Shaking up the Neolithic - Tracing seismic impact at Neolithic Göbekli Tepe/Southeast-Türkiye

Abstract

Neolithic societies were inherently vulnerable. In addition to the challenges of a changing climate and evolving subsistence strategies and social identities, Neolithic societies were also confronted with a range of natural hazards, including extreme weather events, unstable building grounds, and earthquakes. In particular, earthquakes appear to have had a significant impact on early Neolithic communities and their settlements across the Middle East. This contribution presents the findings of recent combined building archaeological and archaeoseismological research in relation to the various damage patterns observed in the built environment at Göbekli Tepe, Türkiye. Of particular interest here are the damages and anthropogenic reactions that can be linked to seismic activities during the Neolithic.