Welcome back to our next installment diving into all things Gobekle Tepe. All roads have led to this moment: discussing the infamous Pillar 43, also known as The Vulture Stone. The vulture is a symbol that has shown up in all the ancient cities and cultures that have flourished since the emergence of modern civilization circa 9,600 BCE.

The vulture represents the medium by which the soul journeys into the afterlife. Signified by the constellation Cygnus, the vulture was also allowed to eat the dead body of deceased persons as part of a ritual which allowed the soul to journey properly to its rightful place in the sky.

The soul first traveled through the "hole in the sky" known as the celestial north pole, the area in the sky by which all stars rotate. Today, this area is marked by Polaris, the North Star. When Gobekle Tepe was built, however, this area of the sky was marked by Hercules, the third in line of three constellations the celestial north pole moved through dating back to 12,500 to 15,750 BCE.

The meanings of each symbol, from the vulture to the scorpion to the dark rift of the Milky Way and even the ball or skull seen at multiple sites.

From Jericho (Tell es-Sultan) to Catalhoyuk, multiple places along the way have been home to these ancient skull cults. What exactly were they trying to remember or commemorate? Is it relevant to us today? And why was it so important, not only to one culture in ancient past, but all cultures. Join Jesse and I, Dillon, as we discuss an array of facts and sources to decide for ourselves exactly what is happening here.

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