The Snakes of Göbekli Tepe: An Ethological Consideration

Göbekli Tepe is an important and well-documented Pre-Pottery Neolithic (PPN) site near Şanliurfa in modern-day Turkey (e.g. Schmidt 2005, 2010, 2011; Clare et al. 2018) featuring stone pillars with animal imagery. The animal most frequently depicted is the snake, most likely the Macrovipera lebetina. Four hypotheses for the meaning of the snake imagery have been previously suggested: As a representation of the penis; as a death related symbology; as supporting a narrative with the goal of building loyalty; and as associated with the “journeys” of a shaman. Each of these are considered against the actual snake depictions and actual snake behavior. Ethological data would seem to best align with the snake as a death related symbol, although that use itself could also facilitate loyalty or be associated with shamanistic activities. Although detailed descriptions can be found in the works cited herein, for this article most salient among Göbekli Tepe many features are the sculpted “T-shaped” stone pillars arranged around the perimeter of a series of circular enclosures. A strong case has been made that the site was not a residential, but rather a ritual, center (e.g. Notroff et al. 2015). These structures then are generally understood to constitute the oldest known examples of monumental architecture, and constituting the oldest known “temple” (Norenzayan 2013). Geophysical surveys suggest a total of some 200 large (up to 5+ meters) pillars, of which 69 have so far been excavated. These pillars generally contain animal imagery, whose purpose has been the subject of considerable discussion (e.g. Schmidt 2006; Morenz and Schmidt 2009; Schmidt 2012; Notroff et al. 2016) although a common view is that they are facilitating a narrative in some literal sense, likely manifested through story telling and/or rituals (e.g. Benz and Bauer 2015; Henley 2018). Based on an analysis of the fi rst four enclosures to have been excavated, Peters and Schmidt (2004) previously reported that snakes were the most depicted animal, accounting for 28.4% of the representations and about double the second most commonly depicted animal, the fox at 14.8%. It should be noted that this was a conservative accounting, as groups of snakes were scored only as one instance. Looking at the structure of the head, the relationship of the head to length, and in context (see below), the snake being sculpted was most probably the highly venomous Macrovipera lebetina. As for that context, Dietrich et al. (2020: 320-321) support the view that whatever their ultimate purpose that the animals were likely intended to be frightening. Specifi cally, they write: “These animals are depicted attacking: Aurochs, for instance, are usually shown with lowered head and presented horns; foxes are leaping as if approaching prey, or in a threatening pose, snakes are appearing as whole packs, and scorpions over-sized.” The Snakes of Göbekli Tepe: An Ethological Consideration