Gobekli-Jaredite Theory

I have this theory that the Jaredites left from Gobekli Tepe, their “great tower”, around 10,000 years ago (instead of the commonly assumed 2300-2600 BC date). On this page, I’ve summarized all the points of evidence I’ve found so far. Click the hyperlinked ones to go to more in-depth posts about them. For the first 37 points, go here.

Feel free to comment and let me know what you think. Does the Jaredite story begin thousands of years earlier than we usually assume?

  1. The great tower is never called “Babel” in the Book of Mormon
  2. The time span from Jared to Coriantumr is unknown, and can’t be known from the text
    1. We Don’t Really Know How Long Jaredite History Spans
  3. Gobekli Tepe was the first temple in the world, much like the Tower of Babel was the first recorded temple built in the Bible
  4. Gobekli Tepe gave rise to all nations
  5. Languages diverged long before 2600 BC 
  6. Gobekli Tepe symbols appear in Olmec art and other places in the Americas
  7. It would’ve been easier to find land where no man had been in 8000 BC than 2600 BC; and around a “quarter” of Earth’s land was covered by glaciers until the end of the Ice Age
  8. Multiple sites associated with Abraham are found near Gobekli Tepe
  9. Nimrod was called a “mighty hunter” in Ether, and in 8000 BC, pretty much all humans were hunter-gatherers
  10. There is a valley just north of Gobekli Tepe which may correspond to the valley of Nimrod mentioned in Ether 2:1
  11. American elephants were still extant and “useful” in 8000 BC, but probably not in 2600 BC
  12. American horses were still extant in 8000 BC, but probably not in 2600 BC
  13. If the cureloms and cumoms were giant sloths, mastodon, or some other Late-Pleistocene megafauna, they were still extant in 8000 BC, but probably not in 2600 BC
  14. Noah’s flood may have happened in North America around 10800 BC
  15. In Hebrew, the word for tower can also mean hill–Gobekli Tepe means “pot-belly hill”, and is on a hilltop
  16. If the Jaredites used no sails on their watercraft, it could be because sails had not been invented yet in 8000 BC
  17. Agriculture in the Americas kicked off at around 8,000 BC (in Mexico)
  18. The brother of Jared was promised the Jaredites would become the greatest nation ever, which would be much easier to do if they started in 8000 BC rather than 2600 BC
  19. Tradition says the Tower of Babel was destroyed (and covered?) by a big wind–Gobekli Tepe was intentionally buried when abandoned
  20. Goats and sheep were first domesticated around 8000 BC, and the Jaredites have these animals
  21. Honey bees were among the first animals domesticated when agriculture began, around 8000 BC, and the Jaredites have these animals
  22. Cattle were first domesticated around 8000 BC, and the Jaredites have these animals
  23. Gobekli Tepe was surrounded by many edible plant species in 8000 BC, and the Jaredites did gather plants and seeds to begin their journey (Would Iraq’s ziggurats in 2600 BC been surrounded by as many edible plants?)
  24. The Jaredites had to capture and gather animals and seeds to begin their journey, perhaps implying they were hunter-gatherers, as all people were in 8000 BC
  25. The Jaredite language would have had more time to change since 8000 BC than 2600 BC
  26. The existence of Sumerian names among the Jaredites could be related to a Gobekli origin
  27. The brother of Jared had no idea that God had a body of flesh and bone and looked like a man–the deities worshiped at Gobekli Tepe were tall, faceless, T-shaped stone pillars with hands of rock
  28. Jesus said he’d never shown himself to anyone before the brother of Jared, and this is statement is more likely to be true in 8000 BC than in 2600 BC
  29. The Lord deals with the brother of Jared in very simple gospel terms, which could indicate an early, ancient, pre-2600-BC belief system
  30. If Ether 3 describes the brother of Jared’s temple endowment, it would make even more sense if the brother of Jared was used to worshiping lifeless stone pillars at humanity’s first temple
  31. The Jaredites have around 22-30 people in their group upon arrival in America, which is standard for a hunter-gatherer society (20-50 people)
  32. The Jaredites are egalitarian until a king is chosen, much like hunter-gatherers are known for their egalitarianism
  33. Helaman 8:18 implies that many thousands of years before Abraham, there were prophets, which destroys a 4000-BC Adam and supports a 8000-BC brother of Jared
  34. Joseph Smith likely didn’t believe in Ussher’s chronology of the Bible, and said chronology places the Tower of Babel at around 2300 BC
    1. Joseph Smith Maybe Didn’t Believe in the Bible Dictionary’s Chronology
  35. Moroni wrote that the brother of Jared moved a mountain with his faith, which could be referring to a glacier, which were abundant in America at the end of the Ice Age, not in 2600 BC
  36. Evidence has been found for Stone Age humans climbing tall mountains to retrieve special crystals, which is something that the brother of Jared does to find light for his boats
  37. W. W. Phelps remarked that Jaredites in their glory ranged from the Rocky Mountains to the Mississippi River, which is the same range for the Folsom tradition that existed around 7000 BC to 2500 BC
  38. The Jaredites may have gotten their decapitation-obsessed secret combinations from Gobekli Tepe
  39. Jared’s son Gilgah might be named after Gobekli Tepe
  40. Shamanism was practiced at Gobekli Tepe, and the brother of Jared appears to be a shaman
    1. Brother of Jared, the Shaman, part 1
    2. Brother of Jared, the (Gobekli Tepe) Shaman, part 2
    3. Brother of Jared, the Shaman, part 3
  41. The H-symbol at Gobekli Tepe means the same thing as the word “Babel”

Other Gobekli-Jaredite resources

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