They may have contributed to the agricultural transition in various ways, including through the social networks and relationships maintained by periodic gatherings at sites like Göbekli Tepe.

But the simple claim that ritual caused agriculture, with Göbekli Tepe as the specific mechanism, overstates what the evidence can support.

Layer II and the Transition Within the Site

The shift from the large, elaborate Layer III enclosures with their tall T-pillars to the smaller, more modest Layer II structures is itself an important part of the Göbekli Tepe story, and one that has not received as much popular attention as the dramatic Layer III monuments.

Layer II, dated broadly to between about 8,800 and 8,000 BCE, represents a different phase of monumental activity at the site.