Göbekli Tepe was first investigated in the 1960s but was dismissed at that time as a medieval cemetery, before being re-explored in the 1990s when its much greater age was recognized.
Notes on verification
Multiple independent sources, including Smithsonian Magazine and the German Archaeological Institute's own historical blog, corroborate the 1963 survey dismissal and 1994 re-investigation by Klaus Schmidt. Minor variation exists on exact wording ('medieval' vs 'Islamic/Byzantine' cemetery) but core claim is well-supported. [tier=unverified indep_score=0.3 clusters=3 claim_tier=notable] [rescored 2026-09-15: curated origin-host map (PR #65); unclassified hosts no longer scored as aggregators]
Sources
- Gobekli Tepe | Neolithic, Prehistoric, Monument, & Map (seed:history_and_archaeology)
- Gobekli Tepe: The World's First Temple? - Smithsonian Magazine (seed:history_and_archaeology)
- https://www.dainst.blog/the-tepe-telegrams/2016/06/02/gobekli-tepe-the-first-20-years-of-research/ (corroboration)
- https://placesjournal.org/article/domicide-burying-prehistoric-buildings/ (corroboration)