New Birthplace of Civilization?

Stoneage Temple May Be Birthplace of Civilization

"It's more than twice as old as the Pyramids, or even the written word. When it was built, saber-toothed tigers and woolly mammoths still roamed, and the Ice Age had just ended."

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"...no evidence of permanent settlement has been found at the site, although there are remains of butchered animals and edible plants.

Schmidt and his colleagues say no evidence of permanent settlement has been found at the site, although there are remains of butchered animals and edible plants.

However, all of the bones are from wild animals, and all the vegetation from wild plants."

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"Wild grain ancestral to modern wheat grows nearby..."

It dates from 11,500 years ago, before humans had begun to grow domesticated grains and animals, and is the oldest human built holy place to yet be discovered.

And sorry, Iraq, it's in what is now Turkey. The locals say the ancient city of Ur, the birthplace of Abraham, is nearby, but that doesn't jive with everything previously known about Ur which IS in Iraq, not Turkey. Anyway, who doesn't want to be able to claim "the Birthplace of Civilization" is in their backyard? Think of the tourist dollars$$$$$. In any case, it is "smack in the middle of the Fertile Crescent."