Göbekli Tepe was built by hunter-gatherers, probably living there year-round, who cut, shaped and moved limestone pillars of up to about 10 tons over distances of roughly 100 to 500 meters without wheels or pack animals.
Notes on verification
Corroborated by UNESCO, History.com, Archaeology Magazine, and the German Archaeological Institute's research blog. Core claim about nomadic hunter-gatherers moving multi-ton stones without wheels or draft animals is well supported, though exact weight figures vary slightly across sources.
Sources
- The Birth of Religion (nationalgeographic.com)
- Features - Last Stand of the Hunter-Gatherers? - May/June 2021 (archaeology.org)
- https://www.dainst.blog/the-tepe-telegrams/2016/05/03/how-did-they-do-it-making-and-moving-monoliths-at-gobekli-tepe/ (dainst.blog)
- https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1572 (whc.unesco.org)
- https://www.history.com/articles/gobekli-tepe (history.com)