Human Interaction with the Environment at Göbekli Tepe

The gathering of large numbers of people at Göbekli Tepe for extended periods would have had measurable effects on the local environment, and these effects are themselves informative about the scale and character of the gatherings.

Fuelwood consumption is one such effect.

Cooking large quantities of food for large groups requires significant quantities of fuel.

The charcoal recovered from the site, which can be analyzed to identify the specific wood species used, provides information about which trees were exploited for fuel and, by implication, something about the woodland composition of the immediate area during the period of major use.

Water management, as mentioned earlier, was addressed through the construction of cisterns and other storage features.