An immense mystery older than Stonehenge

[Warpy]

10. With no altars, offerings or sacrifices

I've thought "museum" might be closer than "temple." In addition, I do hope they searched the dust around the bases of the stones carefully, one thing those carvings cry out for is paint.

I think they were more akin to totem poles than cathedrals, a pre neolithic place you could take the kiddies to see graphic art of the origin stories of their people. It strikes me that these people were trying to remember, so they carved it into stone.

As stones weren't repainted, various clans having moved on (there was a huge migration out of the region into Europe), the sites were filled in and new sites erected. The newer sites were always a little smaller than the oldest, possibly reflecting loss of population. One thing we do know is that they were still reeling from the Younger Dryas, which seems to have changed climate permanently

What finally killed the site was the establishment of more permanent settlements like Catalhoyuk, where the illustrations appeared on dwelling walls.

We're only beginning to find this stuff and it's fascinating.