Departed from Kahramanmaraş in the morning to travel to Domuztepe—a late Neolithic site showing early Halaf culture traits—close to Gaziantep. The settlement was inhabited between 6500 BC (but probably earlier) and abandoned 5400 BC. It is remarkable not only from an archeological point of view, but also as backdrop for one of the Ouranian Chronicles most sweeping thought experiments tackling the question of the sudden demise of certain pre-pottery Neolithic sites after flowering for millennia.
Domuztepe seems to offer us an extreme example of social engineering, in the form of ritual cannibalism as a communal practice. That is to say, cannibalism not for nutritional purposes but as part of an elaborate religious rite or observance. Evidence of this systematic practice is preserved by a so-called “Death Pit,” a large five meter wide and one meter deep excavation containing the remains of approximately 40 individuals. It is mostly the craniums of the victims that show signs of blunt force trauma designed to provide access to their brain matter. There are additional signs indicating low temperature thermal exposure, as in cooking. I have conjured up a similar scenario (minus the cooking) in the chapter "Dark Harvest" (see Book 3, Brotherhood of Shadows, Ouranian Chronicles Series) and what long term consequences such practices might have upon an emerging society, including the possible inception of prion disease in those who habitually follow such customs. Again, this is a speculative hypothesis that I have fleshed out in accordance to the Ouranian Chronicles' True Fiction rules.
Locating the site was very difficult since no signs are set up. What we found was a muddy ditch leading to a locked gate securing a narrow access road enclosed by a wire fence. Everything was overgrown with thistles and weeds:
We managed to obtain the phone number and address of the site's caretaker from a friendly farmhand nearby. On our way to meet the official we discovered a large well-maintained compound signposted as the Domuztepe administrative center though some damage was visible from last year's earthquake in nearby Gaziantep (7.8). Here the gate was also locked, but we were soon met by a kind gentleman named Halil, the custodian.
Halil put us in touch with the chief archeologist in charge of the site, professor Halil Tekin at the Haccetepe University of Ankara. Professor Tekin advised us that the site is closed until July, and that archeological work only commences in the summer between semesters. We agreed to stay in touch via academia.edu. As we left the compound, the caretaker said he will show us around after we return from Urfa.
Şanlıurfa
We arrived in Urfa after sundown. The city is quite large, its outskirts are very modern, marked by American style malls (featuring such US originals like Sbarro and Popeyes).
Founded in the second millennium BC as Adma, the city functioned as an important Mesopotamian trading hub between East and West. Later rechristened as Edessa by the Hellenes, it gained stature in the New Era for being the first city to convert to Christianity, and for having possessed the only portrait of Jesus of Nazareth (painted for the King Abgar of Edessa, by one of Christ's disciples, said to have brought a letter written by Jesus to the king. The image, not to be confused with the Shroud of Turin, is known as the Mandylion.) After the First Crusade Edessa became the capital of one of the crusader states which governed the Middle East. Later it was subsumed under the Ottoman Empire. Today it functions as the gateway to Göbekli Tepe, and also as the home of one of the preeminent archeological museums in the world, renowned for its Neolithic section. It is an absolute must see. However, that Urfa/Edessa's roots stretch all the way back to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic era, is evidenced by the discovery of Urfa man, "the oldest naturalistic life-sized sculpture of a human,” (9,000 BC). The statue, which is 1.90m tall, was found during construction work:
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