1 00:00:00,841 --> 00:00:02,359 (dramatic music) (birds chirping) 2 00:00:02,434 --> 00:00:06,112 Mastrelli: Eden, the original biblical paradise, 3 00:00:06,121 --> 00:00:09,319 Where adam and eve lived in a land of plenty, 4 00:00:09,394 --> 00:00:13,472 Until temptation triggered their fall from grace 5 00:00:13,481 --> 00:00:16,119 And condemned them to a life of toil. 6 00:00:17,721 --> 00:00:20,272 It's a tale long considered by science 7 00:00:20,281 --> 00:00:25,279 To be a moral lesson based in mythology, not in fact. 8 00:00:26,121 --> 00:00:30,352 But a prehistoric structure uncovered in turkey 9 00:00:30,361 --> 00:00:34,239 Has rocked the foundations of stone age anthropology. 10 00:00:36,194 --> 00:00:37,239 (dramatic music) 11 00:00:37,314 --> 00:00:39,159 Could the bible's oldest story 12 00:00:39,234 --> 00:00:41,799 Actually be rooted in reality? 13 00:00:45,474 --> 00:00:47,392 (dramatic music) 14 00:00:47,401 --> 00:00:51,319 For centuries the mysteries of the past 15 00:00:51,394 --> 00:00:54,359 Have kept their secrets, 16 00:00:54,434 --> 00:00:58,119 But there are clues cast in gold, 17 00:00:58,194 --> 00:01:00,112 Etched in stone, 18 00:01:00,121 --> 00:01:02,912 (crowd shouts) written in blood. 19 00:01:02,921 --> 00:01:05,879 (dramatic music) 20 00:01:05,954 --> 00:01:07,879 We can unlock them. 21 00:01:23,961 --> 00:01:26,039 Every great archeological discovery 22 00:01:26,114 --> 00:01:28,599 Attracts a truckload of superlatives. 23 00:01:28,674 --> 00:01:29,712 The greatest. 24 00:01:29,721 --> 00:01:30,752 The richest. 25 00:01:30,761 --> 00:01:31,599 The biggest. 26 00:01:32,914 --> 00:01:35,079 But when it comes to real game changers, 27 00:01:35,154 --> 00:01:37,792 Discoveries that rewrite human history, 28 00:01:37,801 --> 00:01:40,199 That cause paradigm shifts in our thinking 29 00:01:40,274 --> 00:01:43,392 As seismic as an actual seismic event, 30 00:01:43,401 --> 00:01:45,632 Those are few and far between. 31 00:01:45,641 --> 00:01:47,879 Now recent excavations in turkey 32 00:01:47,954 --> 00:01:51,312 Are producing results so epic in scope 33 00:01:51,321 --> 00:01:53,152 That the discovery of the garden of eden 34 00:01:53,161 --> 00:01:55,479 Itself is being invoked. 35 00:01:57,081 --> 00:01:59,719 (gentle music) 36 00:02:01,161 --> 00:02:03,879 Southeast turkey, 1994, 37 00:02:05,554 --> 00:02:08,599 Klaus schmidt, of the german archeological institute, 38 00:02:08,674 --> 00:02:11,799 Is alerted to the discovery of a potential new site. 39 00:02:15,001 --> 00:02:17,399 A local farmer's plow has uncovered 40 00:02:17,474 --> 00:02:20,759 A set of carved rocks protruding from the ground. 41 00:02:22,761 --> 00:02:26,512 They stand on the crest of a mound called gobekli tepe 42 00:02:26,521 --> 00:02:29,199 Near today's war-torn border with syria. 43 00:02:30,361 --> 00:02:34,039 What schmidt uncovers is an archeological wonder 44 00:02:34,114 --> 00:02:36,592 Like nothing else on earth. 45 00:02:36,601 --> 00:02:38,352 Conard: Gobekli tepe when it was discovered, 46 00:02:38,361 --> 00:02:40,839 Was an enormous surprise. 47 00:02:40,914 --> 00:02:42,279 I think most people thought 48 00:02:42,354 --> 00:02:43,999 That this doesn't really make sense. 49 00:02:45,074 --> 00:02:47,792 Mastrelli: Over the next 20 years it has revolutionized 50 00:02:47,801 --> 00:02:50,719 Archeologists' view of the stone age. 51 00:02:54,674 --> 00:02:57,319 (tools clanking) 52 00:02:57,394 --> 00:03:00,119 By the time he dies in 2014, 53 00:03:00,194 --> 00:03:02,439 Schmidt's team has exposed a complex 54 00:03:02,514 --> 00:03:04,599 Of massive limestone pillars, 55 00:03:06,921 --> 00:03:08,719 A series of circular exclosures, 56 00:03:09,714 --> 00:03:12,672 Each between 30 and a 100 feet across, 57 00:03:12,681 --> 00:03:15,399 Clustered together near the top of the hill. 58 00:03:17,161 --> 00:03:19,559 Today the site's in lockdown, 59 00:03:19,634 --> 00:03:22,999 Just a few clicks away from what's long been a war zone. 60 00:03:24,434 --> 00:03:25,959 But the protective shell 61 00:03:26,034 --> 00:03:28,879 Conceals an architectural phenomenon. 62 00:03:30,441 --> 00:03:34,519 At the center of each circle stands two huge monoliths, 63 00:03:35,954 --> 00:03:39,232 T-shaped pillars carved out of a single block, 64 00:03:39,241 --> 00:03:41,919 Standing up to 20 feet in height. 65 00:03:42,914 --> 00:03:46,119 The entire complex is intricately decorated 66 00:03:46,194 --> 00:03:49,519 With three-dimensional carvings of animals and birds. 67 00:03:51,154 --> 00:03:53,799 A gallery sculpted in stone. 68 00:03:56,274 --> 00:03:59,552 (dramatic music) 69 00:03:59,561 --> 00:04:02,672 The structure's most complete ring of stones 70 00:04:02,681 --> 00:04:06,672 Has been recreated at the museum of sanliurfa 71 00:04:06,681 --> 00:04:08,159 On the syrian border. 72 00:04:10,601 --> 00:04:13,319 Notroff: This reconstruction of enclosure allows us 73 00:04:13,394 --> 00:04:15,999 To experience the sheer monumentality of the site. 74 00:04:17,161 --> 00:04:19,712 Standing among these giant stones 75 00:04:19,721 --> 00:04:22,272 Actually makes us appreciate the huge effort 76 00:04:22,281 --> 00:04:24,919 These people must have gone through creating it. 77 00:04:29,161 --> 00:04:31,312 Mastrelli: But the most breathtaking discovery 78 00:04:31,321 --> 00:04:33,679 Was not the size of the complex. 79 00:04:35,161 --> 00:04:36,519 It was its age. 80 00:04:38,361 --> 00:04:40,039 It was once thought britain 81 00:04:40,114 --> 00:04:42,919 Was home to the world's oldest stone circles. 82 00:04:44,674 --> 00:04:48,559 But gobekli tepe blows stonehenge out of the water. 83 00:04:51,001 --> 00:04:54,439 The most ancient organic material found in the fabric 84 00:04:54,514 --> 00:04:56,839 Of the stonework was radio carbon 85 00:04:56,914 --> 00:05:00,439 Dated to before 9,000 bce, 86 00:05:00,514 --> 00:05:03,639 More than 11,000 years ago. 87 00:05:03,714 --> 00:05:06,272 That's 6,000 years before construction 88 00:05:06,281 --> 00:05:09,712 At stonehenge even began. 89 00:05:09,721 --> 00:05:11,472 Notroff: We today actually are closer 90 00:05:11,481 --> 00:05:13,152 To the builders of stonehenge 91 00:05:13,161 --> 00:05:16,352 Than the people building stonehenge were to gobekli tepe. 92 00:05:16,361 --> 00:05:17,872 (gentle music) 93 00:05:17,881 --> 00:05:20,119 Mastrelli: Gobekli tepe represents the oldest 94 00:05:20,194 --> 00:05:22,559 Monumental structure ever built, 95 00:05:24,281 --> 00:05:28,119 Carved, moved, and erected without anything 96 00:05:28,194 --> 00:05:33,159 More sophisticated than manpower and stone tools. 97 00:05:33,401 --> 00:05:34,439 Notroff: We're talking about a period here 98 00:05:34,514 --> 00:05:36,112 Which has not seen metal tools, 99 00:05:36,121 --> 00:05:37,879 And even the wheel was not invented yet. 100 00:05:37,954 --> 00:05:42,112 So, these monuments were put together by hand. 101 00:05:42,121 --> 00:05:43,792 (gentle music) 102 00:05:43,801 --> 00:05:46,759 Mastrelli: The art and architecture at gobekli tepe 103 00:05:46,834 --> 00:05:49,759 Is rewriting prehistoric archeology. 104 00:05:51,234 --> 00:05:53,552 But it was the identity of the architects 105 00:05:53,561 --> 00:05:55,839 That would cause the greatest shock. 106 00:05:57,721 --> 00:06:01,119 Archeologists found the clues not in the stonework, 107 00:06:02,194 --> 00:06:03,639 But in the trash. 108 00:06:03,714 --> 00:06:06,599 Joris peters has spent more than two decades 109 00:06:06,674 --> 00:06:10,112 Examining 11,000-year- old animal remains 110 00:06:10,121 --> 00:06:13,479 From the landscape around gobekli tepe. 111 00:06:13,554 --> 00:06:15,319 But it's the animal bones discovered 112 00:06:15,394 --> 00:06:17,312 Within the enclosures, 113 00:06:17,321 --> 00:06:19,639 Which were the most revealing. 114 00:06:19,714 --> 00:06:21,479 Most had been shattered, 115 00:06:21,554 --> 00:06:22,759 (suspenseful music) 116 00:06:22,834 --> 00:06:24,119 A clear sign they'd been butchered 117 00:06:24,194 --> 00:06:25,872 To extract bone marrow. 118 00:06:25,881 --> 00:06:27,639 (dramatic music) 119 00:06:27,714 --> 00:06:30,239 But the key clue was in the type of bones discovered, 120 00:06:31,234 --> 00:06:33,399 Only the richest cuts. 121 00:06:33,474 --> 00:06:35,079 (people chatting) 122 00:06:35,154 --> 00:06:38,519 Peters: Normally when you have domestic animals 123 00:06:38,594 --> 00:06:41,399 Living in a place, when you slaughter them, 124 00:06:41,474 --> 00:06:44,752 You will find all the elements of the body. 125 00:06:44,761 --> 00:06:48,992 The head, the spine, the lower legs, it's all there. 126 00:06:49,001 --> 00:06:50,432 But for gobekli tepe, 127 00:06:50,441 --> 00:06:52,079 The picture is totally different. 128 00:06:53,401 --> 00:06:55,959 Most of the bones we found 129 00:06:56,034 --> 00:06:58,919 Are the ones that carry a lot of meat. 130 00:06:58,994 --> 00:07:01,679 Mastrelli: The animals hadn't been butchered onsite. 131 00:07:02,601 --> 00:07:05,239 They'd been carved up wherever they'd been killed, 132 00:07:06,114 --> 00:07:08,999 And the meatiest joints brought up the hill. 133 00:07:10,594 --> 00:07:13,399 For archeologists it was evidence 134 00:07:13,474 --> 00:07:15,639 That these animals were wild, 135 00:07:16,594 --> 00:07:20,919 And for the builders of gobekli tepe, they were prey. 136 00:07:20,994 --> 00:07:23,872 Peters: The focus on meat-bearing parts 137 00:07:23,881 --> 00:07:25,632 Points to hunter-gatherers. 138 00:07:25,641 --> 00:07:27,152 (dramatic music) 139 00:07:27,161 --> 00:07:29,232 Mastrelli: The discovery of gobekli tepe 140 00:07:29,241 --> 00:07:32,279 Threw anthropologists' theories about life 141 00:07:32,354 --> 00:07:34,519 In the stone age into chaos, 142 00:07:37,481 --> 00:07:40,679 And rumor quickly spread of a mysterious monument 143 00:07:40,754 --> 00:07:43,959 To nature in an ancient land of plenty. 144 00:07:44,034 --> 00:07:46,759 (dramatic music) (birds chirping) 145 00:07:46,834 --> 00:07:49,952 Could gobekli tepe hold the secret to the location 146 00:07:49,961 --> 00:07:51,999 Of the bible's garden of eden? 147 00:07:55,321 --> 00:07:57,999 (gentle music) 148 00:07:58,994 --> 00:08:01,559 On a hilltop in eastern turkey called gobekli tepe, 149 00:08:02,594 --> 00:08:04,192 Archeologists have unearthed 150 00:08:04,201 --> 00:08:07,792 An 11,000-year-old complex of standing stones. 151 00:08:07,801 --> 00:08:10,599 It's the oldest monumental structure on earth 152 00:08:10,674 --> 00:08:15,632 And predates stonehenge by 6,000 years. 153 00:08:15,641 --> 00:08:17,072 Archeologists have discovered 154 00:08:17,081 --> 00:08:19,239 It was erected by hunter-gatherers, 155 00:08:19,314 --> 00:08:20,592 Obliterating the theory that 156 00:08:20,601 --> 00:08:23,399 Nomadic tribes never built in stone. 157 00:08:26,921 --> 00:08:30,119 Its intricate carvings suggest a people at one 158 00:08:30,194 --> 00:08:34,279 With nature in a landscape brimming with wildlife, 159 00:08:34,354 --> 00:08:38,999 From pigs, to birds, wild cats, and serpents. 160 00:08:40,361 --> 00:08:43,232 The world's media quickly connected gobekli tepe 161 00:08:43,241 --> 00:08:48,239 To the bible's most famous story: The garden of eden. 162 00:08:48,761 --> 00:08:51,872 Rose: That story is at the foundation of western thought. 163 00:08:51,881 --> 00:08:53,392 Whether we like it or not, 164 00:08:53,401 --> 00:08:55,519 That story is embedded in our worldview. 165 00:08:56,834 --> 00:09:01,152 Mastrelli: In 2006, germany's most popular weekly magazine, 166 00:09:01,161 --> 00:09:05,879 "der spiegel", splashed the story on its front cover. 167 00:09:05,954 --> 00:09:08,119 The idea had taken hold. 168 00:09:09,481 --> 00:09:12,352 For some the garden of eden story is an attempt 169 00:09:12,361 --> 00:09:16,512 To answer a question common to all humanity. 170 00:09:16,521 --> 00:09:19,079 How did we get here? 171 00:09:19,154 --> 00:09:20,992 Schiffman: It doesn't matter whether talking about buddhists 172 00:09:21,001 --> 00:09:23,472 Or hindus or jews or christians, muslims, 173 00:09:23,481 --> 00:09:26,119 The human being is designed to want 174 00:09:26,194 --> 00:09:28,752 To fill the brain that we have 175 00:09:28,761 --> 00:09:31,479 With more and more understanding, 176 00:09:31,554 --> 00:09:34,039 And there is something about trying 177 00:09:34,114 --> 00:09:36,919 To understand why we are really here. 178 00:09:37,801 --> 00:09:41,959 Mastrelli: For many the search begins in the old testament, 179 00:09:42,034 --> 00:09:43,959 With the clues laid out in the text 180 00:09:44,034 --> 00:09:47,072 Of genesis chapters two and three. 181 00:09:47,081 --> 00:09:49,552 It describes an earthly paradise 182 00:09:49,561 --> 00:09:52,672 At the point where four rivers split. 183 00:09:52,681 --> 00:09:54,672 Schiffman: Now of the four rivers mentioned in the bible 184 00:09:54,681 --> 00:09:56,199 As coming out of the garden, 185 00:09:56,274 --> 00:09:58,352 Two of them are the tigris and euphrates. 186 00:09:58,361 --> 00:10:00,199 That means the garden of eden, 187 00:10:00,274 --> 00:10:03,959 Has got to be somewhere up there in the northern regions 188 00:10:04,034 --> 00:10:07,079 Of what was mesopotamia and today is turkey. 189 00:10:07,154 --> 00:10:08,432 (gentle music) (birds chirping) 190 00:10:08,441 --> 00:10:10,432 Mastrelli: While gobekli tepe sits right 191 00:10:10,441 --> 00:10:12,879 In the sweet spot for this biblical hunt, 192 00:10:14,514 --> 00:10:16,919 Gobekli tepe is not the first place 193 00:10:16,994 --> 00:10:20,839 To be held up as a possible original paradise. 194 00:10:20,914 --> 00:10:23,952 Over the centuries scholars have claimed that other 195 00:10:23,961 --> 00:10:27,719 Ancient mesopotamian sites could be eden. 196 00:10:27,794 --> 00:10:31,232 Schiffman: You have people claiming that the garden of eden 197 00:10:31,241 --> 00:10:34,119 Is in southern mesopotamia near the persian gulf. 198 00:10:34,194 --> 00:10:35,632 You've got people claiming 199 00:10:35,641 --> 00:10:38,112 That it's northern mesopotamia in turkey. 200 00:10:38,121 --> 00:10:39,392 What this shows is very simply: 201 00:10:39,401 --> 00:10:41,152 A, we don't know, 202 00:10:41,161 --> 00:10:43,639 And b, these people miss the point. 203 00:10:43,714 --> 00:10:45,239 Mastrelli: For most scholars the hunt 204 00:10:45,314 --> 00:10:47,559 For the biblical paradise is futile. 205 00:10:48,681 --> 00:10:51,152 For the faithful the book of genesis 206 00:10:51,161 --> 00:10:53,552 Tells a theological story, 207 00:10:53,561 --> 00:10:56,519 Not one that can be proven with archeology. 208 00:10:57,394 --> 00:11:00,832 Still neither scientists nor theologians 209 00:11:00,841 --> 00:11:03,232 Can miss the remarkable animal carvings 210 00:11:03,241 --> 00:11:06,272 That decorate almost every surface, 211 00:11:06,281 --> 00:11:09,639 And as archeologists uncover the enclosures, 212 00:11:09,714 --> 00:11:12,039 They discover that in each one 213 00:11:12,114 --> 00:11:14,359 A different animal predominates. 214 00:11:15,241 --> 00:11:17,712 Notroff: There's one enclosure where a lot of foxes appear, 215 00:11:17,721 --> 00:11:19,799 And in another one were a lot of boars. 216 00:11:19,874 --> 00:11:24,199 In another enclosure there's a very strong focus on birds. 217 00:11:24,274 --> 00:11:26,439 Mastrelli: Archeologists believe these carvings 218 00:11:26,514 --> 00:11:28,719 May represent tribal signatures. 219 00:11:29,641 --> 00:11:30,759 Notroff: It's interpretation. 220 00:11:30,834 --> 00:11:32,432 It's speculation. 221 00:11:32,441 --> 00:11:34,519 We have the idea where each enclosure 222 00:11:34,594 --> 00:11:37,152 May belong to a certain group, 223 00:11:37,161 --> 00:11:39,959 Was erected and used by a certain group. 224 00:11:40,034 --> 00:11:43,319 Mastrelli: If each enclosure represents a different tribe, 225 00:11:43,394 --> 00:11:45,152 But each tribe was using 226 00:11:45,161 --> 00:11:47,872 Similar symbols carved into the rock, 227 00:11:47,881 --> 00:11:50,839 It flies in the face of decades of theory. 228 00:11:51,794 --> 00:11:55,152 It means these roaming hunter-gatherer groups 229 00:11:55,161 --> 00:11:57,472 Weren't operating in isolation, 230 00:11:57,481 --> 00:12:00,912 Shunning contact with neighboring tribes. 231 00:12:00,921 --> 00:12:04,039 They were part of something bigger. 232 00:12:04,114 --> 00:12:05,399 Notroff: We're talking about single bands 233 00:12:05,474 --> 00:12:07,232 Of hunter-gatherers here, 234 00:12:07,241 --> 00:12:10,679 But they also seem to share a common, common culture, 235 00:12:10,754 --> 00:12:12,119 A common background. 236 00:12:12,194 --> 00:12:13,472 (gentle music) 237 00:12:13,481 --> 00:12:14,992 Mastrelli: Archeologists believe that the 238 00:12:15,001 --> 00:12:17,072 Hunter-gatherers of the region had enough 239 00:12:17,081 --> 00:12:19,159 In common to make them come together 240 00:12:19,234 --> 00:12:22,119 And carve their shared culture into stone. 241 00:12:23,241 --> 00:12:25,999 They were part of a wider society. 242 00:12:27,721 --> 00:12:29,712 Rose: As an american when I lived in the uk, 243 00:12:29,721 --> 00:12:31,312 The saddest day of the year was thanksgiving, 244 00:12:31,321 --> 00:12:33,072 Because it was the day I felt out of sync 245 00:12:33,081 --> 00:12:35,079 With the rest of society. 246 00:12:35,154 --> 00:12:38,439 We get at gobekli are all of these disparate tribes 247 00:12:38,514 --> 00:12:40,112 Scattered over hundreds of miles 248 00:12:40,121 --> 00:12:41,879 All meeting together in this one spot 249 00:12:41,954 --> 00:12:44,199 And agreeing that these symbols mean the same thing to them. 250 00:12:44,274 --> 00:12:47,552 Gobekli acts as this 251 00:12:47,561 --> 00:12:51,079 This prehistoric mecca unifying people. 252 00:12:51,154 --> 00:12:52,839 (gentle music) 253 00:12:52,914 --> 00:12:55,392 Mastrelli: Nomadic hunter -gatherers of prehistoric turkey 254 00:12:55,401 --> 00:12:57,439 Were part of a wider society, 255 00:12:58,914 --> 00:13:01,319 But what was attracting them all to gobekli tepe? 256 00:13:02,674 --> 00:13:05,479 (dramatic music) 257 00:13:06,594 --> 00:13:08,832 The broken up animal bones confirm 258 00:13:08,841 --> 00:13:11,799 It was the site of food consumption. 259 00:13:11,874 --> 00:13:14,672 But these weren't every day trash heaps. 260 00:13:14,681 --> 00:13:18,999 The enclosures were packed full of smashed up animal bones, 261 00:13:20,121 --> 00:13:23,879 And some of the meat hadn't been properly butchered, 262 00:13:23,954 --> 00:13:27,472 Just tossed aside half-finished. 263 00:13:27,481 --> 00:13:30,112 Peters: The fact that it has not been cut up 264 00:13:30,121 --> 00:13:35,079 And chopped means they were consuming the meat quite fast, 265 00:13:35,321 --> 00:13:37,119 Which could be indicative of feasting. 266 00:13:38,034 --> 00:13:40,919 Mastrelli: This wasn't a case of hunter-gatherers carefully 267 00:13:40,994 --> 00:13:44,919 Stripping down carcasses for every available calorie. 268 00:13:44,994 --> 00:13:48,599 Rather, gobekli tepe seems to have played host 269 00:13:48,674 --> 00:13:51,152 To epic meat-fueled feasts. 270 00:13:51,161 --> 00:13:53,232 (dramatic music) (tribesmen chatting) 271 00:13:53,241 --> 00:13:55,159 The tribes of hunter-gatherers 272 00:13:55,234 --> 00:13:57,999 Were coming to gobekli tepe to celebrate. 273 00:14:00,201 --> 00:14:02,519 But why did they build a stone monument 274 00:14:02,594 --> 00:14:05,472 Larger and more complex than anything 275 00:14:05,481 --> 00:14:08,119 The human species had ever produced? 276 00:14:10,514 --> 00:14:12,359 (tribal people chatting) 277 00:14:12,434 --> 00:14:14,352 (gentle music) 278 00:14:14,361 --> 00:14:17,599 The world's oldest monumental stone structure, 279 00:14:19,074 --> 00:14:23,639 This ornately carved complex of enclosures at gobekli tepe, 280 00:14:23,714 --> 00:14:26,919 Seems to have been the focus for huge congregations 281 00:14:26,994 --> 00:14:29,879 Of stone age hunter -gatherer tribes 282 00:14:29,954 --> 00:14:33,472 Assembling for ritual purposes. 283 00:14:33,481 --> 00:14:35,312 It may represent the first steps 284 00:14:35,321 --> 00:14:37,152 Towards an organized religion, 285 00:14:37,161 --> 00:14:39,959 Shattering the theory that religious behavior 286 00:14:40,034 --> 00:14:43,152 Came out of later, settled societies. 287 00:14:43,161 --> 00:14:45,959 (dramatic music) 288 00:14:46,034 --> 00:14:47,959 For those who believe the teachings 289 00:14:48,034 --> 00:14:51,632 Of the old testament re-tell a version of human history, 290 00:14:51,641 --> 00:14:55,999 The discoveries at gobekli tepe are an exciting development. 291 00:14:56,921 --> 00:15:01,072 Schiffman: Humans originally had a kind of idealistic life 292 00:15:01,081 --> 00:15:03,152 Where everything was given to them, 293 00:15:03,161 --> 00:15:05,799 But then as a result of a transgression, 294 00:15:05,874 --> 00:15:08,359 They end up having to really support themselves 295 00:15:08,434 --> 00:15:10,839 By very, very great toil and great effort. 296 00:15:12,601 --> 00:15:16,279 Mastrelli: Now researchers believe the rituals celebrated 297 00:15:16,354 --> 00:15:19,792 By people of gobekli tepe may have been the trigger 298 00:15:19,801 --> 00:15:23,159 For a revolution in their way of living. 299 00:15:23,234 --> 00:15:25,319 (gentle music) 300 00:15:25,394 --> 00:15:29,439 Dr. Reinder neef is a specialist in ancient plants. 301 00:15:32,114 --> 00:15:33,872 Neef: They were probably experimenting 302 00:15:33,881 --> 00:15:35,712 With cultivation of cereals, 303 00:15:35,721 --> 00:15:38,592 And that is something which you can expect from people 304 00:15:38,601 --> 00:15:41,712 Who are building such incredible monuments. 305 00:15:41,721 --> 00:15:43,479 They were experimenting, 306 00:15:43,554 --> 00:15:47,399 And not only with stone but also with plant material. 307 00:15:48,754 --> 00:15:51,072 Mastrelli: Scientists think gobekli tepe 308 00:15:51,081 --> 00:15:53,959 Was blessed with the perfect grassland environment 309 00:15:54,034 --> 00:15:57,792 To begin humanity's experiment with plant cultivation. 310 00:15:57,801 --> 00:16:00,272 (grass rustling) (gentle music) 311 00:16:00,281 --> 00:16:03,399 But what caused mobile hunter-gatherers 312 00:16:03,474 --> 00:16:06,439 To start focusing on immobile crops? 313 00:16:07,954 --> 00:16:11,079 Now, archeologists may have found the spark 314 00:16:11,154 --> 00:16:13,392 That ignited the flame of farming. 315 00:16:13,401 --> 00:16:16,119 (dramatic music) 316 00:16:16,194 --> 00:16:19,239 It came with the discovery of a collection of huge, 317 00:16:19,314 --> 00:16:22,519 40-gallon stone troughs at gobekli tepe. 318 00:16:25,401 --> 00:16:27,799 A gray residue on the inner surface of some 319 00:16:27,874 --> 00:16:31,639 Of the troughs offered an opportunity for analysis. 320 00:16:33,074 --> 00:16:36,639 On a hunch, the team sent a sample to southern germany. 321 00:16:38,201 --> 00:16:39,712 (gentle music) 322 00:16:39,721 --> 00:16:42,599 Dr. Martin zarnkow is a bio-technologist 323 00:16:42,674 --> 00:16:45,279 With a lab at the technical university of munich. 324 00:16:47,874 --> 00:16:51,519 His team prepared the residue from gobekli tepe for testing 325 00:16:54,594 --> 00:16:57,359 And discovered a surprising result. 326 00:17:00,114 --> 00:17:04,279 The analysis suggests that the 11,000-year-old stone troughs 327 00:17:04,354 --> 00:17:08,119 Of gobekli tepe contained beer. 328 00:17:08,194 --> 00:17:11,392 Zarnkow: I believe there is a good possibility 329 00:17:11,401 --> 00:17:13,392 That beer was inside these vessels, 330 00:17:13,401 --> 00:17:15,559 But you cannot be absolutely sure. 331 00:17:15,634 --> 00:17:17,152 (gentle music) 332 00:17:17,161 --> 00:17:19,632 Mastrelli: Troughs full of stone age beer 333 00:17:19,641 --> 00:17:24,192 May have been a key component of gobekli's ritual feasts, 334 00:17:24,201 --> 00:17:25,952 And the bigger the celebration, 335 00:17:25,961 --> 00:17:29,399 The greater the need for cereal to supply the brewers. 336 00:17:30,521 --> 00:17:31,799 Notroff: Organizing a feast, 337 00:17:31,874 --> 00:17:34,119 Including these huge amounts of meat 338 00:17:34,194 --> 00:17:36,512 And maybe the alcoholic beverages, 339 00:17:36,521 --> 00:17:39,959 Might put some stress to an economy based on hunting. 340 00:17:40,034 --> 00:17:41,552 (dramatic music) (tribal people chatting) 341 00:17:41,561 --> 00:17:44,352 Mastrelli: Any party must be well supplied. 342 00:17:44,361 --> 00:17:47,159 Nobody's happy when the refreshments runs dry. 343 00:17:48,041 --> 00:17:52,039 In order to adequately supply their stone age festival, 344 00:17:52,114 --> 00:17:53,719 The people of gobekli tepe 345 00:17:53,794 --> 00:17:57,072 Needed a reliable source of sustenance, 346 00:17:57,081 --> 00:17:59,279 So they turned to their crops. 347 00:18:00,841 --> 00:18:03,392 Notroff: These people were already gathering plants 348 00:18:03,401 --> 00:18:05,152 And were nourishing on plants, 349 00:18:05,161 --> 00:18:07,719 And whether it was some kind of gruel, 350 00:18:07,794 --> 00:18:09,239 Or if it really was beer, 351 00:18:09,314 --> 00:18:11,559 This might have been the stimulus to farming. 352 00:18:13,234 --> 00:18:15,392 Mastrelli: If this theory is correct, 353 00:18:15,401 --> 00:18:18,119 The single most important turning point in the history 354 00:18:18,194 --> 00:18:23,159 Of civilization may have been caused by the craft brewers 355 00:18:23,401 --> 00:18:24,599 Of the stone age. 356 00:18:25,954 --> 00:18:27,472 (insects chattering) (dramatic music) 357 00:18:27,481 --> 00:18:30,119 At gobekli tepe ancestor worship 358 00:18:30,194 --> 00:18:32,352 And ritual were bringing a nomadic 359 00:18:32,361 --> 00:18:34,079 Hunter-gatherers together. 360 00:18:35,241 --> 00:18:36,839 Out of the need to provide 361 00:18:36,914 --> 00:18:40,639 For that immense social upheaval, farming was born. 362 00:18:42,434 --> 00:18:46,439 Anthropologists call it the neolithic revolution. 363 00:18:47,561 --> 00:18:49,079 Rose: This period of time is the most 364 00:18:49,154 --> 00:18:51,632 Fundamental revolution in all of human history, 365 00:18:51,641 --> 00:18:53,072 And the fact that even today 366 00:18:53,081 --> 00:18:55,152 We still eat porridge for breakfast. 367 00:18:55,161 --> 00:18:56,912 You know, we have cereal grains. 368 00:18:56,921 --> 00:19:00,199 That all happened because of the neolithic revolution. 369 00:19:00,274 --> 00:19:05,239 What gobekli does give us is a window into this revolution. 370 00:19:05,314 --> 00:19:08,119 The first piece of the puzzle was, was religion. 371 00:19:08,194 --> 00:19:10,679 (dramatic music) 372 00:19:10,754 --> 00:19:14,199 Mastrelli: The discoveries made at gobekli tepe are rewriting 373 00:19:14,274 --> 00:19:17,879 The textbook on the origins of farming and civilization. 374 00:19:19,721 --> 00:19:22,919 It's a story echoed in the bible's old testament, 375 00:19:22,994 --> 00:19:26,759 Where adam and eve suffered a fall from grace, 376 00:19:26,834 --> 00:19:30,159 And were sent from eden to work the land. 377 00:19:31,001 --> 00:19:33,472 Rose: After adam eats the fruit of knowledge, 378 00:19:33,481 --> 00:19:35,792 He's sentenced to have to toil the fields 379 00:19:35,801 --> 00:19:37,399 By the sweat of his own brow. 380 00:19:38,441 --> 00:19:40,912 What is this fruit of knowledge? 381 00:19:40,921 --> 00:19:43,399 In some jewish traditions it is a grain of wheat. 382 00:19:45,321 --> 00:19:46,679 Some have suggested this 383 00:19:46,754 --> 00:19:49,159 Symbolizes the transition to farming, 384 00:19:49,234 --> 00:19:51,712 The transition to having to produce our own food. 385 00:19:51,721 --> 00:19:54,399 (gentle music) 386 00:19:56,274 --> 00:19:58,039 Mastrelli: The hunter -gatherer tribes 387 00:19:58,114 --> 00:20:02,112 Congregating at gobekli tepe 11,000 years ago 388 00:20:02,121 --> 00:20:05,199 Had started down the path of organized religion, 389 00:20:06,281 --> 00:20:08,839 Sowing the seeds of a wider culture, 390 00:20:09,721 --> 00:20:12,799 Paving the way for the agricultural revolution, 391 00:20:13,714 --> 00:20:17,559 And kick-starting civilization itself. 392 00:20:19,154 --> 00:20:21,399 (gentle piano music) (fire crackling) 393 00:20:21,474 --> 00:20:24,272 Thousands of years before the garden of eden story 394 00:20:24,281 --> 00:20:27,479 Was written down, hunter-gatherers congregated 395 00:20:27,554 --> 00:20:31,632 At gobekli tepe to worship their ancestors. 396 00:20:31,641 --> 00:20:34,919 There they lit the fuse of religion, 397 00:20:34,994 --> 00:20:39,399 Building an extraordinary monument in a land of plenty. 398 00:20:42,361 --> 00:20:45,712 To fuel their ritual feasts and celebrations, 399 00:20:45,721 --> 00:20:48,999 They took advantage of the wild grasses on their doorstep. 400 00:20:51,714 --> 00:20:55,479 Unwittingly, they set off down the path toward civilization. 401 00:20:56,514 --> 00:20:58,279 (sheep bleating) (gentle music) 402 00:20:58,354 --> 00:21:00,839 When the community at gobekli tepe had finally moved on 403 00:21:00,914 --> 00:21:03,319 From their hunter -gatherer existence, 404 00:21:04,594 --> 00:21:06,719 Their monument ceased to have meaning. 405 00:21:08,034 --> 00:21:10,039 The enclosures were buried, 406 00:21:10,114 --> 00:21:14,352 Laying to rest an old -fashioned existence. 407 00:21:14,361 --> 00:21:16,992 Peters: In the end it was given up 408 00:21:17,001 --> 00:21:18,439 Because the hunter-gatherer way 409 00:21:18,514 --> 00:21:21,639 Was replaced by a farming way of life. 410 00:21:23,401 --> 00:21:26,839 Rose: As far as a historical perspective of our species, 411 00:21:26,914 --> 00:21:29,559 This was the biggest moment in our history. 412 00:21:29,634 --> 00:21:32,839 (bright uptempo music) 413 00:21:37,394 --> 00:21:39,079 Mastrelli: It's an extraordinary moment, no doubt. 414 00:21:39,154 --> 00:21:41,312 The garden of eden, the fall of man, 415 00:21:41,321 --> 00:21:44,919 The dawn of agriculture all bundled into one. 416 00:21:44,994 --> 00:21:47,552 It deserves to be properly memorialized 417 00:21:47,561 --> 00:21:49,159 With a little of the good stuff. 418 00:21:52,354 --> 00:21:55,559 After all it's home-brewed beer that kick started it all.