Göbekli Tepe. Discovery of the oldest depiction of male erotica.
Xavier G. Malatesta
arouses curiosity the news of the discovery of what appears to be the depiction of a naked man caught in the moment of full erection, if it did, it would be the most archaic representation of male erotica. The discovery was made in the famous site of turkish Göbekli Tepe, near the border with Syria, in what is considered the oldest stone temple structure in the world, dating from around 11 BC .500, seven thousand years before the 'erection of the Great Pyramids in Egypt. Apart
interpretations of archaeological fantasy character, who would see the place, attended by about five centuries before it was mysteriously buried at the origin - or rebuttal - the myth of the Garden of Eden, it is still an archaeological site is unique: the Overall, in fact, consists of an artificial hill surrounded by rough stone walls and four great circular enclosures, bordered by towering monoliths weighing about ten tons each, richly decorated with bas-relief in several animal species, as well as reasons geometry, were also found in some clay statues, very spoiled, representing perhaps a fox or a boar. Thanks to analisi paleobiologiche, si è potuto ricostruire l’ambiente che permise a gruppi di uomini di abbandonare il nomadismo e di insediarsi stabilmente in un luogo: solo un’organizzazione stabile, o in via di stabilizzazione, poteva concepire un progetto tanto monumentale e protrarlo per diverse generazioni, sebbene non siano stati rinvenuti (per il momento) resti di abitazioni o animali domestici.
Al posto dell’attuale deserto, querce, ginepri e mandorle, oltre ad animali selvatici, di cui si sono rinvenuti i resti negli strati più antichi dello scavo, accanto agli strumenti utilizzati per cacciarli ed utilizzarne al meglio carne, ossa, pelli; semi di piante selvatiche e tracce di legno carbonizzato indicano che, già before the construction of the sanctuary, the place had to be attended with some regularity. Perhaps the sedentary, and thus agriculture, had its first fundamental impulse here. Waiting for new discoveries, in the meantime, what was the purpose of many a hard fight? Propitiate the gods of the hunt (but the bas-reliefs of the ants and scorpions, then)? A cosmic celebration of the wealth that nature offered? Shamanic rituals? Ceremonies associated with fertility? Apotropaic cults? The discovery of the male representation could help to answer some questions. Jens
Notroff, spokesman for the Deutsches Institut Archäologisches, the body that is overseeing the excavations in the area, said that the image is "without doubt a man with an erect penis." Figures as of naked old women were already known, then this would be the first involving a male: characterization phallic indicate fertility, so prosperity and abundance, as reflected explicitly in the Greek and Roman culture, but with one small difference. The man of the bas-relief, in fact, has no head. "The man's head is missing - continued Notroff - It was seen as the seat of the soul, then an image that has no means represent that he is dead and departed in the afterlife." To this are added Figures boundary - larger than the male - a bird and a scorpion, in line with an unusually hard, maybe the sun. Understand its meaning, then, becomes even more difficult.
Klaus Schmidt, director of the German mission, epigraphy shows what is the insuperable problem facing those who seek to shed light on an iconography so remote, "This was a time when the writing does not exist, so the names could not be transcribed, and then passed down through the millennia. Just think of Egypt: no hieroglyphics, we would not know what the classical sources that tell us of them, and it is very little. But without the Rosetta Stone, even hieroglyphic writing would be pointless. It is not enough, the sign: we must also interpret it. "To be honest - Notroff says - we are still trying to understand the meaning of the images: we see the figures, but we understand its meaning. It's like if you dig a Christian church finding the cross and other symbols, with no clue what they mean. We know that these images have religious significance, but the rest have no idea. " So the question remains, strong, except that there are no other unexpected discoveries shed new light here in Göbekli Tepe, a sanctuary of over thirteen thousand years ago.
Photo Opening: detail of the stela depicting a naked man in the lower right.
Sources:
- http://www.archnews.co.uk/index.php?news=5373 (in English)
- http://www.archaeologydaily.com/news/201102266176/Worlds-Oldest-Erotic- Picture.html (in English)
- http://www.dainst.org/goebeklitepe (in German)
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