LAUSR

Anthropology![Figure][1] The massive megalithic buildings of Gobekli Tepe PHOTO: GRESKY ET AL. Veneration of human skulls is well known from many Neolithic sites in Anatolia and the Levant. Gresky et al. discovered a new manifestation of the cult from the important site of Gobekli Tepe, which was occupied between 9600 and 8000 BCE. The site is distinguished by T-shaped monolithic pillars found in massive megalithic buildings. Three skulls were found that show signs of perimortem modification, including deeply incised grooves, circular perforations, cut marks indicative of defleshing, and, in one instance, the application of red ochre. The placement of these modifications indicates that the skulls were likely suspended by cords and displayed in a ritual context. Sci. Adv. 10.1126/sciadv.1700564 (2017). [1]: pending:yes