11,000-YEAR-OLD BURIALS JUST CHANGED THE STORY OF GÖBEKLI TEPE For more than 30 years, Göbekli Tepe in southeastern Türkiye has been known for its massive stone pillars and mysterious structures dating back more than 11,000 years. It was often presented as a place where hunter-gatherers gathered mainly for religious ceremonies. New archaeological findings are adding a very different side to the story. Researchers have uncovered the first two intact human burials ever found at Göbekli Tepe. The graves date to around 8700–8000 BC. One contained three people buried together, while the other contained a young woman. The discovery is important because human remains have been found at Göbekli Tepe before, but they were mostly scattered and fragmented. Since excavations began in 1995, more than 900 human bone fragments have been recovered from the fill of the site’s monumental buildings. For years, archaeologists have debated why so many human remains were mixed into these structures. Some theories suggested that the bones were connected to unusual burial customs, including possible skull-related rituals. The newly discovered intact graves provide another explanation. Researchers suggest that some of the scattered bones may originally have come from burial areas located higher on the slope. Over thousands of years, erosion and landslides could have carried the remains downhill and into the monumental buildings. This does not completely rule out ritual practices or skull modification, but it changes how the scattered bones may be understood. The findings also suggest that Göbekli Tepe was more than an isolated place where people gathered for ceremonies. People appear to have lived, worked, and buried their dead in areas around the monumental structures. That makes Göbekli Tepe even more interesting. The people who built those enormous stone monuments were not simply passing through. They were creating communities and dealing with ordinary parts of life, including the burial of their dead, more than 11,000 years ago. Source: Gresky, J., & Clare, L. (2026). Intact burials at Göbeklitepe reveal new clues to 11,000-year-old burial rituals. PLOS ONE.

11 - With the winning goal off the bench on Sunday, Messiah Bright became the 11th different @HoustonDash player with a goal contribution as a substitute this season, the most in a single season in #NWSL# history. Reinforcements.