Towards an Iconography of the PPN in Upper Mesopotamia
More than 120 T-shaped pillars have so far been found at the PPN site of Göbekli Tepe. These are often adorned with low reliefs depicting various animals, abstract signs and, in some cases, garments and belts, thus underlining the anthropomorphic design of these pillars. he combination of motifs observed on several pillars features a clearly narrative aspect, and most of these are monumental compared to similar images known from other PPN sites where they are typically found engraved onto small stone or bone objects. Some of these images give the impression of miniature reproductions of the reliefs from Göbekli Tepe. In this paper it is suggested that the “Großbilder” from the pillars represent a formal coinage for a specific theme; in so doing they provide an artistic solution for the transmission of specific contents.
