A cosmic event, an exploding meteor, may have completely wiped out ancient settlements and cities near the Dead Sea.
Did a meteor impact destroy the ancient Biblical city of Sodom some 3,700 years ago? A groundbreaking archaeological discovery has led researchers to believe that the ancient biblical city of Sodom may have been obliterated by a meteor impact approximately 3,700 years ago. The event, which aligns with the biblical account of Sodom’s destruction, is thought to have been caused by a meteor exploding in the Earth’s atmosphere, unleashing a devastating shockwave and a massive fireball.
This cataclysmic event likely annihilated the city and its inhabitants, leaving behind a scorched landscape and a layer of ash and debris. The evidence supporting this theory, found at the Tall el-Hammam excavation site in modern-day Jordan, has sparked renewed interest in the intersection of science, history, and religious texts, as researchers uncover more details about this ancient catastrophe.
Meteor Impact Destroyed Sodom?
Recent evidence suggests that a cosmic event, specifically a meteor explosion, may have wiped out ancient settlements and cities near the Dead Sea. Excavations at an archaeological site in modern-day Jordan, believed by some to be the location of the Biblical cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, have uncovered signs of a massive meteor explosion that devastated entire towns and settlements around 3,700 years ago.
Trinity Southwest University’s Findings
Experts from Trinity Southwest University in Albuquerque have observed that a superheated blast from the skies likely obliterated settlements in the region. Radiocarbon dating and the discovery of instantly crystallized minerals at extreme temperatures indicate that a massive meteor-induced airburst destroyed civilizations in a 25-kilometer-wide circular plain called Middle Ghor, according to Science News.
Long-lasting Devastation
The event was so powerful that it pushed a bubbling brine of Dead Sea salts over what was once fertile farmland. The land was left devastated, and people did not return to the region for 700 years. In a co-authored paper, researchers Silva and Collins wrote, “The physical evidence from Tall el-Hammam and neighboring sites exhibit signs of a highly destructive concussive and thermal event that one might expect from what is described in Genesis 19.”
Widespread Impact on Ancient Settlements
The authors concluded, “A meteoritic airburst event most likely caused the destruction not only of Tall el-Hammam (Sodom) but also its neighbors (Gomorrah and the other cities of the plain).” The discovery was reported at the annual meeting of the American Schools of Oriental Research.
Archaeological excavations at multiple sites in Middle Ghor, Jordan, reveal that all were continuously occupied for 2,500 years until a collective collapse towards the end of the Bronze Age. Ground surveys identified 120 additional, smaller settlements in the area, which researchers suspect were also exposed to extreme heat and wind, causing their collapse. It is estimated that up to 65,000 people inhabited the region when the cosmic catastrophe struck.
PLEASE READ: Have something to add? Visit Curiosmos on Facebook. Join the discussion in our mobile Telegram group. Also, follow us on Google News. Interesting in history, mysteries, and more? Visit Ancient Library’s Telegram group and become part of an exclusive group.
