Tin Roof’s Blink Films is in production on an international coproduction feature documentary for NOVA (PBS – as Stone Age Temple Mystery), France Télévisions, and SBS (Australia) exploring new revelations about the world’s oldest known temple.
Göbekli Tepe sits on a beautiful, remote hilltop in southeastern Turkey. Its towering stone circles, many covered with intricate carvings, date back to approximately 9,500 BCE, predating Stonehenge. It is the oldest known temple on Earth and, until recently, scientists believed it to be a site of pilgrimage for nomadic hunter-gatherers. But now, new discoveries are revealing Göbekli Tepe was so much more; not just a temple but a place where settled hunter-gatherers lived year-round. The new evidence suggests it may be the world’s oldest known city and played a role in humankind leaving nomadic life to become settled farmers.
But the new evidence also reveals a mystery. Around 8,000 BCE, all of its occupants left their homes in a fertile paradise that historians believe resembled a Garden of Eden. Now the race is on to discover whether the cause was war, climate change, or a cataclysmic earthquake.
With access to the archaeological dig and forensic analysis, Göbekli Tepe: Mystery of the First Temple (1×90’ & 2×60’) uncovers the secret story of the world’s oldest city, working with international experts as they investigate its vital place in human history, and the mystery of why it was abandoned.
Dan Chambers, Creative Director, Blink Films said, “Göbekli Tepe: Mystery of the First Temple follows a team of international experts as they excavate a remarkable site, decode ancient artifacts, and probe revelatory DNA to explore a key chapter in the history of humankind – how and why we went from being nomadic hunter-gatherers to sedentary farmers, with all the back-breaking hardship that entails. The film also explores the mystery of why a flourishing community that was living a Garden of Eden existence, would choose to abandon it. Thanks to the brilliant archaeologists, the questions are all now answered. We are thrilled to be partnering with NOVA, France Télévisions, SBS, and PBS Distribution to bring this incredible story to life.”
Göbekli Tepe: Mystery of the First Temple is a Blink Films production for NOVA (PBS), France Télévisions, with a presale to SBS. It is directed by Simon Rawles, produced by Melisa Akdogan and Andrew Richens, with James Pope as Head of Development. The Executive Producers are Tom Adams and Dan Chambers. PBS Distribution is the worldwide distribution partner. Blink Films is a Tin Roof Media company.
Jon Creamer
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