Text 1
Archaeologist Klaus Schmidt proposed that the monumental T-shaped limestone pillars at Göbekli Tepe, dating to the 10th millennium BCE, served an exclusively ritualistic function, constituting the world's earliest temple. Schmidt asserted that the site entirely lacked signs of domestic habitation, such as hearths or permanent roofed dwellings, implying that it was a sacred sanctuary built by nomadic hunter-gatherers who did not reside there.
Text 2
Anthropologist Ted Banning challenges this interpretation, arguing that the distinction between sacred and domestic spaces in Neolithic archaeology is often overstated. Banning suggests that the large pillars could have served as structural supports for roofs of multi-family residential dwellings. He points to the high density of food-processing tools and organic domestic debris at the site as evidence of long-term habitation.
Match each claim or assumption from Text 1 with its corresponding counterargument or qualification from Text 2.
- The architectural purpose of the T-shaped limestone pillars is exclusively symbolic and ritualistic.Large pillars may have functioned as functional components to support the roofs of houses.
- The absence of domestic features like hearths indicates the site was not used for daily living.High densities of culinary implements and organic refuse suggest ongoing household activities.
- A site's classification as a sacred temple implies a lack of residential use by its builders.The rigid conceptual boundary between holy sanctuaries and domestic quarters is historically inaccurate.