GGöbekli Tepe Visit

OBJECT RECORD · ESTABLISHED · CHECKED 2026-10-22

Totem-like sculpture

Göbekli Tepe

A carved, multi-figure sculpture from Göbekli Tepe displayed in the museum.
A carved, multi-figure sculpture from Göbekli Tepe displayed in the museum.Photo: Dosseman, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsPhoto credits & licences
A museum view of the carved Göbekli Tepe totem-like sculpture.
A museum view of the carved Göbekli Tepe totem-like sculpture.Photo: Dosseman, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsPhoto credits & licences

Record

SiteGöbekli Tepe
Location nowŞanlıurfa Archaeology Museum
Discovered2010
DatingPPNB, Layer II (reported context)

What is carved

The limestone sculpture is composed of vertically arranged human-like heads and figures, with a bird form at the top. It was recovered in a later building context at Göbekli Tepe and is commonly nicknamed the “totem pole.” [1][2]

Interpretations

Scholarly debate

The sculpture may present a linked or nested group of human figures, but its composition does not establish a specific narrative. [1][2]

By Klaus Schmidt and later excavation literature