The UK’s Daily Mail has a very intriguing piece on Göbekli Tepe, which is thought by some researchers to be the site of the fabled Garden of Eden. According to the Wikipedia profile, Göbekli Tepe was a temple of some sort created over 11,000 years ago by hunter gatherers “before the advent of sedentism.”
It’s a fascinating read with a lot of explanation on the history of the site as well as speculations about the meaning and purpose of Göbekli Tepe. However, what is most significant in my view is that Göbekli Tepe may have been the anchor point that allowed humans to make the transition from a nomadic existence to one based more on developing and sustaining a static community. In other words, Göbekli Tepe may have actually ushered in the “Era of Grain” along with all of the human consequences of domestication. Per the article:
When people make the transition from hunter-gathering to settled agriculture, their skeletons change – they temporarily grow smaller and less healthy as the human body adapts to a diet poorer in protein and a more wearisome lifestyle.
“Food” for thought…