The image repertoire at Göbekli Tepe is rich enough to accommodate multiple, overlapping symbolic functions, and the idea that a single explanation accounts for all of the animal imagery is probably too simple.

One feature that has attracted particular scholarly attention is the so-called “Vulture Stone,” a pillar in Enclosure D bearing a striking composition that includes a vulture appearing to hold or carry a round object, alongside other creatures and geometric elements.

The vulture, as a bird closely associated with death and decomposition in many cultures — it arrives at carcasses, it circles in the air above dying or dead animals, it strips bodies to bone — has led some researchers to connect the imagery with mortuary practices and with the processing or exposure of human dead.

This interpretation is strengthened by evidence of human bones found at the site, which will be discussed below.