Posted on 01/03/2002 10:50:09 PM PST by blam
Meteor clue to end of Middle East civilisations
By Robert Matthews, Science Correspondent
(Filed: 04/11/2001)
SCIENTISTS have found the first evidence that a devastating meteor impact in the Middle East might have triggered the mysterious collapse of civilisations more than 4,000 years ago.
satellite images of southern Iraq have revealed a two-mile-wide impact crater caused by a meteor
Studies of satellite images of southern Iraq have revealed a two-mile-wide circular depression which scientists say bears all the hallmarks of an impact crater. If confirmed, it would point to the Middle East being struck by a meteor with the violence equivalent to hundreds of nuclear bombs.
Today's crater lies on what would have been shallow sea 4,000 years ago, and any impact would have caused devastating fires and flooding.
The catastrophic effect of these could explain the mystery of why so many early cultures went into sudden decline around 2300 BC.
They include the demise of the Akkad culture of central Iraq, with its mysterious semi-mythological emperor Sargon; the end of the fifth dynasty of Egypt's Old Kingdom, following the building of the Great Pyramids and the sudden disappearance of hundreds of early settlements in the Holy Land.
Until now, archaeologists have put forward a host of separate explanations for these events, from local wars to environmental changes. Recently, some astronomers have suggested that meteor impacts could explain such historical mysteries.
The crater's faint outline was found by Dr Sharad Master, a geologist at the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, on satellite images of the Al 'Amarah region, about 10 miles north-west of the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates and home of the Marsh Arabs.
"It was a purely accidental discovery," Dr Master told The Telegraph last week. "I was reading a magazine article about the canal-building projects of Saddam Hussein, and there was a photograph showing lots of formations - one of which was very, very circular."
Detailed analysis of other satellite images taken since the mid-1980s showed that for many years the crater contained a small lake.
The draining of the region, as part of Saddam's campaign against the Marsh Arabs, has since caused the lake to recede, revealing a ring-like ridge inside the larger bowl-like depression - a classic feature of meteor impact craters.
The crater also appears to be, in geological terms, very recent. Dr Master said: "The sediments in this region are very young, so whatever caused the crater-like structure, it must have happened within the past 6,000 years."
Reporting his finding in the latest issue of the journal Meteoritics & Planetary Science, Dr Master suggests that a recent meteor impact is the most plausible explanation for the structure.
A survey of the crater itself could reveal tell-tale melted rock. "If we could find fragments of impact glass, we could date them using radioactive dating techniques," he said.
A date of around 2300 BC for the impact may also cast new light on the legend of Gilgamesh, dating from the same period. The legend talks of "the Seven Judges of Hell", who raised their torches, lighting the land with flame, and a storm that turned day into night, "smashed the land like a cup", and flooded the area.
The discovery of the crater has sparked great interest among scientists.
Dr Benny Peiser, who lectures on the effects of meteor impacts at John Moores University, Liverpool, said it was one of the most significant discoveries in recent years and would corroborate research he and others have done.
He said that craters recently found in Argentina date from around the same period - suggesting that the Earth may have been hit by a shower of large meteors at about the same time.
Good idea. Maybe I'll name him/her 'Baillie' after the Irish dendrochronologist, Mike Baillie, huh?
Works for me. ggg.
2004 bump.
Looks like three circles to me.
Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on or off the "Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list -- Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
First evidence? Nevermind that the Bible records a global flood 4000 years ago. Anything in a religious work can't be the truth because everyone knows that there are NO true religions /sarcasm off.
Thought you might enjoy this one.
500 flood stories worldwide. And "scientists" still deny it happened.
Please FREEPMAIL me if you want on or off the
"Gods, Graves, Glyphs" PING list or GGG weekly digest
-- Archaeology/Anthropology/Ancient Cultures/Artifacts/Antiquities, etc.
Gods, Graves, Glyphs (alpha order)
Bump
Catastrophic event preceded Dark Ages - scientist
Miscellaneous News Keywords: SCIENCE HISTORY IMAGINATION
Source: Reuters
Posted on 09/08/2000 10:06:44 PDT by VadeRetro
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a39b91ca42b27.htm
Did Asteroids And Comets Turn The Tides Of Civilization?
Discovering Archaeology | July/August 1999 | Mike Baillie
Posted on 07/11/2002 4:56:44 PM EDT by blam
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/714636/posts
Evidence for Major Impact Events in the late Third Millennium BC
Evidence of Astronomical Aspects of Mankind's Past and Recent Climate Homepage
FR Post 9-4-2 | Timo Niroma
Posted on 09/04/2002 7:48:54 PM EDT by vannrox
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/744698/posts
An Impact Event in 3114BC? The beginning of a Turbulent Millennium.
http://personal.eunet.fi/pp/tilmari/tilmari3.htm#bc3114
Posted on 01/03/2003 11:06:06 PM EST by ckilmer
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/816604/posts
The Dark Ages: Were They Darker Than We Imagined?
The Universe | 9-1999 | Greg Bryant
Posted on 06/09/2003 1:31:29 AM EDT by blam
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/925578/posts
Astronomers unravel a mystery of the Dark Ages
EurekAlert | 3-Feb-2004 | Dr Derek Ward-Thompson
Posted on 02/03/2004 5:54:24 PM EST by ckilmer
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1070892/posts
reprise:
Meteor Clue To End Of Middle East Civilisations
The Telegraph (UK) | 4-11-2001 | Robert Matthews
Posted on 06/08/2003 10:17:12 PM EDT by blam
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/925512/posts
vaguely related:
Archaeologists Unearth 1,700 Year-Old Canal System Near Lake Okeechobee (Florida)
Sun- Sentinel | 6-6-2002 | Rhonda Miller
Posted on 06/07/2002 5:13:56 PM EDT by blam
Edited on 09/03/2002 7:50:36 AM EDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/696466/posts
one more:
Comets,Meteors & Myth: New Evidence For Toppled Civilizations And Bibical Tales
Science Tuesday/Space.com | 11-13-2002 | Robert Roy Britt
Posted on 08/11/2002 8:32:56 PM EDT by blam
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/731502/posts
I think Islam had a lot more to do with the end of Middle Eastern civilization.
I really miss that site.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
