GGöbekli Tepe Visit

MOTIF RECORD · 2 OBJECT RECORDS · CHECKED 2026-10-22

Phallic forms at Göbekli Tepe and Karahan Tepe

A figure on Pillar 43 is described as phallic; bedrock-attached forms in Karahan Tepe Structure AB are described as phallus-shaped. These describe form, not an agreed meaning.

Interpretive note: Descriptions retain the wording and uncertainty of the cited sources; a motif tag records a described depiction, not an agreed meaning. Sources: Of animals and a headless man: Göbekli Tepe, Pillar 43 2016Buried buildings at Pre-Pottery Neolithic Karahantepe 2021

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Göbekli Tepe · pillar · CHECKED 2026-10-22

Pillar 43 (Vulture Stone)

Enclosure D · PPNA, Layer III; Enclosure D belongs to the early monumental phase

Record sources: Of animals and a headless man: Göbekli Tepe, Pillar 43Göbekli Tepe: The Imagery of the Pillars in the Monumental Buildings A–D, F and HThe role of cult and feasting in the emergence of Neolithic communities

Broad stone face of Pillar 43 with animal reliefs and geometric carvings, surrounded by excavated masonry.
Pillar 43 (Vulture Stone): Pillar 43, with carved reliefs, in Enclosure D.Photo: Guérin Nicolas, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia CommonsPhoto credits & licences

Depiction in cited source: The headless male figure is described with an erect penis. Of animals and a headless man: Göbekli Tepe, Pillar 43 2016

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Karahan Tepe · relief · CHECKED 2026-10-22

Structure AB: carved head and bedrock pillars

Structure AB · PPNA, c. 10th millennium BC

Record sources: Buried buildings at Pre-Pottery Neolithic KarahantepeKarahantepe (site report)

Rounded bedrock pillars fill a sunken chamber, with a carved head projecting from the rear wall.
Structure AB: carved head and bedrock pillars: Bedrock pillars and a carved head in Structure AB at Karahan Tepe.Photo: tobeytravels, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsPhoto credits & licences

Depiction in cited source: Excavators describe the floor-attached pillar-like forms as phallus-shaped. Buried buildings at Pre-Pottery Neolithic Karahantepe 2021

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Sources

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

  1. Of animals and a headless man: Göbekli Tepe, Pillar 43Tepe Telegrams, DAI · 2016 · excavator · retrieved 2026-10-22
  2. Buried buildings at Pre-Pottery Neolithic KarahantepeNecmi Karul, Türk Arkeoloji ve Etnografya Dergisi · 2021 · excavator · retrieved 2026-10-22
  3. Göbekli Tepe: The Imagery of the Pillars in the Monumental Buildings A–D, F and HGerman Archaeological Institute / Reichert Verlag · 2025 · reference · retrieved 2026-10-22
  4. The role of cult and feasting in the emergence of Neolithic communitiesDietrich et al., Antiquity · 2012 · peer-reviewed · retrieved 2026-10-22
  5. More than a vulture: a response to Sweatman and TsikritsisNotroff et al., Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry · 2017 · peer-reviewed · retrieved 2026-10-22
  6. Decoding Göbekli Tepe with archaeoastronomy: What does the fox say?Martin B. Sweatman and Dimitrios Tsikritsis, Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry · 2017 · peer-reviewed · retrieved 2026-10-22
  7. Karahantepe (site report)Taş Tepeler, Ministry of Culture and Tourism · 2026 · official · retrieved 2026-10-22

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