Topic: Dr Klaus Schmidt

The practice of excarnation—leaving corpses to be defleshed by birds of prey—is discussed as a primary function of Gobekli Tepe. White points to Pillar 43's depiction of a vulture and a headless corpse as evidence of the site's role in funerary shamanism. He also notes that the hill was a source of flint for hunting weapons before the temples were built, reinforcing its connection to a "hunting spirit."