Meteor Clue To End Of Middle East Civilisations

The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 4-11-2001 | Robert Matthews

[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

[Mulder]

Looks like the desert demon known as "allah" was pretty incompetent when it came to stopping a meteor.

Big surprise there.

[blam]

"Looks like the desert demon known as "allah" was pretty incompetent when it came to stopping a meteor."

This happened 2500+ years before Mohammad showed up. I do wonder though if that rock they worship came from this event.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

That thought came to me, too.

[LiteKeeper]

A humbly ask that you look at this rather long article which deals with the issues raised in the linked thread. I believe you will discover that the reality is that the position that thread advocates is really unacceptable. Thank you

Special Feature: Hugh Ross Exposé

[navyblue]

Why is it that you can never find a meteor when you need one???

[KellyAdmirer]

I know, I was looking for one in the medicine cabinet the other day, and all I found was my toothpaste!

[blam]

"Special Feature: Hugh Ross Exposé"

Thanks.

My orientation is scientific and I never, ever, discuss religion on FR, especially the creationist/evolution BS!

[sasportas]

Say blam, as a catastrophist, I suspect that you ever heard of Donald Patten. I have three of his books. His latest is called "Catastrophism and the Old Testament." Velikovsky's theory was based on Venus as a loose cannon in the solar system, Patten believed it was Mars.

Patten theorized in Old Testament times that Mars was not in the nice orderly orbit it is in now. Periodically it passed close to the earth, each time wreaking havoc on a gigantic scale, scaring the living daylights out of people.

This is why amongst the ancient Greeks, Romans, etc., Mars was so prominent. Mars was the leading deity in 8th century BC Rome. Mars Hill in Athens, for instance (Acts 17:22) is named for the planet.

Patten said, ?From whence in Roman culture comes the ancient advise to beware the ides of March? It came from pioneer Rome, the most ancient era of Roman experience, when the Romans were still living in the catastrophic era.? March (named after Mars) was the time of the year, according to Patten, that Mars had interacted with earth.

If indeed you have heard of Patten, what is your opinion of his stuff?

[Rockpile]

I've got the Pierce translation of the Oera Linda Book {which became public in the 1860s in Holland} and it dates the destruction of Altland and upheavals in the world to 2193 BC.

[blam]

"If indeed you have heard of Patten, what is your opinion of his stuff?"

Sorry, I've not heard of Patten. I'm a fairly new comer though.

I believe long period comets (crossing earths path) could have provided enough excitement without involving the planets in weird movements.

Maybe Encke

[blam]

"I've got the Pierce translation of the Oera Linda Book {which became public in the 1860s in Holland} and it dates the destruction of Altland and upheavals in the world to 2193 BC."

I've never heard of this book but I will give it a look later.

The Oera Linda Book

[blam]

Did Asteroids And Comets Change The Tides Of Civilizations?

[Political Junkie Too]

-PJ

[Light Speed]

"Mars looks like the photo of a Murder Victim"...From Graham Hancocks book..The Mars Mystery.

Valles Marineris..7 Kilometers deep,...200 Kilometers at widest point...4000 Kilometers long.

Tharsis Bulge in photo left..marked by 3 shield Volcanoes, Aris Mons,Pavonis Mons,Ascraeus Mons.

On the other side of Mars..the impact sites;

Hellas crater; 5 klms deep 2000 klms wide.
Argyre crater; 3 klms deep 630 klms wide.
Isidis crater; over 1000 klms wide.

The impactor which generated Isidis is est at 600 klms wide.

The impactor which hit the Yucatan roughly 65 millions yrs ago on earth and hypothetically terminated the reign of the dinosaurs was estmimated to roughly 10 klms wide

Like Mars...some of the moons of Jupiter and Saturn are heavily cratered on one orbital side or hemisphere...like they were "shot gunned",

From Tom Vanflanderens theory of an exploding planet..to Dr Victor Clube and Napier'st theory of Super comets being torn to pieces in the gravity wells of Jupiter and Saturn..their fragment trains locked in ellipse ..eventually to spiral into the sun..or the planets and moons of the inner solar system.

[#3Fan]

Nice picture of the Eye of Horus.

[sasportas]

Thanks for your post. Enough to make one wonder what could have caused such incredibly massive deformations.

Re: my post 48, I'll add a little more about Donald Patten's book.

I first read his books back in the 70's. Since then I have been taking note of subsequent space explorations to see if they would confirm his predictions.

I have been amazed, for instance, what he said they would find in the rings of Saturn they have found. The same concerning planetary electrical discharges or "flux tubes" (found between Jupiter and it's moon Io). Ditto concerning Venus.

He said closer examination of the surface of Mars would show much evidence of flybys with earth, faring far worse than Earth since the Earth has 9.3 times the mass of Mars.

Patten's book comments on their findings: "With Mars experiencing such intense sub-crustal tides, it is no wonder that it has giant volcanoes. The volcanic cone of Ascraeus Mons could engulf the state of South Carolina. The Volcanic cone of Pavonis Mons could engulf Indiana. And the volcanic cone of the gigantic Olympus Mons could engulf all of New England plus half of New York state. The sizes of these vocanoes, results of the ancient Mars flybys." And, this is just the Volcanoes, not to mention the incredible Valles Marineris.

Patten says the asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars is the result of planetary catatrophism between Mars and another planet. The asteroid belt being the remains of the other planet. Mars won, however, sustaining intense cratering from the fragments of the planet.

The encounter with the other planet, according to Patten, is what knocked Mars into a destructive, elliptical orbit in Old Testament times. The collision, as Patten puts it, "Created some 3000 asteroids and splattering one side of Mars with another 3000 'asteroids' or fragments. On this day, Mars staggered, and lost potential energy as it fell into its catastrophic orbit."

Some of the fragments were captured by the gravity of Mars and were with her in her flybys of earth. He claims the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, among other catastrophic events, was due to this.

The two moons presently accompanying Mars, very jagged asteroid looking rocks, are the only ones yet remaining with Mars. He has some real fascinating stuff in his book about those two moons.

[roadcat]

I first read Immanuel Velikovsky's books in the 1960's. He was pretty much viewed as a crackpot by the scientific community in the 1940's and 1950's for these ideas. But over the past 50 years much of what he postulated has been vindicated, especially in discoveries by our space programs. Someday history will accord him his rightful place as a genius far ahead of his time. I also remember reading about the raining oil from the sky. I think we'll find a lot of the proof on Venus once we start exploring it.

[Travis McGee]

We're overdue.

[Squantos]

Not to worry it won't hurt........it'll be quick I'm told.

Stay Safe !

[John Beresford Tipton]

Very interesting.
I was just reading the Epic of Gilgamesh.
Anu was a principal god, and in saying that Gilgamesh was strong Gilgamesh was said to be as strong as ( two translations)
The skybolt of Anu
The meteorite of Anu

Neither made much sense to me until I read this. Your article made sense of that: the expression, the impact in an area covered with water, and the Great Flood seem to all fit together.