GGöbekli Tepe Visit

MOTIF RECORD · 3 OBJECT RECORDS · CHECKED 2026-10-22

Hands and arms on Neolithic pillars and statues

Carved arms or hands are described on Göbekli Tepe’s central pillars, Nevalı Çori T-pillars and the Urfa Man statue.

Interpretive note: Descriptions retain the wording and uncertainty of the cited sources; a motif tag records a described depiction, not an agreed meaning. Sources: Göbekli Tepe: The Imagery of the Pillars in the Monumental Buildings A–D, F and H 2025Şanlıurfa Archaeology Museum guide retrieved 2026-10-22Geometry and Architectural Planning at Göbekli Tepe, Turkey 2020

Filter the catalogue for hands and arms · All motifs · All object records

Göbekli Tepe · pillar · CHECKED 2026-10-22

Pillars 18 and 31

Enclosure D · PPNA, Layer III

Record sources: Göbekli Tepe – The first 20 Years of ResearchGöbekli Tepe – The first 20 Years of Research

Pillars 18 and 31
No licensed photograph of this object is in the image register.

Depiction in cited source: Carved arms descend along the pillars; hands appear on their front faces. Göbekli Tepe: The Imagery of the Pillars in the Monumental Buildings A–D, F and H 2025

Interpretations recorded for this object

Open the complete object record

Yeni Mahalle / Balıklıgöl Höyüğü · statue · CHECKED 2026-10-22

Urfa Man / Balıklıgöl statue

Şanlıurfa Archaeology Museum · PPNA, c. 9300–8700 BCE (official museum guide)

Record sources: Şanlıurfa Archaeology Museum guideŞanlıurfa Archaeology Museum (visitor and collection page)

Close frontal view of Urfa Man's pale stone head, dark inset eyes and long nose against a black background.
Urfa Man / Balıklıgöl statue: The Urfa Man statue displayed in the Şanlıurfa Archaeology Museum.Photo: Dosseman, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsPhoto credits & licences

Depiction in cited source: Both hands are held at the front of the body. Şanlıurfa Archaeology Museum guide retrieved 2026-10-22

Interpretations recorded for this object

Open the complete object record

Nevalı Çori · pillar · CHECKED 2026-10-22

T-shaped pillars of Nevalı Çori

Cult building / Temple II · PPNB, c. 8400–8100 BC

Record sources: Nevalı ÇoriGeometry and Architectural Planning at Göbekli Tepe, TurkeyŞanlıurfa Archaeology Museum (visitor and collection page)

T-shaped stone stela stands among reconstructed stone walls inside a museum gallery.
T-shaped pillars of Nevalı Çori: A stela from Nevalı Çori displayed in the Şanlıurfa Archaeology Museum.Photo: Marco Restano, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsPhoto credits & licences

Depiction in cited source: The central pillar is described with carved arms and hands. Geometry and Architectural Planning at Göbekli Tepe, Turkey 2020

Interpretations recorded for this object

Open the complete object record

Related glossary term

Anthropomorphic pillar — A pillar shaped or carved to evoke a human body. Arms, hands, belts and clothing details can make the human reference explicit, but a pillar’s symbolic role is not known from its form alone.

Sources: Göbekli Tepe: The Imagery of the Pillars in the Monumental Buildings A–D, F and HRelationality, Immanence, Hierarchy: The Nature and Culture of Being(s) at Göbekli Tepe

Sites in these records

Related Field Log

Sources

Source wording is attached to individual records above. The register includes sources used for depiction evidence and attributed interpretations.

  1. Göbekli Tepe: The Imagery of the Pillars in the Monumental Buildings A–D, F and HGerman Archaeological Institute / Reichert Verlag · 2025 · scholarly-monograph · retrieved 2026-10-22
  2. Şanlıurfa Archaeology Museum guideGo Türkiye / Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency · official · retrieved 2026-10-22
  3. Geometry and Architectural Planning at Göbekli Tepe, TurkeyGil Haklay and Avi Gopher, Cambridge Archaeological Journal · 2020 · peer-reviewed · retrieved 2026-10-22
  4. Göbekli Tepe – The first 20 Years of ResearchGerman Archaeological Institute · 2016 · excavator · retrieved 2026-10-22
  5. Şanlıurfa Neolithic survey: Yeni Mahalle and the Urfa statueBahattin Çelik, Türk Tarih Kurumu · 2022 · reference · retrieved 2026-10-22
  6. Şanlıurfa Archaeology Museum (visitor and collection page)Ministry of Culture and Tourism · official · retrieved 2026-10-22
  7. Nevalı ÇoriGerman Archaeological Institute · excavator · retrieved 2026-10-22
  8. Relationality, Immanence, Hierarchy: The Nature and Culture of Being(s) at Göbekli TepeE. D. Yurttaş, Cambridge Archaeological Journal · 2025 · peer-reviewed · retrieved 2026-10-22

Continue reading: Pillars and finds · Chronology · Taş Tepeler map · Plan a visit

CONTINUE READING

Related