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The Matriarch Mission’s main character is a fictional young Krymchak woman. Who are these Krymchaks and why did “history” erase them? There is a place on the tenth kilometer of the Simferopol-Feodosia highway where every year on December 11, a small group of people gather to recite Kaddish. They call the day Tkun — from the Hebrew tikkun, meaning mending, or the restoration of order. Most of them no longer speak the language their grandparents spoke. Most of them live scattered across Israel, Russia, Ukraine, and the United States, connected to each other and to this place by little more than memory and a grief that has never fully found its name. They are Krymchaks, the Jews of Crimea,and they are among the last of a people who lived on the Crimean peninsula for two thousand years. Today there are approximately 1,200 to 2,000 Krymchaks left in the world. Five to seven of them are fluent speakers of the Krymchak language. The community that produced Oksana Mangupli — the protagonist of The Matriarch Mission — stood at roughly nine thousand people in 1941. Within months, the Nazis killed six thousand of them. The Soviet state then administratively erased the survivors: ...

Soviet Scientist, Occultist, and Seeker of the Ancient World Alexander Vasilyevich Barchenko was born on March 25, 1881, in Yelets, a provincial city in what is now Lipetsk Oblast in central Russia. His father was a sworn attorney and notary of the district court — a man of rational, legal temperament whose son would spend his life pursuing precisely the opposite of rational certainty. His mother came from the clergy. It was perhaps this tension between law and faith that shaped Barchenko’s lifelong attempt to reconcile science with the sacred. He enrolled in the medical faculty at Kazan University in 1904, one of the finest psychiatric schools in Russia at the time, then transferred to Yuryev University in what is now Tartu, Estonia. He never completed his degree. Lack of funds was the official reason, but by this point Barchenko had found a more consuming education: the esoteric traditions of Western and Asian mysticism, introduced to him by a professor of Roman jurisprudence named Krivtsov who shared with his students the teachings of the French mystic Saint-Yves d’Alveydre. From this introduction, Barchenko absorbed the idea that ancient civilization had once possessed a unified body of scientific and spiritual knowledge — ...

Copy editor manuscript vetted. 100% score after Prowritingaid audit. Ready for the proofreader tonight. Book cover designed almost done. Formatters who did The Matriarch Matrix and The Matriarch Messiah on standby. Yay! Target launch date: Early July. Here’s the Preface for this next edition in The Mystery of the Matriarchs series: What is love? The eternal question posed by the most ancient of mythic divinities upon The Matriarch Mission’s intrepid heroine, Oksana Mangupli. I created The Matriarch Mission as the entrée point into The Mystery of Matriarchs series, which is enveloped in complex world-building straddling actual history with speculative fiction. In the European literary fiction tradition I have been schooled in, the multiple award-winning books in this series involve multiple plot lines, multiple timelines, nonlinear chapters. Thus, a new reader into the series could use an easier-to-assimilate primer into this world reflecting complex patterns often found in mythic European literary fiction. In contrast, this book is one linear plotline. The narrator is Oksana, who at the very first sentence is a thirteen-year-old Krymchak girl thrown into a mystical, divine world she had never been prepared for. You will learn the mysteries of the matriarchs in real time with her as ...

A reflection on snap judgments, closed minds, and why the best stories make you uncomfortable before they make you wise. We all form opinions faster than we think. A name. A headscarf. An accent. A faith. A gender. A job title. Within seconds, we have decided what someone is — and more dangerously, what they are not. This is not a failing of character. It is a feature of the human brain. We are wired to categorize, to sort, to assign meaning before we have evidence. It kept our ancestors alive on the savanna. It keeps us functioning in a world of overwhelming information. But it also keeps us imprisoned in conclusions we reached before the conversation began. Prejudice is not hatred. Hatred requires effort. Prejudice is quieter than that. It is the quiet closing of a door you did not realize was open. It is the moment you decide you already know enough. My writings embody, challenge, encourage this human nature. The Mystery of the Matriarchs series is built on a proposition that many readers may resist before they understand it: that the foundational legends of civilization — the ones we all grew up with, the flood, the giants, ...

The Matriarch Messiah chapters with El Qutlugh and Asefeh were based on the limited historical records of the Mongols invasion of Syria. Ghazan Khan’s forces reached to 45 miles of Jerusalem with one historical record indicated a raiding party may have made it to Jerusalem. Hence, is crafted the story of El and Asefeh. The lore of the Golden Gate being removed by Ghazan is fictional, but his great grandfather Hulagu Khan did remove those gates. The Mongols, during their westward expansions in the 13th and 14th centuries, came very close to Jerusalem—but historical evidence suggests they never actually occupied or controlled the city. However, their presence in the region had major consequences. The Mongols Under Hulagu Khan (1260) – The First Near Miss In 1260, after destroying Baghdad (1258), Hulagu Khan led the Mongols into Syria, capturing: Aleppo (January 1260) Damascus (March 1260) Mongol scouts reportedly raided near Jerusalem, but they did not enter the city. Why? The Battle of Ain Jalut (September 1260) – The Mamluks of Egypt crushed the Mongols, forcing their retreat. Hulagu’s Withdrawal – News of the Great Khan’s death pulled Hulagu back east, leaving only a small force in Syria. Verdict: No evidence suggests ...

The fictionalized Kurdish character Zara has been lauded in reviews for the depth and complexity of her character. Her fictional external would, her rationalization for her behavior, her desire to die to save others, comes from a very non-fictional tragedy. The abduction, rape, and sale into slavery of 6,800 Yazidi women and children in the 2014 Sinjar Massacre. Zara’s trauma, because of her fictional kidnapping by the Daesh as she visited her Yazidi cousins, and the vivid portrayal of similar massacres and mass violations of women in the fictional ancient times chapters, led some reviewers to criticize The Matriarch Matrix. The intent of this storyline was to highlight the injustices committed against women not only in 2014, but across humanity’s dark history. In The Matriarch Messiah, Zara’s inner wound is finally exposed. The one she loves the most plays the most unconventional therapist helping her seek redemption, forgiveness, and acceptance. Her inner wound stems from not her own kidnapping, but the fate of her Yazidi cousins. ***** To help readers better understand not only the history behind Zara’s fictional wound, but highlight the tragedy of that war, a summary lies below with references for more reading: The 2014 Sinjar Massacre: ...

Much to my utter delight, SPR released their review of The Matriarch Messiah today. https://www.selfpublishingreview.com/2025/03/review-the-matriarch-messiah-by-maxine-trencavel/ I fell in love with the review, how well it was crafted, how well the reviewer consider not only the content of the book, but the craft of the prose. Within the wildly original fantasy/sci-fi premise and historical/political issues, there is a poignant timeliness to the prose; Trencavel’s writing is both clear and eccentric, making the reading experience an engaging pleasure for logophiles and lay readers alike. Unexpected vocabulary choices, visceral turns of phrase, and the ability to summon stark and compelling landscapes in readers’ minds give the prose an electric and almost sacred quality, unburdened by frivolous detail or narrative filler. The beating heart of this book and the thematic basis of the entire series is that a return to female empowerment and a divestment from hate-filled legacies are crucial for our collective survival. Unapologetically highlighting the true power of women as the bringers and protectors of life, and elevating them to bearers of a divine message, Trencavel delivers a stunning blow to patriarchal norms across a broad array of cultures and literary traditions. My deepest thanks and appreciation for the love and care ...

Where did Rachel Capsali, in The Matriarch Messiah, find her all consuming passion to find the truth about Asherah? Where did Alexander Murometz get the funding to create his all powerful MoxWorld Empire so he could solve the mystery of the ancients and find the legendary black object? Who said Zara Khatun will end the world as we know it [plot spoiler] in the final book of the series, The Matriarch Mandate? All will be reveal in the Mystery of the Matriarchs’ prequel: The Matriarch Mission. Last December I resurrected the prequel’s research, outline, along with the two chapters crafted before the pandemic. In the winter warmth of Madrid and Barcelona, the first new chapters in nearly five years came flying off the keyboard. Three months later, in the midst of launching The Matriarch Messiah, the first full manuscript of the Mystery of the Matriarchs prequel is finished ready for final alpha reader feedback, self-editing, then off to beta readers. Expect publication end of the summer of 2025 assuming the editors I choose can keep to a committed timeline (a chronic problem with the last two books). With the advent of generative AI and advance machine language, here are glimpses ...

Sci-Fi fans might remember the epic quote from Battlestar Galactica’s Cylon Number Six “All of this has happened before. All of this will happen again.”, suggesting a cyclical nature to history and the potential for repeating past mistakes. In the same fashion, both The Matriarch Matrix and The Matriarch Messiah feature past lives sub-plots adding 30K or so extra words creating the epic nature of these works. The “ancients”, the pre-Neolithic family and descendants of the great matriarch, Nanshe, tell a parallel ancestorial history from which the future of modern day Peter and Zara can be guided by through their “bondings”. The “ancients” storyline also serves to show how traditions from 12,000 years ago could have been passed from generation to generation and formed many of the idiosyncratic elements of cultures and faiths which might mystify or confuse outside onlookers. The morale of these stories is we must seek to understand others different from us, their history, their cultures, before we pass judgement. For the lack of doing so leads to violence, wars, and in dystopic science fiction, the end of our world. What is so special about Talla and Nirra’s Çatalhöyük village? Nestled in the Anatolian plains of Turkey, ...

First reader reviews ever for The Matriarch Messiah. Find them here:https://tailofthebird.com/readers-favorite-reviews-march-2025 Excerpts: “The love triangle between Zara, Rachel, and Peter creates emotional stakes and was something I didn’t expect to enjoy as much as I did. I loved their love triangle, but, more than that, I loved the rich world-building and the amazing development of the three main characters. I enjoyed how Rachel and Zara are two very different yet very similar women. I loved the twists and turns, how the fast pace kept me entertained, and how the story ended.” “I was struck by how thrilling the adventure was, but especially how thought-provoking the themes of power were in the relationships the characters have with forces way beyond their control. There’s also a lot to relate to in Zara’s emotional journey and readers will root for her thanks to the way they have access to her innermost thoughts.” “The dialogue transitions from deeply emotional romantic exchanges to entertainingly informative mentions of the mating and suppression habits of a race of violent giants, enhancing the suspense. Maxime Trencavel’s storytelling style shines through as the author crafts each character’s motives cohesively.” Like this:Like Loading… ...

The final manuscript is finally proofed and ready to go to formatters. Here’s what Autocrit says about the manuscript: Overall Genre Identification: The text is best described as speculative historical thriller with strong elements of mystery, supernatural fantasy, and speculative science fiction. It combines the atmospheric tension of geopolitical thrillers, the mythic resonance of historical epics, and futuristic intrigue driven by advanced technology and genetic experiments. Overall Premise: The story is an epic, multi-layered narrative blending historical mystery, supernatural intrigue, futuristic technology, and ancient prophecies. At its core, the novel follows a sprawling cast—from World War‑era paranormal research teams and ancient matriarchs in prehistoric Anatolia to modern-day negotiators and corporate magnates—as they unravel bizarre relics (such as the “black stone” and the “blue light”) and contend with past traumas, secret genetic legacies, and messianic destinies. Personal relationships, political intrigue, and esoteric conventions intertwine as characters battle inner demons and global threats, making the narrative as much a journey of self‐redemption as it is a quest to save—and understand—the world. Target Genre: The overall genre of the book is speculative fiction, which encompasses elements that explore imaginative and futuristic concepts. Sub-genres include: Historical Fiction The narrative weaves historical events, such as those during World War II ...

The ancients’ story plays a pivotal role in The Matriarch Matrix. The journey of Orzu and Nanshe from the Crimea to Anatolia is a reader favorite. Their story is founded on actual archeologic findings. Nanshe, the great matriarch of the story, founded the temple at Göbekli Tepe. Their family founds settlements at other similar developments. Archeology since the publication of The Matriarch Matrix has continued to validate the extent of technology and art of the actual people who lived in the fictional times of the great matriarch Nanshe. One such site is Karahan Tepe, lying 46 kilometers east of Göbekli Tepe. Historical Significance Karahan Tepe holds immense historical significance as it challenges traditional views on the development of early human societies. The site includes homes within a vast ritualistic complex, indicating that the inhabitants built permanent settlements long before the advent of agriculture. This suggests that settled life began while humans were still hunter-gatherers, and agriculture was a result, not a cause, of settled life. The presence of both sacred and secular spaces at Karahan Tepe highlights the complexity of these early societies and their ability to engage in ritualistic practices alongside daily activities. Discoveries Since 2018 Since 2018, Karahan ...

In the annals of Chinese mythology, few figures are as intriguing and venerated as Jiang Yuan, a goddess whose history intertwines the celestial with the earthly. Hailing from a mystical origin in the West, Jiang Yuan is celebrated not just as a divine being but as the progenitor of some of China’s earliest emperors. Her story, rich in symbolism and divine intervention, offers a fascinating glimpse into the spiritual and cultural fabric of ancient China. She is featured as the patron goddess of Mei Tang in the novel The Matriarch Messiah showcasing the diversity of beliefs, culture, and faith across the world. Origins from the West According to legend, Jiang Yuan originated from the West—a detail often interpreted as symbolic, possibly representing a divine but unknown place or a confluence of different cultural influences that she embodied. Her miraculous arrival set the stage for a tale that would leave a profound imprint on Chinese mythology. She is estimated to have lived during the time of the legendary Five Emperors, which is a period based on myth and legend. Some say this era was around 2000-2500 BCE – the age of Sumerians and Akkadians as well as the Old Kingdom of ...

In the annals of the Mongol Empire’s expansive history, tales of conquest and dominion often eclipse the remarkable personal stories of its figures, especially women. Not so for El Qutlugh Khatun, daughter of Abagha Ilkhan, the ruler of the Ilkhanate from 1265-82. Her life is a compelling narrative of martial prowess, religious devotion, and cultural integration, making her one of the most fascinating figures in the Ilkhanid era. Let’s delve into the life of this Mongol princess who not only broke gender norms but also contributed significantly to the Islamification of Mongol culture through her actions and travels. Warrior Princess Defying Gender Norms In a culture where warfare and bravery were predominantly male attributes, El Qutlugh Khatun stood out for her combat skills and courage. Historically, Mongol women had more freedom compared to their counterparts in other contemporary societies; they rode horses, practiced archery, and participated in the governance and military strategies that were crucial to the Mongol’s nomadic way of life. El Qutlugh was a woman of great strength and courage. She embodied the legacy of Mongol women in the Eurasian Steppe, known for their independence and active participation in society. When her husband Ghurbati, a prominent Mongol commander, ...

In the intricate tapestry of ancient Near Eastern religions, Asherah, a goddess worshiped in the ancient Levant, emerges as a figure of considerable intrigue and controversy. Recent archaeological findings and scholarly research have reignited debate over her role and her potential connections to Yahweh, the God of the biblical Israelites. This post delves into the captivating evidence and varying perspectives on whether Asherah might have been considered Yahweh’s consort, exploring the implications of this for our understanding of ancient religious practices. Who is Asherah? Asherah, often associated with fertility, motherhood, and the sea, was a prominent deity in the ancient Near Eastern pantheon. References to Asherah appear not only in the archaeological records of Canaan but also in texts from Ugarit, and through mentions in the Hebrew Bible. However, in these Biblical texts, she is frequently referred to in a context that suggests monotheistic writers saw her cult as idolatrous and her worship as a threat to the worship of Yahweh. Archaeological Insights and Scholarly Debates One of the pivotal pieces of evidence supporting the idea that Asherah was considered a consort of Yahweh comes from several ancient inscriptions, including those found at Kuntillet Ajrud and Khirbet el-Qom. These inscriptions ...

What do Dan Brown, David Mitchell, and William Faulkner have in common? Apparently, The Matriarch Matrix! Amazon reviews have compared this book to works from these three esteemed authors. I am very flattered and thank all reviewers profusely for their time and efforts in leaving their thoughts. The second edition launched at the turn of the New Year 2019. This re-edit reflects the critical comments and suggestions from all reviewers, both positive and critical. I had trimmed the length nearly 20% from eliminating sections that contributed to uneven pacing. https://www.tailofthebird.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/New-Cover-2-Instagram-Video-Story-Facebook-Video-cover.mp4 With great sorrow, I eliminated a very eloquent chapter with Zara’s back history. I wrote this to explain the very rational and logical religious and cultural traditions of her character. I had put this in the first edition to answer back the ill-informed “islamophobic” comments I heard during the ISIS invasion years. As I have written, cultural and religious tolerance is a major theme in this book and in my family’s lives. I will republish this chapter as part of a prequel book. Some had commented upon sexuality in the book within the first thirty reviews. Ironically, I had fifteen women as alpha and beta readers and they did not mention ...

“The challenge for each one of you is to take up these ideals of tolerance and respect for others and put them to practical use in your schools, your communities and throughout your lives. Nelson Mandela, 2011 A year ago I was in the midst of finalizing the final draft of The Matriarch Matrix. A story full of twists and turns. Perhaps too many for most readers. For in part, it was designed to demonstrate the principles of tolerance and its link to human stereotypes among readers. Why is tolerance important? Peace for mankind comes when we as humans take the time to be open and learn about the culture, history, and beliefs of those who appear different from us. Think about how much of the world’s strife comes when the exact opposite happens. Judging something rapidly is likely a self-survival mechanism inherited from our most ancient ancestors. Making a snap decision could mean the difference between life and death. But when such a decision is not needed for survival, then what is the harm in taking the time to understand the other party better? Through the course of The Matriarch Matrix I lead the reader into situations where one ...

“Mylène Farmer? Non, mais non. Not the singer, but Sister Magali. I thought they were having an affair in the Philippines when he was nearing the end of his Regency…..he never stopped loving her.’” Father Petrus, comrade in arms and prayer of Father Jean-Paul, June 2021 I read that many authors have their playlist of songs they listened to as they wrote their books. If I told you mine, you’d might say “Mylène Farmer, who?” Mylène Farmer arguably is the most successful singer in France, of either gender, of any nationality according to Syndicat National de l’Édition Phonographique (SNEP).  From 1988 to 2016, she has had 15 singles hit number one in France, 9 of which went straight to number one.  More number one singles than any other artist American, English, French, of all countries.  Seven of her albums went diamond (million copies) more than any other artist in France.  Her success in francophone markets over the decades has mirrored that of Madonna in anglophone markets. With trademark red hair, some fans have called her an angel on earth. Many of her songs feature her “trademark” harmonious soaring refrains as if lifting all of us into the heavens with her voice.  ...

“Peter, we had a few weeks of time together. We became close in ways normal people never will know. Alas, it was only a few weeks. Here in America, in your films, a man and a woman meet. They have an adventure for a couple of weeks. And it’s love for life. Happily ever after.”                                  Zara Khatum, June 2021   Why do you have to pick a BISAC code? And while we’re at it, what is a BISAC code?  And why do you have to fit within a genre? One of the first things someone asks you when you say you writing a book or have written a book is “What is it about”?  Well that’s a signal you should give the elevator pitch version of the book.  It helps if you can say “It’s a thriller” or “It’s a mystery” or “It’s a romance” because most folks have an idea of what type of story it might be. At the Writer’s Digest Conference in NYC this year, a renown literary agent, giving advice to the few hundred-strong aspiring author audience, made it very clear that she would need to know how to categorize your book in order to sell ...

“And the other principle I asked everyone to recite. ‘Woman’s true freedom is only possible if the enslaving emotions, needs and desires of husband, father, lover, brother, friend and son can all be removed. The deepest love constitutes the most dangerous bonds of ownership.’” Zara Khatum, May 2021 “That’s why I followed you and still do. You made tangible, made real for our soldiers the teachings we learned in our Peshmerga training. Were we not told that a country cannot be free unless the women are free? Under Kurdish rule, women have equal say in political rule.” Peri, Zara’s best friend before she met Peter I read with fascination each and every review for The Matriarch Matrix. And I thank every single reviewer for their candor and especially for their time they took not only reading this epic, but the extra time taken to write a review. Merci. The subject of feminism has arisen in some reviews. In the blog post https://www.tailofthebird.com/2017/08/29/from-patriarchy-to-matriarchy-and-back/, I discussed the strategic change from a patriarchal story to a one about a matriarchy. As such, the focus went from Orzu and Peter to Nanshe and Zara. And the flavor of the book forever changed. Why A ...

“Am I all that Alexander said? Did I do to you what he said? Did I withhold from you what he said? You did not know for sure. And yet, you still loved me.” Zara Khatum, June 2021 ...

“Aliens. They brought the object to Earth. It is their way of communicating to us. Think about it. We find the object together, and on behalf of mankind, we will talk with them….We will find our aliens and the object and talk with them about anything they want to talk about.”      Alexander Murometz, Chairman of MoxWorld Holdings, May 13, 2021 “Aliens landed with the long-tailed star, which was their spaceship descending through the atmosphere. The oral tradition said, ‘Only the giants of the reindeers prospered, because of power from this star.’ The giants were descendants of the aliens. They had extraordinary powers and advanced technologies. They built all these monolithic buildings, which we cannot fathom how our prehistoric ancestors could have built. Your Crimean pyramids, the temples at Göbekli Tepe.” Peter Gollinger, May 15, 2021 The Appeal of Aliens in our Antiquity July 28, 2017.  9pm.  A million pairs of eyeballs are fixed to the History Channel.  The strongest rating lies among the 50 years old plus category.  Twelve seasons, 130+ episodes, first airing in 2009, “The Ancient Aliens” series is alive and well. Long before this hit series, books, comics, and films have extolled the premise that ...

“The voice is beautiful, but we were not ready for beauty When you are once again ready to know beauty Not the beauty of the skin, but the beauty of the soul The beauty in the collective in all of us Then you are ready to seek the object It is said it must be man and woman But it must be man who loves woman Not for her skin, not for her fertility, not for her family But for her For her inner beauty seeking to be with the voice.” Amanta, High Priestess of the Followers of Illyana, 8500 BCE ...

“It’s part of our unconscious mind that is shared with other humans, common to all humankind, and stems from latent memories from our ancestral past, even prehistoric past. Jung proposed that evolution has innately imprinted our minds with certain predispositions, archetypes. For example, anxieties such as fear of the dark, fear of death, and even fear of failure might come from this preconditioning. Perhaps in your grandfather’s case, his dreams are trying to bring out some ancestral traumatic event. Freud, on the other hand, would call his dreams ‘wish fulfillment.’ There is a forbidden or repressed wish, which may be a result of guilt or taboos imposed by society or family. The dream is the way to transform that wish in a nonthreatening way. It’s an attempt to resolve the repressed conflict.”                                                                                Dr. Beverly Fontaine, May 2021 The Big Bear Fear What is instinct?  How do we have certain survival behaviors from the time we are young before we have ever ...

“Oh, you must have spoken to Jerrod. I saved his author from enormous embarrassment and public ridicule. As I explained to Jerrod, that author clearly ignored the last decade’s evidence refuting the Black Sea flood hypothesis. Another noted scholar hypothesizes a major meteor strike in the Black Sea around 9,000 BCE may have caused the legendary flooding, wiping out the advanced civilizations thought to have lived on the northern shores.”              Peter Gollinger, May 2021 The Black Sea was once a freshwater lake represented by the light blue area in the center. The Flood Mythology Noah and his ark.  One of the most famous stories of Genesis presented in the three Abrahamic religions.  The story of a great deluge, a great flood, is found in a multitude of ancient stories from all over the world across diverse cultures and religions.  In the Americas, among the Hopi, the Mayan, the Aztecs, the Huaxtecs.  In lore from China, India, Korea, Malaysia, and the Philippines.  In medieval Irish, Welsh, and Norse legends. The oldest recorded flood myth comes from ancient Sumerian text in the epic Giglamesh dating back to 2000 BCE.  Thought to be an epic poem told orally from generation to generation, this ...

The Kurgan Hypothesis of 1956 proposes the Proto-Indo-Europeans arose from a nomadic group, the Yamna, in the steppes north of the Black and Caspian Seas as early as the 6th century BCE. They were the earliest of the Kurgan (burial mound) cultures which lasted for two thousand years with offshoots spreading to the Danube valley and Anatolia. Linguistic and genetic evidence best supports this hypothesis ...

“I believe it was a comet or small asteroid that came down at the end of the Younger Dryas Period, otherwise known as the last ice age, around 10,000 BCE. As you had edited in the paper which got you fired from your last job, you were probably right that some event around 9500 BCE to 10,000 BCE caused the Caspian and Black Seas to rise. My research suggests that, although rapidly melting glaciers might have been the cause, it is possible a more cataclysmic event happened in the Black Sea that washed away the civilizations all around its shores. Those pyramids in Crimea, they were likely well away from the current Black Sea shoreline. Something massive washed up and buried them in sand and mud.”   Father Jean-Paul Sobiros, May 2021 The Last Ice Age 24,000 years ago, the northern hemisphere was encased in sheets of ice, deep glaciers.  In North America, these sheets extended down through Canada to today’s Missouri and Ohio Rivers and Manhattan.  In Europe, glacial ice covered much of the UK through Germany, Poland, the Baltic States, and the Northwestern parts of Russia.  The seas were 130 meters lower than today.  Likewise, the Black Sea was ...

“And most importantly, they may have started the first large-scale organized religion. This site may very well be where mankind first truly communed with God. Our object may have allowed them to communicate with God.”         – Father Jean-Paul Sobiros, May 2021 The World’s Oldest Temple? Nearly 12,000 years ago, hunter-gathers in the lands know known as Turkey built what is said by some – “the world’s oldest temple”. Pork Belly Hill, more commonly known as Göbekli Tepe in Turkish, was but a mere mound of 15 meters height and 300 meters in diameter resting upon a mountain range 15 kilometers northeast of the city of Sanliurfa, the birthplace of the Prophet Abraham.  For ten millennia, this mound rested non-descript.  Barren.  Desolate.  A grazing point for goats with a sole mulberry tree among a field of covered granite stones. Enclosure C at Gobekli Tepe In 1963, a survey by American archaeologist Peter Benedict, University of Chicago, led to this area being classified as a Neolithic site covered by Byzantine and Islamic cemeteries.  There were many stones buried in the ground which they deemed as grave markers. Then in the summer of 1994, a Kurdish shepherd, Savak Yiziz, tending ...