An ancient archaeological site meets conspiracy theories — and Joe Rogan
Graham Hancock, a British journalist and star of the controversial Netflix series Ancient Apocalypse, has theorized — without empirical evidence — that Gobekli Tepe was built by a "lost civilization" wiped out by an Ice Age cataclysm.
Once confined to the fringes, theories like Hancock's have gained mainstream traction — thanks in large part to Joe Rogan, whose massively popular podcast has become a platform for alternative takes on science and history.
In November 2024, another Gobekli Tepe conspiracy theorist, Jimmy Corsetti, a YouTuber and self-described "ancient history investigator," appeared on Rogan's podcast, bringing with him a slew of speculations and wild theories about the site.
Among them, Corsetti accused archaeologists of intentionally dragging their feet and hiding key discoveries about the site.
"We're talking about pillars buried in dirt. It's 2024. Don't tell me we don't have the technology!" Corsetti told Rogan.
Corsetti accused archaeologists of moving slowly on purpose, perhaps to preserve the mystery and keep the curious tourists coming.
Only a small percentage of the site has been dug up since excavations began in the mid-1990s. And with Rogan's platform behind them, theorists like Corsetti have helped turn that slow progress into a source of global suspicion.
Lee Clare, an archaeologist who has led the excavation site for over a decade, has heard it all — including the outlandish theories.
"Some of these guys go to the site for half an hour and think they can explain the whole site," he says of the budding conspiracy theorists.
The real danger here isn't just misinformation, according to Clare. It's that these competing narratives risk drowning out the real story, the one scientists have spent decades trying to properly decode.
"There are a lot of narratives out there about Gobekli Tepe. The question is, whose narrative is correct? And I think we'll never know."
One of the few things scientists do know for sure?
Gobekli Tepe is proof that humans have been storytellers dating back at least 12,000 years.
https://www.npr.org/2025/08/09/nx-s1-549...rchaeology
Graham Hancock, a British journalist and star of the controversial Netflix series Ancient Apocalypse, has theorized — without empirical evidence — that Gobekli Tepe was built by a "lost civilization" wiped out by an Ice Age cataclysm.
Once confined to the fringes, theories like Hancock's have gained mainstream traction — thanks in large part to Joe Rogan, whose massively popular podcast has become a platform for alternative takes on science and history.
In November 2024, another Gobekli Tepe conspiracy theorist, Jimmy Corsetti, a YouTuber and self-described "ancient history investigator," appeared on Rogan's podcast, bringing with him a slew of speculations and wild theories about the site.
Among them, Corsetti accused archaeologists of intentionally dragging their feet and hiding key discoveries about the site.
"We're talking about pillars buried in dirt. It's 2024. Don't tell me we don't have the technology!" Corsetti told Rogan.
Corsetti accused archaeologists of moving slowly on purpose, perhaps to preserve the mystery and keep the curious tourists coming.
Only a small percentage of the site has been dug up since excavations began in the mid-1990s. And with Rogan's platform behind them, theorists like Corsetti have helped turn that slow progress into a source of global suspicion.
Lee Clare, an archaeologist who has led the excavation site for over a decade, has heard it all — including the outlandish theories.
"Some of these guys go to the site for half an hour and think they can explain the whole site," he says of the budding conspiracy theorists.
The real danger here isn't just misinformation, according to Clare. It's that these competing narratives risk drowning out the real story, the one scientists have spent decades trying to properly decode.
"There are a lot of narratives out there about Gobekli Tepe. The question is, whose narrative is correct? And I think we'll never know."
One of the few things scientists do know for sure?
Gobekli Tepe is proof that humans have been storytellers dating back at least 12,000 years.
https://www.npr.org/2025/08/09/nx-s1-549...rchaeology
teachings of the Bible are so muddled and self-contradictory that it was possible for Christians to happily burn heretics alive for five long centuries. It was even possible for the most venerated patriarchs of the Church, like St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, to conclude that heretics should be tortured (Augustine) or killed outright (Aquinas). Martin Luther and John Calvin advocated the wholesale murder of heretics, apostates, Jews, and witches. - Sam Harris, "Letter To A Christian Nation"
