Experts initially studied Göbekli Tepe in the 1960s but dismissed it as a medieval cemetery; German archaeologist Klaus Schmidt revealed the complex's true age in 1994.
Notes on verification
Confirmed by multiple independent, credible sources including academic and museum publications; minor variance in the exact cemetery classification (medieval/Byzantine/Islamic) across sources does not undermine the core claim.
Sources
- Did Geometry Guide the Construction of the World's Oldest ... (smithsonianmag.com)
- https://www.dainst.blog/the-tepe-telegrams/2016/06/02/gobekli-tepe-the-first-20-years-of-research/ (dainst.blog)
- https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/anthropology/gobekli-tepe-archaeological-site (ebsco.com)
- https://www.ancient-origins.net/history/gobekli-tepe-0014650 (ancient-origins.net)
- https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/cult-as-a-driving-force-of-human-history/ (penn.museum)