© Diyor S.

(2025)
Gobekli Tepe: a remarkable discovery – Reading Test #4
Between roughly 10,000 and 11,000 BC, in a remote corner of Mesopotamia, now in modern-day
Turkey, a people who pre-dated the invention of the wheel and lacked even basic technology such
as metal tools, built an enormous complex of stone pillars called Gobekli Tepe (Potbelly Hill). To
achieve this, they shaped blocks of limestone into pillars at as a stone quarry. They then moved
each pillar, weighing between 11 and 22 tons, a distance of 100 to 500 metres from the quarry to
the Gobekli Tepe site. There, the pillars were arranged in rings, which usually consisted of eight
upright pillars. Each pillar comprised two stones placed together in the form of a 'T'. Typically,
six of these pillars, connected by low walls, made up the circumference of each ring and two
taller pillars were situated in the centre. The tallest pillars reached almost five metres in height,
and the largest rings were almost 20 metres in diameter.
To date, nearly 200 pillars have been found by archaeologists at the site. A menagerie of animals,
including bulls, foxes, snakes, spiders, donkeys, gazelles and lions had been carved in relief on
the stones. There are also strange depictions of human-like forms on the stones. Experts have
noted that art from other sites around the world created at roughly the same time typically depicts
animals in herds, while at Gobekli Tepe, the images are of individual fierce-looking beasts.
Although archaeologists had been aware since the 1960s that there were old limestone slabs at
Gobekli Tepe, these were for years generally dismissed as nothing more than a jumble of broken
stones of fairly recent origin and uncertain purpose, and the site was essentially ignored. Then in
1994, German archaeologist Klaus Schmidt took a closer look and realized that the unusually
rounded appearance of the hill was something that ‘only man could have created' and
archaeologists began studying the site more carefully.
In addition to traditional excavation, which has uncovered a treasure trove of flint tools as well as
four rings of pillars, geomagnetic surveys were also conducted. he surveys revealed 16 additional
rings buried in the hill that had been left undisturbed. It appears that every now and then, ancient
builders filled in a ring, pillars and all, with dirt, gravel, flint and old tools. They then erected a
new circle over or near the old, buried one.
There are differing opinions about the purpose of Gobekli Tepe. The stones display prominent
depictions of vultures, which are birds commonly associated with the dead, and it is possible that
Gobekli Tepe was built as an ancient cemetery. However, some people say that the great age of
the stones and the lack of any writing on them make interpreting the builders’ motivations
virtually impossible.
Of the many discoveries made at the site, perhaps the most intriguing is that the builders do not
appear to have become settled before constructing the monuments. The indications are, in fact,
that they were nomadic hunter-gatherers. This is remarkable because, up until this discovery,
most experts believed that in order to build massive structures like those found at Gobekli Tepe, a
society needed to have the organization and resources that could only come about through people
living in a settled agricultural community. The evidence found at Gobekli Tepe, however, appears
to seriously challenge this conventional wisdom.
Archaeologists have been digging at the site for more than 20 years, and have yet to find any
evidence of a well-established ancient settlement such as houses, hearths, cooking sites, or
rubbish dumps. However, they have found 100,000 fragments of the bones of wild game animals
like boar, gazelle and deer, which strongly suggests the site was used by hunters. And, unlike the

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dry landscape found around Gobekli Tepe today, 11,000 years ago the region was a paradise that
would have provided ample natural nourishment. It would have been full of fruit and nuts, all
readily available to be collected by gatherers without the need for farming.
All of the evidence suggests that these vast monuments at Gobekli Tepe were not built after a
settled way of life had been adopted, but that the process of construction itself eventually caused
the builders to abandon hunting and gathering. It seems that a large number of the enormous
population required to build the complex eventually chose to remain nearby. Only after the
monuments were finished did they adopt a more permanent lifestyle. They began cultivating wild
grasses in order to feed themselves and in this way started basic agricultural practices. In fact, the
original strains of the modern wheat that people farm today have been traced to an ancient village
only 32 kilometres from Gobekli Tepe. In addition, there are indications that the first pigs raised
in domestic conditions were kept at a village about 100 kilometres away.

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Questions 1 – 5
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage?
In boxes 1 – 5 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE – if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE – if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN – if there is no information on this
1) The builders of Gobekli Tepe used tools made of iron.
2) Pillars were carved from stone at a quarry and then taken to Gobekli Tepe.
3) The arrangement of the pillars in rings is thought to relate to the seasons of the year.
4) Specially trained workers carved the animals on the stones.
5) The stone carvings of creatures at Gobekli Tepe are similar to those found at other sites from
the same period.

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Questions 6-9
Complete the notes below
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 6 – 13 on your answer sheet.

Gobekli Tepe
Purpose of Gobekli Tepe
• the kind of bird shown on many stones suggests the site may have been a
6)_______________
• it is impossible to know why the site was constructed because there’s no
7)_______________

Discoveries made at the site

• no remains of houses have been found to indicate a permanent 8)_______________
• many pieces of animal 9)_______________ have been found indicating an abundance of
wild animals

What we have learned about Gobekli Tepe and the area

• Gobekli Tepe was in a region where 10)_______________ as well as fruit were easy to
find
• after the 11)_______________ of Gobekli Tepe many people chose to remain in the region
• an early form of 12)_______________ was grown near Gobekli Tepe
• domesticated 13)_______________ were kept at a place nearby

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New Vocabulary
abundance - изобилие - mo'llik
agricultural - сельскохозяйственный - qishloq xo'jaligi
archaeologist - археолог - arxeolog
carving - резьба - o'yma
cemetery - кладбище - qabriston
construction - строительство - qurilish
cultivate - возделывать - yetishtirmoq
domesticated - одомашненный - xonaki
flint - кремень - chaqmoq tosh
gatherer - собиратель - yig'uvchi
hunter-gatherer - охотник-собиратель - ovchi-yig'uvchi
limestone - известняк - ohaktosh
monument - памятник - yodgorlik
nomadic - кочевой - ko'chmanchi
permanent - постоянный - doimiy
pillar - столб - ustun
quarry - каменоломня - tosh karer
remains - остатки - qoldiqlar
settlement - поселение - aholi punkti
vulture - стервятник - to'tiqush

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№ Answer Explanation of the Answer
1 FALSE The passage explicitly states that the builders lacked basic technologies like
metal tools, indicating they did not use iron tools.

2 TRUE The text mentions that the pillars were carved from limestone blocks at a
quarry and then transported to Gobekli Tepe.

3 NOT There is no information in the passage suggesting that the arrangement of

GIVEN the pillars is related to the seasons.

4 NOT The passage does not specify whether specially trained workers carved the
GIVEN animals on the stones.

5 FALSE The text states that carvings at Gobekli Tepe depict individual fierce
animals, unlike the herd depictions at other sites from the same period.

6 Cemetery The prominent depictions of vultures, commonly associated with the dead,
suggest that the site may have been a cemetery.

7 Writing The passage mentions the absence of writing on the stones, making it
difficult to interpret the builders' motivations.

8 Settlement Archaeologists have not found evidence of a permanent settlement, such as

houses, at the site.

9 Bones The discovery of 100,000 fragments of wild game animal bones indicates an
abundance of wild animals in the area.

10 Nuts The passage describes the region as a paradise 11,000 years ago, full of fruit
and nuts readily available to gatherers.

11 Construction The text suggests that after the construction of Gobekli Tepe, many people
chose to stay in the region.

12 Wheat Evidence shows that the original strains of modern wheat were grown near
Gobekli Tepe.

13 Pigs Domesticated pigs were kept at a village nearby, approximately 100

kilometres from Gobekli Tepe.

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