Some have determined that the megalithic complex at Göbekli Tepe in modern-day Turkey is over 12,000 years old. More than 200 monolithic structures comprise over 20 megalithic enclosures in a mystifying ancient site that is currently only 5% excavated. Translated from Turkish as Potbelly Hill, Göbekli Tepe sprawls across an area bigger than 12 American football fields, and is 50 times larger than England’s famous Stonehenge (and twice as old). The carvings on many of the pillars are much more sophisticated than they should be for the ancient technology attributed to that era of humanity. It is believed by some that the people that built Göbekli Tepe were remnants of a technologically advanced worldwide society that was wiped out by a global catastrophe that ended the Younger Dryas period. Those who built on Potbelly Hill did so, some say, as a warning to future generations that danger is coming. Some archaeologists believe that the site was intentionally buried… to preserve it? Or to hide it?

Pillar 43 in Enclosure D has become known as “The Vulture Stone” upon which a detailed story is told, according to the interpretation of some, of the worst day in human history: the day when the earth was devastated by a comet impact. This fantastical interpretation is an extreme reading of the carvings. However, the mention of it makes one wonder what truths can be had concerning the history of man, if it is accurate. At any rate, the mere existence of Göbekli Tepe raises a thousand questions to sincere seekers of truth.

This composition did not begin as a memorial to the enigmatic prehistoric site. Rather, its first sketches took place in 2004, many years before I even knew about the chin-scratching discovery at Göbekli Tepe. However, the symbolism in this incipient work laid the foundation for an exquisite artistic reminiscence. As the first in a series of “Ancient Anomalies,” this composition, like Göbekli Tepe itself, lay dormant for (in my symbolic perspective) many years before it was unearthed and deemed of value for study and completion. Indeed, the music is a veritable ancient anomaly in my own life’s work.

Drawing from a period when my compositional style was motivically fractured rather than thematically developed, and when atonal experimentations readily spiced my harmonic vocabulary, this revived relic exudes mystery and exploration of the unknown—perfect parallels to the enigmatic, under-excavated ruins of Potbelly Hill.

If I ever enjoy the opportunity of visiting the puzzling site in person, this music will comprise a significant soundtrack to my experience, which is most definitely on my bucket list! In the meantime, my imagination takes me there through this music, as it can with all who listen to or perform it.