In the process of developing and making Göbekli Tepe to Stonehenge, we're lifting the corner of the carpet on all sorts of aspects to do with the Neolithic period that we perhaps would not have otherwise.

And so it is with the topic of this discussion - obsidian: we had absolutely no idea how crucial this 'black stuff' was to the spread of farming from Anatolia and the fertile crescent into Europe until really examining the narrative of how the early pioneers first ventured out in to the Aegean and crossed to mainland Greece.

Our research has turned up all sorts of surprises and we hope you all enjoy this brief overview of the power of the trade in obsidian.

As the first steps in making the Göbekli Tepe to Stonehenge film project, a few weeks ago Rupert and I spent three days at Göbekli Tepe with access to the whole site - we've been down amongst the T-pillars, we've seen the places where the people lived, we've seen excavations that are normally out of the public eye and much more - all in the company of the head archaeologist there, Lee Clare.

So that is what this show about: we so had our minds blown during our visit, we've got so much to talk about, and this is the first opportunity - probably the first of many - to share what we've taken away from our visit.

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In the very first 'Göbekli Tepe to Stonehenge' podcast, we aim to provide a context for the phenomenon of the T-Pillar sites of South Eastern Turkïye and to set the scene for the journey we are about to embark upon with the whole Göbekli Tepe to Stonehenge film project,

In order to fulfil the promise of the project our prehistory focus has shifted over to the Levant and the Fertile Crescent.  And our tiny minds have been a little bit blown just a bit.

We've never accepted the idea of Göbekli Tepe as this 'Ground Zero' of civilization as it presents in the popular press and now largely in the public imagination, or even worse, that it must have been constructed by aliens (how could hunter-gatherers have made THAT?).

But of course, there is a story that leads up to Göbekli Tepe, the other Taş Tepeler (stone hills) and other sites; one that stretches back a further 10,000 years, right to the shores of the Sea of Galilee.

We hope you enjoy this condensed overview of what came before Göbekli Tepe.

00:00:00 - Intro & show outline

00:04:24 - Why the Göbekli Tepe to Stonehenge podcast?

00:10:46 - It didn’t all start with Göbekli Tepe

00:15:59 - Ohalo II

00:20:00 - The Epipaleolithic

00:23:18 - Archaeological sites of the area

00:26:05 - Zarzian Culture

00:27:04 - Available information about the Epipaleolithic

00:29:47 - Kharaheneh IV

00:32:58 - Natufian Culture

00:39:51 - Bread & beer?

00:43:27 - More about the Natufians

00:45:23 - Halizon Tachtit

00:47:04 - Tortoises

00:49:54 - The Younger Dryas

00:55:22 - Special buildings, silo storage and the Tas Tepeler sites

00:58:32 - Göbekli Tepe precursor sites

01:03:45 - Desert kItes and the hunting of gazelle

01:06:40 - Rounding up & goodbyes

For those of you who would like to take a closer look at some of the sites we discussed in the podcast, below is a list of some of the key settlements.

Ohalo II, northern Israel.

A 22,000 year-old site that was discovered when sea of Galilee dried to a very low level in 1989

The small settlement of oval houses also contained a single burial of a male between 35-40 years old

Due to the waterlogged conditions there was an unusually high level of preservation. Thousands of seeds and fruits showing that these people exploited over 100 different plant species with evidence that they lived there all year round.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohalo_II

Kharaneh IV, Jordan

The site’s main period of occupation was 21,000 to 18,500 years ago.

Traces of stone foundations for round huts - more widely known as hut circles.

Over time the site developed into a low mound covering over two hectares or five and a half acres.

The surface was littered with literally millions of discarded flints.

Also interesting here is that these people apparently socialised in some way with other more distant groups. archaeologists have also found beads here made from marine shells which came from the mediterranean and the red sea - which are 125 and 250 miles away respectively.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kharaneh_IV

El Wad, Mount Carmel, northern Israel

A cave settlement dating to around 14,500 years ago. As the community grew in size, the area outside...