This shift in architectural scale and style is itself interesting — it may reflect changes in the community or communities using the site, changes in the social functions the architecture served, or transitions in the broader Neolithic world of the region.

The T-Pillars: What Are They?

The T-shaped pillars of Göbekli Tepe are the most immediately striking feature of the site, and they are also the most discussed and most debated.

What did they represent?

What did the people who made them understand them to be?

The fundamental observation about the T-pillar form is that it is not simply an abstract geometric shape.

Several of the pillars at Göbekli Tepe carry details that place them clearly in the category of anthropomorphic — human-shaped — imagery.