In the days when the Great Year axis aligned above the left wing of the condor, an ominous portent appeared in the sky—one unseen in our lifetimes but foretold through the legends of our forefathers.

Dissatisfied with the explanations offered by archaeology and various internet pundits regarding what is called the ‘Vulture Stone’ (Pillar 43) at Göbekli Tepe, I decided to delve into its meaning for myself.

We often frame the more philosophical missives within The Ethical Skeptic with the apothegm: I did not know, I went and looked; everything else was vanity. For years, I have chosen silence regarding the interpretation and dating of the various relics uncovered at Göbekli Tepe. Without direct participation in the field archaeological work conducted at the site, I have preferred to defer to the expertise of those on the ground rather than speculate in their stead.

However, there comes a point where the cautious, obtuse, and at times arrogant approach often employed by archaeology strains the boundaries of human tolerance. At such a threshold, this becomes not merely a question of professional deference but of humanity’s right to access knowledge about its past—a responsibility that archaeology, as a discipline, has too often allowed to stagnate, adrift and unfulfilled.

Many are those deeply disappointed by the decision of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in cooperation with the Turkish Government, to effectively halt fundamental, independent, and scientifically motivated excavation efforts at Göbekli Tepe.¹ This article (along with others) expands into some examples as to why many people hold such a position of concern.

They share an equal frustration with the lack of genuine curiosity and rigorous investigative effort applied to interpreting the artifacts uncovered at Göbekli Tepe and other archaeological sites. For instance, why was this work the first to recognize that the serpent image carved into the wall of Enclosure AA, or Hypogeum Pit, at Karahan Tepe represents Sheshanāgá, the cosmic shining serpent of ancient lore—an image tied to the Milky Way’s luminous center?² Furthermore, that this motif also matches the Serpent Mound monument in Peebles, Ohio. How could such a connection escape notice? Surely, this was not that hard to figure out. I have no direct involvement in the field, yet was able to discern the meaning of the image within minutes of seeing it for the first time.

The builders of Göbekli Tepe made their message in the Pillars unmistakably clear, guiding us like children through precisely what they were observing and documenting. Yet, they likely underestimated just how obtuse the children of men would become.

This raises an uncomfortable question: if an outsider can make such connections so readily, what does it say about the level of curiosity and rigor being applied by those entrusted with unearthing and interpreting humanity’s ancient story? The concern ranges past mere intellectual lethargy or bureaucratic stagnation. There are those who sense that fear governs much of the work and conclusions produced within the discipline of archaeology. Fear of being labeled heretical, fear of diverging from the consensus, fear of professional censure and reductive categorization, and perhaps most troubling, fear of unseen powers whose agency and influence remain deliberately obscured.

An Alternative Interpretation of Pillar 43, Its ‘Handbags,’ ‘V’-Scoring, and Iconic ‘H’ Symbols

Dissatisfied with the explanations offered by archaeology and various internet pundits regarding what is called the ‘Vulture Stone’ (Pillar 43) at Göbekli Tepe, this author decided to delve into its meaning for himself. Over the years, we have all had to endure a range of inane and poorly substantiated interpretations about this remarkable artifact. From its alleged role as a map to the underworld or a depiction of regional Levant terrain, to its supposed use as a ‘mythological iconograph for hunter-gatherers,’ to outright lying on the part of archaeological authorities, or even as pseudo-confirmation of Göbekli Tepe’s purported occupation date of around 9600 BCE, we have been inculcated with it all—the narrative, the ridiculous, and the sublime.

My anchor point for the primarily deductive analysis that follows rests on three fixed reference elements. First, I conjecture that the vulture depicted in the iconography is an Old World species, most closely resembling the Indian vulture. I further propose that this distinctive figure corresponds to the constellation Cygnus (also known as “The Swan”). Accordingly, I use the term condor rather than vulture or swan—not only because the carving bears a closer resemblance to the California condor, but also because both the vulture and swan are distinctly different from what is portrayed on Pillar 43—even though condors, 17 millennia later, are confined to the Americas.

Second, I speculate that the round circle carved into the stone, the centerpiece of the image, is not the sun but instead represents the North Celestial Pole (Earth’s projected rotational axis) as it appeared at some point in the distant past—based upon our knowledge of the Precession of the Equinoxes. Finally, I presume that the stone’s artist was both skilled in their knowledge of the night sky over their home and bore a desire to communicate an important message to those generations who followed.

Armed with these three fixed points, I was able to construct a hypothesis—one not yet proven, of course, and approached it with the cautionary realization that linear confirmation bias is a persistent danger in such endeavors. With these considerations in mind, the work commenced.

In Exhibit A below, the reader can observe how the nine iconographs carved into Pillar 43 correspond strikingly well to the nine asterisms I have identified from the sky field map shown below right (produced using Starry Night Pro 8.1.0). The carvings on the stone align precisely with the Sanliurfa night sky as it would have appeared around 14,800 BCE. Four birds, including the Condor, two snakes, a scorpion, a dog, and what may be a headless frog (?) all align exactly with the star formations visible in the heavens at that time. I estimate odds of this match occurring by accident or lucky forcing to conservatively be about 1 in 10,000 at the least.³

ChatGPT-5.2 goes beyond my analysis, with a Bayesian factor calculation showing that Exhibit A is a certain match: Even granting a generous 1° matching tolerance, no chart rotation, and only naked-eye–visible stars, the probability that 65 pre-specified apex points on Pillar 43 would coincidentally align with stars in the correct epoch is so small that a Bayesian analysis yields odds on the order of 10³⁶–10⁴⁴ (effective unity) in favor of intentional sky encoding.⁴

Therefore, unequivocally, Pillar 43 depicts the northern sky at Göbekli Tepe in 14,800 BCE.

Once this highly improbable match was deciphered and confirmed, I could no longer accept the extreme bookends of mundane and esoteric interpretation we have all been forced to endure (click on Exhibit A image to expand it). I now held a translation of the relief which made much more sense and brought the entire complex into historical coherence. Three challenges also naturally arise inside this hypothesis, which are addressed in this footnote.⁵

Please note: these asterisms both predate and have nothing to do with modern zodiac constellations – nor do they reside on or near the ecliptic (where the zodiac is located, see Exhibit B). Clockwise from the Condor, the stars cleanly match by asterism: Condor, Crane, Viper, Gull, Frog (headless), Dodo, Scorpion (not ‘Scorpius’), Dog, and Serpent (click on image to view full size).

The reader should note the two orthogonally juxtaposed depictions of the ‘H’ symbol in the upper right corner of Exhibit A above, a symbol which has long puzzled archaeologists. Our broader hypothesis, which I refer to as the ECDO Earth Cataclysm Theory, accommodates these symbols as representative of the rising and setting of the sun, both before and after the depicted cataclysmic event (a true polar wander). This is reinforced by the employment of the ‘H’ symbol prominently and in suggestion of ‘alignment’ on Pillar 30 (see earlier image) on the north side of Enclosure D. This is the same pillar which bears the transverse ‘sighting hole’ for (in its original position) tracking the position of the summer solstice of the rising sun.⁷ It is clear therefore, that the ‘H’ symbol represents the azimuths of the rising and setting Sun. The vertically oriented snake below the ‘H’ symbol on Pillar 30 represents the seasonal meandering of the Sun’s rising (vertical snake) azimuth.

The presence of two orthogonal ‘H’ symbols placed side by side on Pillar 43—interpreted here as symbolizing two different risings and settings of the Sun—is unsettling. This imagery aligns strongly with and supports my Exothermic Core-Mantle Decoupling – Dzhanibekov Oscillation (ECDO) Hypothesis. It is the iconography which depicted this principle well before the opposing-spiral motif was ubiquitous in Europe from 3600 BCE and thereafter.

And of course, we cannot dismiss the possibility that the artist and builders in or slightly before 9600 BCE intentionally reused/recreated 14,800 BCE artifacts in Pillars 30 and 43 to preserve knowledge of a world-changing event or celestial configuration from that earlier time. In other words, this complex may have served as both a cultural memory repository and an observatory, vigilantly watching for the next foretold event.

In Exhibit B below, the reader can observe how this interpretation of Pillar 43 aligns with today’s constellations and accommodates a tolerance range for the historical Precession of the Equinoxes. It is important to note that Pillar 43 has little connection to the Zodiac, either in symbology or celestial frame of reference. The wisdom encoded on Pillar 43 far predates humanity’s familiar astrological conventions.

Fires of Legend Across the Sky from East to West: An Ominous Portent

Once this issue had been resolved, I turned to the task of interpreting why the artist chose to depict the northern sky over their homeland at this specific moment in history. This line of conjecture required me to set aside the assumption that either the stone itself or the original relief depicted on Pillar 43 was sculpted in 9600 BCE—a conclusion I disliked having to question, but one that was necessary in this critical path of deduction.

My attention then shifted to the array of fire-like chiselings positioned above the North Celestial Pole circle on this T-shaped pillar. These can be seen annotated in Figure 1 to the right. These markings were purposely separated into upper (implying red) and lower (implying green) sections, resembling fiery phenomena akin to the aurora borealis. Something unprecedented, but not unfamiliar in terms of legend, to the talented artist of Pillar 43.

We speculate as well that the 11 boxes arrayed across the aurora borealis represent a true north segment as a center bearing (box), with 5 points (boxes-segments) of bearing on either side constituting the extent to which this aurora borealis ranged across the northern sky. This is very similar to how crude bearing points of steerage work at sea (one point of bearing being equal to 11.25°). They are perhaps even analogous or equivalent to the ancient 6.43° Aubrey lunar segment (a lunar circle standard, 4 points of navigation = 7 lunar Aubrey segments) employed at Stonehenge I (3100 BCE)—which would scale the aurora borealis span at 71° across the northern sky, meaning it was both extensive in reach and striking in presence.

The Three Major Tepes (Göbekli, Karahan, and… Sayburç?)

Finally, I turned my attention to the meaning of the three-part motif often referred to as ‘handbags’ at the top of the iconography. After careful consideration, I arrived at a conjecture that aligns seamlessly with the deductive framework outlined in Exhibits A and B, as well as Figure 1 above. I propose that the three handbags actually represent three distinct tepe—hills, in Turkish. Monuments constructed by the Taş Tepeler culture of Anatolia. Each of these hills appears to be hollowed out near the top, potentially signifying shelters or refuges created in response to a significant event.

This event precedes the Holocene Stabilization and set of chaotic events therein (see Figure 4), with the observed aurora borealis and the potential impact of extended circumstances surrounding events such as the Younger Dryas or Meltwater Pulse 1A or 1B possibly being involved in the iconography (annotated as ‘torrent’ in Figure 2). In fact, this aligns precisely with what both Göbekli Tepe, Karahan Tepe, and possibly Sayburç Tepe appear to represent—hollowed-out hills designed to shelter three sub-tribes of humans (and possibly animals, if my interpretation of the accompanying motifs is accurate) during a period of significant environmental stress and/or social upheaval.

What this may suggest is that we have uncovered two of the three major tepes in the Taş Tepeler/Paddan Aram region of Turkey. It is entirely possible that a third significant tepe, potentially located to the west—perhaps Sayburç Tepe—and sharing the same construction, purpose, and characteristics as Göbekli Tepe and Karahan Tepe, remains to be discovered or further excavated.

In Figure 3 to the right, the image annotations illustrate the elevation advantage (~2,500 feet) afforded by both Göbekli Tepe and Karahan Tepe to the inhabitants of Paddan Aram below, or the Sumerian plain of Edin (𒀀𒇉𒂔), an Aramaic term which translates to ‘steppe’ or ‘plain.’⁸ Notably, the elevation of these two sites corresponds exactly to the maximum inundation height measured (2,355 ft) for the 4400 BCE inundation event described in Exhibit K of our article, Hidden in Plain Sight.

A vivid testament to the precision of knowledge embodied by Göbekli Tepe’s selection as a point of survival can be viewed by clicking on this image. It is reasonable to infer, then, from this image, that Göbekli Tepe was not buried by natural inundation, but rather by deliberate manual effort—shovel toss by shovel toss. An obfuscation that persists to this very day.

Göbekli Tepe’s identification in this remarkable role was not simply a case of site sufficiency, but one of precision as well. The builders knew exactly how high in elevation to establish their refuge. Precision requires a more detailed knowledge than does mere sufficiency. The significant inference that can be drawn from this precise knowledge of how high the water would reach is that such Earth cataclysms may have recurred in intelligently recorded cycles. Hence the urgency on the part of these transitional generations of mankind to ensure that they built monuments to inform those who followed (see the second half of this article).

I find it ironic, however, that the 9600 BCE Taş Tepeler culture lacked any apparent means to pass on precise knowledge of the inundation height, despite having received it. Where did the ancients acquire such exact knowledge of both the inundation height and the Great Year of precession? The fact that these two extraordinary pieces of knowledge were passed down together suggests a significant and meaningful relationship between them (see Figure 4 below). But who was it that first discerned this relationship?

The flat area on the right side of each of the three tepe icons in Figure 2 represents the Edin Plain, or garden valley of Paddan Aram, as depicted in Figure 3 above. Accordingly, Göbekli Tepe and Karahan Tepe were not constructed by ‘hunter-gatherers’ per se, but rather by farmers who lived and worked in the Edin Plain below these monumental sites.

The challenge with agrarian cultures in antiquity is that they often reused organic waste to condition their soil and continuously tilled and cultivated the land, effectively destroying or surface-mixing much of their material record. This relentless cycle of reuse and disruption erases significant portions of their typological evidence, leaving a far fainter archaeological footprint compared to hunter-gatherer cultures.^{9 10}

One commenter on this article, Milo, has proposed an intriguing notion: that the crane, boar, and frog depicted in the Hill-Plain icons atop Pillar 43 may represent asterisms positioned on the horizon in the direction of each tepe enclosure. Given the deliberate placement of each animal within the iconography, this strikes me as a compelling proposition. For instance, we already have the ‘crane’ and ‘frog’ depicted on Pillar 43, which align to Northwest and Northeast respectively, depending upon time of day. In addition, the ‘boar’ fits well with the constellation Auriga, which is positioned directly over Göbekli Tepe at about the bearing 320° True from the north center of the Edin plain. Over its back is the long stretching arc of Lynx, corresponding to the arc chiseled over the back of the boar on Pillar 43. However, without a solid juxtaposition and time reference—such as the clear alignment established with the asterisms in Exhibit A—pinpointing the specific set of stars associated with these symbols remains a daunting task. Nevertheless, I believe this proposal holds significant merit.

Under this construct, the torrent from a cataclysm associated with the Hilina Pali Geomagnetic Excursion and Heinrich 1 Event can be seen inscribed above the three tepes in Figure 2 above. The crane (west tepe), boar (Göbekli Tepe), and frog (Karahan Tepe) symbols (representing marshland and grassplains/gardens) may have represented the geographic home, bearing, or tribal name of three sub-tribes assigned to build and occupy these hill-top shelters. It is entirely possible that these brave peoples survived an event that is described in an overly understated manner in the reality of today’s low-resolution, event-skipping, and interleaved archaeological and geophysical measurement techniques.

The reader should note that it is possible the subterranean tepe enclosures served multiple purposes and even two different cataclysmic time periods (14,800 and 9600 BCE, see Figure 4 above). Acting as shrines to honor this legacy from their ancestors’ Hilina Pali Geomagnetic Excursion and Heinrich 1 event challenges, these enclosures may also have been utilized as shelters to endure the cataclysmic events of either Meltwater Pulse 1A or 1B at a later date. Hence the reason why the precise angle of the setting sun was all important inside the design of Karahan Tepe’s Enclosure AB, or Pillar Shrine.

The fact that Pillar 30 (the ‘H’ stone) bears a summer solstice/true north sighting hole, yet was positioned in a non-functional place of honor under the ground in the 9600 BCE complex layout (see below), suggests that this pillar (and likely Pillar 43 as well) was relocated from an earlier functional monument and position, bearing a 14,800 BCE provenance.

Therefore, what follows is a modernized interpretation of what I believe both the original authors and later curators of Pillar 43 at Göbekli Tepe intended to convey to future generations. These were not mere temples for dull-witted hunter-gatherers; rather, they were sophisticated cultural history centers created by astute agrarian communities. Built by the inhabitants of the fertile garden plain below, these centers documented knowledge of profound importance—knowledge that was later obscured or forbidden to them. A pattern of suppression and control by governing agencies, one all too familiar even in our modern era.

14,800 BCE – Author and Survivor of Early Holocene Stabilization Period:

In the days when the Great Year axis aligned above the left wing of the celestial condor, an ominous portent appeared in the night sky—one unseen in our lifetimes but foretold through the legends of our forefathers. Flames of green below and red above raged across five points of bearing either side of true north, terrifying our tribespeople and signaling to our elders that it was time to abandon our farms in the beloved Edin (𒂔𒂗 or ‘plain’) and retreat to the mountains.

Heeding the wisdom of our ancestors, who spoke of a time when the sun would quarter turn on its pathway across the sky and the seas would devour the land, we divided our people into three groups, each tasked with seeking refuge atop the highest hills. At the summit of three hills, of a foretold necessary elevation, spread from west (the direction of the celestial crane), to north (the direction of the celestial boar), to east (the direction of the celestial frog), the three tribes hollowed out reinforced chambers beneath the ground. Thereby creating sanctuaries to withstand both the prolonged calamity and its torrential onslaught—all in the hope that at least one group might survive.

It is our earnest desire that this message finds all three tribes reunited once more, thriving in health and prosperity, and that it carries our story forward to the generations of humankind yet to come.

9600 BCE – Curators, Builders, and Survivors of Meltwater Pulse 1B:

We, the children of the three tribes and curators of humanity’s cultural legacy preserved within these hallowed sanctuaries, we who now dwell and labor in the valley plain below these sacred hills, journey here to conduct ceremonies of remembrance and to instruct our young in these mysteries. In doing so, we honor the wisdom of our ancestors and entrust their message of vital importance to the care of the generations yet to come. The three reconstructed tepes have once again become our refuge during an event foretold by the tribal elders within these sacred monuments.

Here, we will continue to honor our ancestors and record the mysterious ways of those watcher-elohim who descended from the heavens—beings whose knowledge and practices have shaped our newly-domesticated agriculture and livestock. They have put us to work on the Edin (plain), offering us new purpose. We pray that future generations will preserve this wisdom and be allowed to benefit from it, as have we.

8000 BCE – Slaves in the Golden Age of Enlil/Saturn/Cronos:

Let the faithful labor with diligence to topple and bury these abominations beneath the earth, that all creation may be freed from their blasphemous spell. For there is but one God, El, whom we serve—the creator of both heaven and Earth. Every good and truthful thing flows from His mercy alone. Nothing came before Him, and all that stands outside His will is anathema.

Disruption of His perfect creation and the calamity of His wrath come only through the sins of man, for cursed is the earth because of him—and his days shall be shortened. That which affirms this wisdom is redundant; that which denies it is heresy.

By specific direction of El, there should remain no images of His likeness, no images of the other gods or likeness of their handiwork, and no record of their actions in the Edin save for those permitted in Holy Writ. Let us therefore cleanse His dominion, smiting all that is profane and idolatrous, thereby purifying the land in His name.

2020 CE – Slaves of The Virtuous Party (God Proxy):

There is no such thing as Edin, Gods, or any Earthly non-human intelligence; there is only The Party. Man is but a genetic accident—a fleeting trespasser upon an otherwise perpetually stable and optimal world. Alone in the vastness of the universe, he is a pestilence, his anti-science crimes provoking the Earth itself to rage and overheat in response.

We have entombed the primitive fictions of man’s myth-making hunter-gatherers beneath a virtuous and venerating shroud. Interred indefinitely beneath tourist attraction, pharaonic fable, and sacred mound, we shall curate mankind’s history—preserved, sequestered, and contained—a monument to our triumph in scientific enlightenment.

And now, O man, suffer in silent desperation, bowed low for our cruel pleasure, scrabbling for the scraps we deign to cast before you. You, who possess nothing, shall labor on in illness, anguish, and ignorance, perishing repeatedly for our entertainment. For it is from dirt you originated, and it is to dirt you shall return—unfulfilled, unredeemed, and unremembered.

At some point, integrity must break through this escalating wall of sycophancy and enforced ignorance.

No lie weighs heavier on the human spirit than the belief that one is both an offense to all creation and utterly alone.

It is after all, wonder—the disciplined tolerance of conjecture—that defines the true purpose of the humanity we call archaeology. Not its degrees, titles, citations, awards, conformance, heady power to control human thought and perception, or the pretentious fedoras now often associated with the field—a stand-in for a cinematic caricature that, ironically, mocks archaeology’s own compromised charade.

Such is the nature of ethical skepticism: the courage to question, the humility to tolerate uncertainty, and the resolve to pursue a critical path of inquiry without fear of challenging authoritative narratives or concern over whom it might offend.

The Ethical Skeptic, “An Interpretation of Göbekli Tepe Pillar 43”; The Ethical Skeptic, WordPress, 10 Jan 2025; Web, https://theethicalskeptic.com/2025/01/10/an-interpretation-of-gobekli-tepe-pillar-43/