Dating Göbekli Tepe: PPNA, PPNB and the Taş Tepeler timeline

The bands overlap because regional transitions and site phases are not single dates. Select an event in the ordered record below for its full wording and sources.

Chronology in order

1. c. 9,750–8,650 BCE

   PPNA in the Upper Mesopotamian sequence

   A regional convention places the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A at roughly 11,700–10,600 cal BP, approximately 9750–8650 BCE when converted using 1950 as the BP reference. Boundary dates vary among regional sequences.

   Converted approximately from calibrated years BP; the source gives boundary alternatives rather than a single universal transition.

   · Upper Mesopotamian Neolithic period ranges cited in the Harbetsuvan prospection study 2026

2. c. 9,664–9,311 BCE

   Layer III: calibrated samples from early monumental buildings

   DAI reports calibrated radiocarbon results from samples associated with early monumental building contexts in the late tenth to early ninth millennium BCE. The dated material provides a bracket for those contexts; it does not establish that every Layer III enclosure was built or used at the same time.

   Sample ranges and building dates are not interchangeable. DAI’s dating discussion also cautions that the enclosures were not necessarily contemporary.

   · How old is it? Dating Göbekli Tepe retrieved 2026-10-22Göbeklitepe (site page) retrieved 2026-10-22

3. c. 9,600–7,750 BCE

   Göbekli Tepe’s broad occupation horizon

   The UNESCO listing describes Göbekli Tepe’s monumental structures as dating from about 9600 to 8200 BCE. The Taş Tepeler project gives a broader site horizon extending to about 7750 cal BC. These are site-level summaries, not a single date for all buildings.

   Sources differ on the end of the site’s occupation summary: UNESCO uses c. 8200 BCE, while the current project overview extends to c. 7750 cal BC. Radiocarbon dates from wall plaster or fill date samples and contexts, not automatically the construction of a whole enclosure. Kinzel & Clare (2024) and Banning (2023) emphasize more complex topography, building histories and site-formation processes than a simple Layer III = PPNA / Layer II = PPNB equation.

   Göbekli Tepe · Göbekli Tepe (World Heritage List no. 1572) 2018Göbeklitepe (site page) retrieved 2026-10-22Göbekli Tepe project overview retrieved 2026-10-22

4. c. 9,400–8,000 BCE

   Karahan Tepe occupation and building phases

   Excavation director Necmi Karul told Anadolu Agency that settlement at Karahan Tepe began around 9400 BCE and continued into the eighth millennium BCE, with round, rounded-rectangular and later angular buildings. The range is a field-reported site chronology.

   A broad site chronology should not be assigned to a particular object without its stratigraphic context.

   Karahan Tepe · Neolithic structure resembling amphitheatre unearthed in southeastern Türkiye 2025Karahantepe (site page; text by Necmi Karul) retrieved 2026-10-22

5. c. 9,000–7,750 BCE

   Layer II: later, mainly rectangular buildings

   Göbekli Tepe’s Layer II deposits include later rectangular buildings. DAI places activity represented by this layer in the late ninth to early eighth millennium BCE; the project site’s broader occupation range extends to about 7750 cal BC.

   This is an approximate horizon, not a calibrated construction date for every rectangular building. Layer and phase schemes have been refined as more areas and formation processes are studied.

   Göbekli Tepe · Göbekli Tepe – The first 20 Years of Research 2016How old is it? Dating Göbekli Tepe retrieved 2026-10-22Göbeklitepe (site page) retrieved 2026-10-22

6. c. 8,850–8,350 BCE

   Early PPNB (regional working range)

   A working Upper Mesopotamian range is approximately 10,800–10,300 cal BP, or c. 8850–8350 BCE. The transition from PPNA is not a single region-wide event.

   Approximate conversion from the source’s cal BP ranges; overlap reflects boundary alternatives.

   · Upper Mesopotamian Neolithic period ranges cited in the Harbetsuvan prospection study 2026

7. c. 8,850–7,050 BCE

   PPNB in the Upper Mesopotamian sequence

   The regional Pre-Pottery Neolithic B spans roughly 10,800–9,000 cal BP, approximately 8850–7050 BCE. Early, middle and late subdivisions are used in the literature, with transitions that can overlap by several centuries.

   Converted approximately from calibrated years BP; this is an Upper Mesopotamian framework, not a universal Near Eastern chronology.

   · Upper Mesopotamian Neolithic period ranges cited in the Harbetsuvan prospection study 2026

8. c. 8,500–7,900 BCE

   Nevalı Çori’s PPNB settlement and sculpture

   Nevalı Çori’s ritual buildings and sculpture are assigned to the PPNB. The cited synthesis gives c. 8500–7900 cal BC for the settlement sequence and c. 8500–7950 cal BC for the small human-headed bird figure’s phase context.

   These are source-specific archaeological ranges; they should not be treated as precise dates for each sculpture.

   Nevalı Çori · The passage of matter: Transformations of objects and ritual meanings in the Neolithic of the Near East 2013A Queer Feminist Perspective on the Early Neolithic Urfa Region: The Ecstatic Agency of the Phallus 2025

9. c. 8,350–7,650 BCE

   Middle PPNB (regional working range)

   The study’s working middle-PPNB range is approximately 10,300–9,600 cal BP, or c. 8350–7650 BCE. The Nevalı Çori bird figure is independently dated to a part of this interval by its cited study.

   Approximate conversion from cal BP; different publications use somewhat different boundary years.

   Nevalı Çori · Upper Mesopotamian Neolithic period ranges cited in the Harbetsuvan prospection study 2026The passage of matter: Transformations of objects and ritual meanings in the Neolithic of the Near East 2013

10. c. 7,650–7,050 BCE

    Late PPNB (regional working range)

    A working late-PPNB range is approximately 9,600–9,000 cal BP, or c. 7650–7050 BCE in the cited Upper Mesopotamian sequence.

    Approximate conversion from cal BP; regional boundaries are not fixed across the Near East.

    · Upper Mesopotamian Neolithic period ranges cited in the Harbetsuvan prospection study 2026

11. c. 1963

    Istanbul–Chicago survey records Göbekli Tepe

    The joint Istanbul–Chicago prehistoric survey recorded Göbekli Tepe. The site was noted, but the exposed stone features were not then recognized as the monumental Neolithic architecture later excavated there.

    Göbekli Tepe · Göbekli Tepe – The first 20 Years of Research 2016

12. 1983–1991

    Nevalı Çori rescue excavations

    Harald Hauptmann’s excavations at Nevalı Çori documented houses, cult buildings, T-pillars and stone sculpture before the site was inundated by the Atatürk Dam reservoir.

    Nevalı Çori · Göbekli Tepe – The first 20 Years of Research 2016The passage of matter: Transformations of objects and ritual meanings in the Neolithic of the Near East 2013

13. c. 1994

    Klaus Schmidt recognizes the significance of Göbekli Tepe

    Klaus Schmidt revisited Göbekli Tepe in October 1994 and recognized the stones as prehistoric T-pillars, leading to renewed investigation of the site.

    The source gives October 1994; the timeline stores the year only.

    Göbekli Tepe · Göbekli Tepe – The first 20 Years of Research 2016

14. c. 1995

    Göbekli Tepe excavations begin

    Klaus Schmidt and Harald Hauptmann of the German Archaeological Institute began excavations with the Şanlıurfa Museum. Work exposed the monumental enclosures and later building horizons.

    Göbekli Tepe · Göbekli Tepe – The first 20 Years of Research 2016Göbeklitepe (site page) retrieved 2026-10-22

15. c. 1997

    Karahan Tepe identified in survey

    Karahan Tepe was identified during survey work; systematic excavations began later, in 2019.

    Karahan Tepe · Karahantepe (site page; text by Necmi Karul) retrieved 2026-10-22Şanlıurfa İli Neolitik Dönem Yüzey Araştırması Sonucunda Ortaya Çıkan Yeni Bilgi ve Bulgular retrieved 2026-10-22

16. 2018

    Göbekli Tepe inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List

    The World Heritage Committee inscribed Göbekli Tepe under criteria (i), (ii) and (iv). UNESCO’s listing describes monumental structures built by hunter-gatherers between c. 9600 and 8200 BCE.

    Göbekli Tepe · Decision 42 COM 8B.34: Göbekli Tepe 2018Göbekli Tepe (World Heritage List no. 1572) 2018

17. c. 2019

    Excavations begin at Karahan Tepe

    Excavation at Karahan Tepe began under Istanbul University within the wider Şanlıurfa Neolithic research effort.

    Karahan Tepe · Karahantepe (site page; text by Necmi Karul) retrieved 2026-10-22

18. 2019

    Göbekli Tepe visitor and welcome centre opens

    The site and its visitor/welcome centre were officially opened on 8 March 2019 during the Year of Göbeklitepe.

    Göbekli Tepe · Göbeklitepe'nin resmi açılışını Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan yaptı 2019

19. c. 2021

    Taş Tepeler research project launched

    The Ministry presented the Taş Tepeler regional research project in September 2021, initially linking work at Göbekli Tepe, Karahan Tepe, Sayburç, Sefertepe, Çakmak Tepe, Gürcütepe and Yeni Mahalle with further planned sites.

    Göbekli TepeKarahan TepeSayburçÇakmak TepeGürcütepe · Türkiye illuminates its Neolithic Heritage with TAŞ TEPELER 2021

20. 2025

    Horizontal human statue announced at Göbekli Tepe

    The Ministry announced a human-shaped statue set horizontally in a wall between Structures B and D. The Minister proposed a votive interpretation; detailed archaeological publication is pending.

    Göbekli Tepe · 12 bin yıllık hafıza yeniden ayağa kalktı 2025Rare human statue discovered at eastern Türkiye’s Göbeklitepe sheds light on Neolithic rituals 2025

21. 2025

    Replacement Göbekli Tepe welcome centre planned

    Officials described a new welcome centre, car park and café about 2.5 km below the site, with an intended opening in 2026. No dated official opening notice was located by 22 October 2026, so this event records the plan rather than a confirmed opening.

    In September 2025 the Minister suggested the facilities would open before the end of that year; December reporting moved the target to 2026. Treat the opening date as unresolved.

    Göbekli Tepe · Göbeklitepe'de yeni yatırımlarla ziyaretçi sayısı ve kapasitenin artırılması hedefleniyor 202512 bin yıllık hafıza yeniden ayağa kalktı 2025