The development and symbolism of the pre pottery neolithic pillar tradition in Southeastern Anatolia

In this thesis study, the pillar tradition and symbolism of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic Period in the Southeastern Anatolia Region wasstudied. In this direction, the pillars and associated structures that were first excavated in the sites of Çayönü, Gusir Höyük, Hasankeyf Höyük, Nevali Çori, Göbeklitepe, Harbetsuvan Tepesi and Yeni Mahalle were studied. The pillars identified in surface surveys conducted in archaeological sites such as Karahan Tepe, Sefer Tepe, Hamzan Tepe, Taşlı Tepe, Kurt Tepesi, Ayanlar Höyük, Kocanizam, Kilisik, Besta Faki Mevkii and Aşağı Komat Mevkii are also included in the scope of this study, making a total of seventeen settlements that were evaluated. The Neolithic settlements of the Southeastern Anatolian Region have been extensively studied over the last twenty-five years on different theories based on cult structures and symbolism. For the first time after Nevali Çori, after with the discovery of the Göbeklitepe, the cultures and symbolism that occupied a central position of the researches in the region revealed that the new data reached during this period reveal rich discoveries about the region's cultural archeology. Pillars encountered as an architectural element in the character of the defined cults or special structures especially Göbeklitepe, as well as engraved reliefs depicting various appearances on the pillars, have been identified. Apart from the discussions on the functional uses of pillars, which have become a tradition within the Pre-Pottery Neolithic Period in the region, the development and symbolism of the pillar tradition, spatial relationd have been presented In second stage, The pillars and carvings have been reconsidered and evaluated together in a holistic approach based on mainly symbolism along with sociological, and ethnological observations. In the context of this assessment, the pillars and the descriptions on all the settlements have been explained for the first time with details. Then, the structural characteristics of the pillars and their numerical distribution according to their representations, constructions, and pillars have been presented in tabular forms. All the publications of the pillars, including mainly Göbeklitepe settlement, which have been published in the last twenty-five years, have been re-evaluated through the tables. Structural and symbolic representations of the pillars according to their phases Pre-Pottery Neolithic Period, as well as their contexts, have been evaluated in a holistic approach. As a result of this evaluation, attempts were made to bring new and different perspectives to the meaning of the pillars that had bee arritubuted by the peoples of that period. The relationship between ethnological data and psychological approaches is also revealed in interpreting pillar symbolism. Thus, it was attempted to understand the mental and behavioral tendency from the complex hunter-gatherer communities to the earliest sedentary communities in order to perceive and understand the world and habitat.