Recent geophysical surveys at the 11,000-year-old site of Göbekli Tepe have uncovered traces of large domestic buildings nestled among its monumental pillars. This unexpected residential architecture disrupts the mainstream consensus that the massive Anatolian complex served exclusively as a non-residential, ritual gathering place for nomadic hunter-gatherers. Consequently, researchers must now reconsider whether complex societal organization preceded permanent settlement or if everyday domestic life was deeply intertwined with these early sacred spaces.