Göbekli Tepe (translated as ‘Potbelly Hill’) turns out to be the oldest temple in the world and an example of what scholars call a collective work event. Thousands of people contributed, and pilgrims came from far and wide to lend a hand. Upon its completion, there was a big celebration with a feast of roast gazelle (archaeologists found thousands of gazelle bones). Monuments like this one were not built to stroke some chieftain’s ego. Their purpose was to bring people together.19
