How old is civilization?
The most startling aspect of these ruins is their age: that they are old enough to predate the consensus origin of human agriculture.
How were hundreds of laborers fed if not through agriculture? And how was it organized? How should we best describe such a society? The Sumerian city-states of what is today Iraq, such as Eridu, are typically considered to be the origin of civilization. But these cities are four thousand years younger than our radiocarbon dates for Göbekli Tepe.
Fascinating read. Make sure you check out the beaver phenotype analogy.