered ancient dwellings from the Bronze Age and a Roman period settlement in Newquay,...

New evidence suggests Indonesia’s Gunung Padang could be world’s oldest known pyramid

21 November 2023

21 November 2023

Gunung Padang, a  colossal megalithic structure nestled in the lush landscapes of West Java, Indonesia, could be the world’s oldest...

In Oman, a 4,000-year-old Early Bronze Age settlement was unearthed

25 January 2022

25 January 2022

A large settlement dating back more than 4,000 years has been discovered in Oman. Archaeological excavations in the Wilayat of Rustaq,...

Gate sanctuary discovered during the excavation of Archanes palace in Crete, belonging to the oldest civilisation in Europe

24 October 2024

24 October 2024

Recent excavations at the Archanes Minoan palace in Crete, belonging to the oldest civilisation in Europe, have revealed an important...

Two Infant burials found under prehistoric “Dragon Stone” in Armenia

4 June 2024

4 June 2024

An international team of researchers has unearthed the remains of an adult woman and two infants buried under a basalt...

A Temple Guardian From The 13th Century Found At Cambodia’s Angkor Wat

17 September 2024

17 September 2024

While clearing rubble from a collapsed gate at the Banteay Prei Temple within Cambodia’s Angkor Wat Archaeological Park, workers stumbled...

Viking Gold Treasure Unearthed on Isle of Man by Veteran Metal Detectorist

2 June 2025

2 June 2025

A remarkable piece of Viking gold has been unearthed on the Isle of Man, shedding new light on the island’s...

2000-year-old glass treasure in Roman shipwreck discovered by an underwater robot in Mediterranean

24 July 2023

24 July 2023

The Italian-French mission recovered a selection of glassware and raw glass blocks from the Roman shipwreck located at a depth...

Denmark King’s spice cabinet discovered on Gribshunden

13 February 2023

13 February 2023

The Gribshunden, a 15th-century Danish royal warship, was uncovered to have been loaded with botanical materials, including the first archaeological...

Infinite Embrace: New research sheds light on Bronze Age family relationships that link Britain to Luxembourg

30 January 2024

30 January 2024

A new study of early Bronze Age examples from Luxembourg and Britain, led by researchers from the universities of Mainz...

Archaeologist Reconstructs 2,000-Year-Old Roman Frescoes from Thousands of Fragments in ‘World’s Toughest Jigsaw’

19 June 2025

19 June 2025

What started as a pile of broken plaster fragments has become one of the most remarkable reconstruction projects in British...

Excavation in Larissa finds a Hellenistic era sanctuary

27 November 2021

27 November 2021

The Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sport reported on Friday the discovery of ancient Greek and Hellenistic era structures at...

Ancient Pottery Find at Megiddo May Corroborate Biblical Battle and Hint at “Gog and Magog” Narrative

27 April 2025

27 April 2025

Archaeological excavations at the ancient site of Megiddo in northern Israel, also known as “Armageddon,” have unearthed a significant amount...

Excavations at the ‘Westminster Abbey of Wales’ Yielded a Few Surprises: a lost Aqueduct and a Buried Celtic Treasure

12 March 2024

12 March 2024

Archaeologists working in Wales revealed recently they may have discovered a Celtic monastery at the site of a 12th-century Cistercian...

Exceptional Intact Etruscan Rock-Cut Tomb Discovered in Italy’s San Giuliano Necropolis

30 June 2025

30 June 2025

A remarkable discovery has emerged from the heart of Etruria: an intact Etruscan rock-cut tomb, sealed for over 2,700 years,...