Göbekli Tepe; Prehistoric Evidence for Animism?

Archaeologists say animal iconography at Gobekli Tepe could shed light on religious worldviews of the original population.

Animism is a belief that animals, plants, and other features of the natural world are considered part of an interconnected, reciprocal network of beings, each with their own agency and personhood.

Archaeologists are reviving animism as a useful scholarly category of Neolithic religion.

The term animism has a lot of baggage, but some argue it's useful to study Neolithic religious practices in their specific cultural and historical contexts.

Archaeologist Oliver Dietrich argues that Neolithic art frequently alludes to a blurry boundary between humans and animals.

Fox bones consist of 8% of all mammal bones found at Gobekli Tepe site, including fox skulls.

Fox may have held some significance in their mythology, cosmology, or ritual practice.

Animals may have been viewed as powerful spirits, and these animals may have played an important role in mythology.

Some have argued that these animals functioned as protective imagery across cultures and history.