Turkish Stonehenge: Gobekli Tepe

Joe Plegge has discovered the astronomical purpose of T-shaped pillars at Gobekli Tepe, an archaeological dig site in southeastern Turkey. Similar to the famous Stonehenge in England, Gobekli Tepe also has circles of stone pillars. Joe Plegge discovered that Gobekli Tepe was used as a solar calendar, some 7,000 years before Stonehenge was built. This discovery sheds new light on the society of early humans and redefines the beginnings of civilization and astronomy. His book, Turkish Stonehenge: Gobekli Tepe, details the findings of his research.

According to Mr. Plegge, there are over 1,000 stone henges in Europe, and Stonehenge, the most popular, is just a short drive from London. It has stone pillars in a circular pattern, and they are aligned to follow the solstices. People gather every year at Stonehenge to observe the June Solstice.

Gobekli Tepe is currently being excavated by Prof. Dr. Klaus Schmidt, in association with the German Archaeological Institute, officials from the Turkish Government, and the Sanliurfa Museum. This site includes numerous circular structures made from carved limestone pillars. While researching the dig site, Joe Plegge discovered that at least one of the stone circles was designed specifically to track equinoxes and solstices.

In Turkish Stonehenge: Gobekli Tepe, he reveals the origins of the people who built the stone circles and where they learned to carve stone. Using straightforward and uncomplicated language, he describes how solar events were observed at Gobekli Tepe and at Stonehenge. Finally, he offers the proof that the descendants of the builders of Gobekli Tepe migrated throughout Europe and settled in England thousands of years before Stonehenge was built.

"The legacy of Gobekli Tepe will be the celestial knowledge that was passed from one culture to the next," said Joe Plegge. Before the invention of the wheel, writing, or metal tools, hunter/gatherers in 10,000 BC built a 20-acre complex. That alone would be considered a remarkable feat, but Mr. Plegge's discovery shows these early humans were much more advanced than previously thought. Their knowledge of celestial observations played a key role in their survival.

Many people believe mankind first kept track of these solar events to assist with agriculture. Mr. Plegge's discovery proves that our ancestors were monitoring the seasons over 1,000 years before grains were first domesticated. "At the time of the construction of Gobekli Tepe, humans in this area were in the process of transitioning from hunter/gatherers to a settled society," stated Joe Plegge. "They started to harvest wild grains, and this ultimately lead to the first strains of domesticated wheat."