Editing Göbekli Tepe (section)

===Large enclosures===
The first circular compounds appear around the latter half of the {{BCE|10th millennium}}. They range from {{cvt|10|to|30|m}} in diameter. Their most notable feature is the presence of T-shaped [[limestone]] pillars evenly set within thick interior walls composed of unworked stone. Four such circular structures have been unearthed so far. Geophysical surveys indicate that there are 16 more, enclosing up to eight pillars each, amounting to nearly 200 pillars in all. The slabs were transported from bedrock pits located approximately {{cvt|100|m}} from the hilltop, with workers using flint points to cut through the limestone bedrock.{{sfn|Schmidt|2000b|pp=52–3}} The pillars are the oldest known [[megalith]]s in the world.{{sfn|Scham|2008|p=23}}

Two taller pillars stand facing one another at the centre of each circle. Whether the circles were provided with a roof is uncertain. Stone benches designed for sitting are found in the interior.{{sfn|Mithen|2004|p=65}} Many of the pillars are decorated with [[Abstract art|abstract]], enigmatic [[pictogram]]s and carved animal reliefs. The pictograms may represent commonly understood sacred symbols, as known from [[Neolithic]] [[cave paintings]] elsewhere. The reliefs depict mammals such as lions, bulls, boars, foxes, gazelle, and donkeys; snakes and other reptiles; [[arthropod]]s such as insects and arachnids; and birds, particularly vultures. Vultures also feature prominently in the iconography of [[Çatalhöyük]] and [[Jericho]].

Few humanoid figures have appeared in the art at Göbekli Tepe. Some of the T-shaped pillars have human arms carved on their lower half, however, suggesting to site excavator Schmidt that they are intended to represent the bodies of stylized humans (or perhaps deities). Loincloths appear on the lower half of a few pillars. The horizontal stone slab on top is thought by Schmidt to symbolize shoulders, which suggests that the figures were left headless.{{sfn|Schmidt|2010|pp=244, 246}} Whether they were intended to serve as surrogate worshippers, symbolize venerated ancestors, or represent supernatural, anthropomorphic beings is not known.{{citation needed|date=May 2024}}

Some of the floors in this, the oldest, layer are made of [[terrazzo]] (burnt lime); others are bedrock from which pedestals to hold the large pair of central pillars were carved in high relief.{{sfn|Schmidt|2010|p=251}} Radiocarbon dating places the construction of these early circles {{circa|{{BCE|9000}}}}.

Later enclosures were rectangular in shape, perhaps to make more efficient use of space compared with circular structures. They often are associated with the emergence of the Neolithic,{{sfn|Flannery|Marcus|2012|p=128}} but the T-shaped pillars, the main feature of the older enclosures, also are present here, indicating that the buildings continued to serve the same function in the culture,{{sfn|Schmidt|2010|pp=239, 241}} during the [[Pre-Pottery Neolithic B]] (PPNB). The several adjoining rectangular, doorless, and windowless rooms have floors of polished lime reminiscent of [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] terrazzo floors. Carbon dating has yielded dates between 8800 and {{BCE|8000}}.{{sfn|Schmidt|2009|p=291}} Several T-pillars up to 1.5 meters tall occupy the center of the rooms. A pair decorated with fierce-looking lions is the rationale for the name "lion pillar building" by which their enclosure is known.{{sfn|Schmidt|2009|p=198}}

<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">
Urfa_Göbeklitepe_Building_B_5326.jpg|Enclosure B
File:Göbeklitepe_Şanlıurfa.jpg|Enclosure C
File:Göbeklitepe.jpg|Enclosure F
</gallery>