The Gobekli Tepe Tree Lie

                            Corsetti on site March 2025                      

Jimmy Corsetti (on X as @BrightInsight6) and his supporters claim that US social media personality Corsetti had caused the removal of the groves of olive trees growing around the excavations at  Gobekli Tepe by drawing attention to the "damage" done by "the archaeologists" failing to snap their fingers and get the trees the  planted there by the landowners in the 1990s. He arrogantly claims sole credit and states they were only removed because of  his online "campaign" on his YouTube channel. 

Jimmy Corsetti began discussing the alleged damage caused by olive trees at Göbekli Tepe around mid-2024, with specific posts gaining traction in August 2024. For instance, on August 25, 2024, he posted about hundreds of olive trees planted on top of ancient ruins, claiming their roots could destroy the site and that Turkey’s Olive Law #3573 made it illegal to cut them down, framing it as a “coverup”. His claims about the olive trees centred on their roots damaging unexcavated structures and preventing further digs. 

He is now claiming that his personal advocacy through videos and social media is what prompted Turkish authorities to remove and relocate approximately 1,000 trees, a process he celebrated as a “BIG Win” in posts from early 2025. The tree removal began around February 2025, as reported by Türkiye Today, with archaeologist Professor Necmi Karul confirming the trees were being relocated to protect the site.

However, evidence predating Corsetti’s campaign indicates the issue of olive trees at Göbekli Tepe was already known and being discussed and the formal arrangements being made (the trees were the property of the landowners and could not be removed without first sorting out the legal and financial arrangements).  Karul, in July 2024 just before Corsetti's interest in the matter (and possibly the factor initiating the YouTuber's muckraking) noted that tree removal had already been under discussion for some time, driven by landowners’ admissions and the excavation team’s efforts to relocate them safely. This concerns for example a July 2024 statement reported by Türkiye Today and again in  Türkiye Today on February 13, 2025, based on an interview or statement to Anadolu Agency (AA).

 Critically, while Corsetti claims his campaign spurred the removal, no direct evidence confirms Turkish authorities acted solely due to his efforts. Mainstream archaeology dismisses Corsetti’s conspiracy narrative. The Global Heritage Fund and archaeologists like Lee Clare have documented ongoing excavations and tree management since the 1990s, with Clare stating in 2024 that the trees were monitored to avoid damage and even helped stabilize soil. Discussions and plans for tree management predated Corsetti's posts on the topic in August last year and are tied to longstanding archaeological practices and landowner issues. 

No conclusive evidence supports Corsetti's claim that his advocacy was the sole catalyst for the removal.  

Update 4.5.2025
This video corrects pseudo-archaeologist Jimmy Corsetti's false claim that no plan ever existed to remove the olive trees on the Gobekli Tepe archaeological site before he agitated for it.

.

Posted on YouTube by veritas et caritas​ 4th May 2025

.