Göbekli Tepe Object Profile

The Big-Cat Sculpture in Enclosure C

This Enclosure C object keeps the felid or big-cat sculpture evidence visible without folding it into every animal-image claim at Göbekli Tepe.

The Big-Cat Sculpture in Enclosure C visual reference
Visual reference for orientation. Use source images only when rights are clear.

Quick Facts

Site
Göbekli Tepe
Structure
Enclosure C
Type
zoomorphic sculpture / in situ wall-context object

What We Know

A nearly complete 75 cm felid sculpture was found in situ in the second ring wall of Building C, with a large head, flat circular eyes, bared teeth, massive fangs, bent legs, and evidence for a probable rear peg.

Main Details

  • A nearly complete 75 cm felid sculpture was found in situ in the second ring wall of Building C, with a large head, flat circular eyes, bared teeth, massive fangs, bent legs, and evidence for a probable rear peg.
  • This is one of the strongest non-boar Enclosure C sculpture contexts. Unlike loose or uncertain sculpture leads, the source says this felid was found in situ in the second ring wall of Building C. It should be public as a sculpture and placement fact, while interpretation of its meaning stays in review.
  • Dietrich 2023 says the sculpture was found in situ in the second ring wall of Building C.
  • The figure caption and description give a length of 75 cm.
  • The source identifies the sculpture as a felid.
  • The felid has a large head, circular flat eyes, a muzzle with bared teeth and massive fangs, small ears, and a slightly indicated nose.
  • The front legs are intensely bent back, the hind legs slightly; the body appears rectangular with slight rounding and a flattened top suggesting the backbone.
  • A fracture surface on the rear part indicates where a peg was probably attached, fitting a wall-placement reading.
  • An X-shaped scratching between the eyes is noted.
  • This is separate from the Building A felid spolia and from Pillar 27's predator/leopard relief.
  • The sculpture was found in situ in the second ring wall of Building C.
  • It is described as almost complete.

Parent Context

  • in situ second-ring-wall context

Public Reading Path

  • A nearly complete 75 cm felid sculpture was found in situ in the second ring wall of Building C, with a large head, flat circular eyes, bared teeth, massive fangs, bent legs, and evidence for a probable rear peg.
  • This is one of the strongest non-boar Enclosure C sculpture contexts. Unlike loose or uncertain sculpture leads, the source says this felid was found in situ in the second ring wall of Building C. It should be public as a sculpture and placement fact, while interpretation of its meaning stays in review.
  • Dietrich 2023 says the sculpture was found in situ in the second ring wall of Building C.
  • The figure caption and description give a length of 75 cm.
  • The source identifies the sculpture as a felid.
  • The felid has a large head, circular flat eyes, a muzzle with bared teeth and massive fangs, small ears, and a slightly indicated nose.

Physical Evidence

  • Dietrich 2023 says the sculpture was found in situ in the second ring wall of Building C.
  • The figure caption and description give a length of 75 cm.
  • The source identifies the sculpture as a felid.
  • The felid has a large head, circular flat eyes, a muzzle with bared teeth and massive fangs, small ears, and a slightly indicated nose.
  • The front legs are intensely bent back, the hind legs slightly; the body appears rectangular with slight rounding and a flattened top suggesting the backbone.
  • A fracture surface on the rear part indicates where a peg was probably attached, fitting a wall-placement reading.
  • An X-shaped scratching between the eyes is noted.
  • This is separate from the Building A felid spolia and from Pillar 27's predator/leopard relief.
  • The sculpture was found in situ in the second ring wall of Building C.
  • It is described as almost complete.

Motifs And Feature Groups

  • It has a large head with circular flat eyes.
  • The front of the head is sintered.
  • A nose is slightly indicated by notches.
  • A rear fracture surface indicates a probable peg.

What To Be Careful About

  • Use reported wording where exact locus, phase, function, species, image rights, or restoration details remain open.
  • Keep object description, placement, motif identification, and interpretation separate unless the source explicitly joins them.
  • Pillar 27 high-relief predator/leopard
  • Building A felid with pronounced ribs / spolia
  • Pillar 36 predator slab
  • Pillar 12 boar sculpture
  • Pillar 35 boar cache
  • general felid corpus at Göbekli Tepe
  • symbolic meaning of the felid
  • shamanic helper-spirit interpretation

Source Trail

  • GT-ENC-C-SRC-003
  • GT-ENC-C-PUBLIC-OBJECT-MAP-001

Open Questions

  • Build GT-NEXT-ENCLOSURE-C-A88-BIRD-HOLDING-HEAD-CONTEXT-PASS-001 to resolve the next human/head imagery lead.
  • Interpretation boundary: Do not present shamanic, animistic, or helper-spirit interpretation as public fact.
  • Keep separate from other felid/predator objects: This is not Pillar 27's high-relief predator/leopard, the Pillar 36 predator slab, or the Building A felid spolia.
  • Peg and installation caution: The rear fracture surface indicates a probable peg, but the full installation mechanism should not be over-reconstructed.
  • Image rights blocked: Fig. 11 images 3-4 require image identity and rights review before public display.
  • Which exact source image or excavation figure should be used when public image rights are cleared?

Evidence Review

  • source refs
  • lineage
  • shamanism/animism interpretation boundary
  • comparison to Building A felid spolia
  • image-rights status
  • Interpretation boundary: Do not present shamanic, animistic, or helper-spirit interpretation as public fact.
  • Keep separate from other felid/predator objects: This is not Pillar 27's high-relief predator/leopard, the Pillar 36 predator slab, or the Building A felid spolia.
  • Peg and installation caution: The rear fracture surface indicates a probable peg, but the full installation mechanism should not be over-reconstructed.

Object Evidence

What Is Secure

  • A nearly complete 75 cm felid sculpture was found in situ in the second ring wall of Building C, with a large head, flat circular eyes, bared teeth, massive fangs, bent legs, and evidence for a probable rear peg.
  • This Enclosure C object keeps the felid or big-cat sculpture evidence visible without folding it into every animal-image claim at Göbekli Tepe.
  • This is one of the strongest non-boar Enclosure C sculpture contexts. Unlike loose or uncertain sculpture leads, the source says this felid was found in situ in the second ring wall of Building C. It should be public as a sculpture and placement fact, while interpretation of its meaning stays in review.
  • Dietrich 2023 says the sculpture was found in situ in the second ring wall of Building C.

Source Trail

  • GT-ENC-C-SRC-003
  • GT-ENC-C-PUBLIC-OBJECT-MAP-001
  • Site evidence notes

Boundaries

  • Use reported wording where exact locus, phase, function, species, image rights, or restoration details remain open.
  • Keep object description, placement, motif identification, and interpretation separate unless the source explicitly joins them.
  • Pillar 27 high-relief predator/leopard
  • Building A felid with pronounced ribs / spolia

Next Evidence Needed

  • Build GT-NEXT-ENCLOSURE-C-A88-BIRD-HOLDING-HEAD-CONTEXT-PASS-001 to resolve the next human/head imagery lead.
  • Interpretation boundary: Do not present shamanic, animistic, or helper-spirit interpretation as public fact.
  • Keep separate from other felid/predator objects: This is not Pillar 27's high-relief predator/leopard, the Pillar 36 predator slab, or the Building A felid spolia.
  • Peg and installation caution: The rear fracture surface indicates a probable peg, but the full installation mechanism should not be over-reconstructed.

Open the parent structure

Sources

  • GT-ENC-C-SRC-003
  • GT-ENC-C-PUBLIC-OBJECT-MAP-001

Back to Enclosure C