Evidence suggests Pillar 43 at Gobekli Tepe depicts a comet impact 13,000 years ago, vindicating the work of author Graham Hancock - This is Your Brain on Science
Evidence suggests Pillar 43 at Gobekli Tepe depicts a comet impact 13,000 years ago, vindicating the work of author Graham Hancock
University experts decipher ancient stones message
An ancient stone carving appears to describe a comet impact nearly 13,000 years ago according to Martin Sweatman and Dimitrios Tsikritsis at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. The relief carving which appears on the T shaped pillar number 43 (The Vulture Stone) depicts a bird with outstretched wings, two smaller birds, a scorpion, a snake, and a circle. By matching low-relief carving on some of the pillars at Gobekli Tepe to star asterisms, Sweatman and Tsikritsis believe they have found compelling evidence that the Vulture Stone is a date stamp for 10950BC ± 250 years, which corresponds closely to the Younger Dryas event which is estimated at 10890BC. They also propose that Gobekli Tepe was used to observe meteor showers and comets.
The Youger Dryas is a geological period approximately 11,900 years ago where the Earth saw an abrupt rise in temperature. In some locations the temperature rose by as much as 10° C. At this time much of the earth, including most of North America, was covered with glaciers as much as 2 miles thick. The sudden increase in temperature melted the glaciers leading to a much higher ocean level. It is believed that many coastal living societies at the time would have been forced to retreat inland due to the rapidly rising waters. The trigger for the event is unknown, but some believe that it may have been caused by a comet impact on the North American ice-cap.
Pillar 43 The Vulture Stone
After a detailed analysis of the position of each of pillar 43’s pictograms , Sweatman and Tsikritsis propose that the pillar acts as a time stamp for one of four dates (2,000AD, 4,350BC, 10,950BC or 18,000BC all ±250 years). Radio carbon dating of the site dates the construction of Gobekli Tepe to approximately 13,000 years ago, therefore Sweatman and Tsikritsis conclude that the time stamp must point to 10,950BC. Sweatman and Tsikritsis also asserts that the symbolism shown on Pillar 43 proves that the builders of Gobekli Tepe witnessed the event that caused the end of the Younger Dryas, and that they even witnessesed the impact of a comet.
Idea first proposed by Author Graham Hancock
The idea that Pillar 43 has astronomical significance is not new. The theory was first proposed by author Graham Hancock in his most recent book Magicians of the Gods. Using the the work of Paul Burley he suggests that the circle in the center of Pillar 43 represents the Sun, and that the animals in the scene represent constellations such as Scorpio and Sagittarius. Hancock and Burley also concluded that the Pillar is a time stamp pointing to the date 10,950 BC but they did not dismiss the date of 2,000AD which is coincidentally our time! Hancock suggests that the builders of Gobekli Tepe were pointing to a disaster that occurred in their time, as well as warning of an impending disaster in our time.
Full story at site
Evidence suggests Pillar 43 at Gobekli Tepe depicts a comet impact 13,000 years ago, vindicating the work of author Graham Hancock
University experts decipher ancient stones message
An ancient stone carving appears to describe a comet impact nearly 13,000 years ago according to Martin Sweatman and Dimitrios Tsikritsis at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. The relief carving which appears on the T shaped pillar number 43 (The Vulture Stone) depicts a bird with outstretched wings, two smaller birds, a scorpion, a snake, and a circle. By matching low-relief carving on some of the pillars at Gobekli Tepe to star asterisms, Sweatman and Tsikritsis believe they have found compelling evidence that the Vulture Stone is a date stamp for 10950BC ± 250 years, which corresponds closely to the Younger Dryas event which is estimated at 10890BC. They also propose that Gobekli Tepe was used to observe meteor showers and comets.
The Youger Dryas is a geological period approximately 11,900 years ago where the Earth saw an abrupt rise in temperature. In some locations the temperature rose by as much as 10° C. At this time much of the earth, including most of North America, was covered with glaciers as much as 2 miles thick. The sudden increase in temperature melted the glaciers leading to a much higher ocean level. It is believed that many coastal living societies at the time would have been forced to retreat inland due to the rapidly rising waters. The trigger for the event is unknown, but some believe that it may have been caused by a comet impact on the North American ice-cap.
Pillar 43 The Vulture Stone
After a detailed analysis of the position of each of pillar 43’s pictograms , Sweatman and Tsikritsis propose that the pillar acts as a time stamp for one of four dates (2,000AD, 4,350BC, 10,950BC or 18,000BC all ±250 years). Radio carbon dating of the site dates the construction of Gobekli Tepe to approximately 13,000 years ago, therefore Sweatman and Tsikritsis conclude that the time stamp must point to 10,950BC. Sweatman and Tsikritsis also asserts that the symbolism shown on Pillar 43 proves that the builders of Gobekli Tepe witnessed the event that caused the end of the Younger Dryas, and that they even witnessesed the impact of a comet.
Idea first proposed by Author Graham Hancock
The idea that Pillar 43 has astronomical significance is not new. The theory was first proposed by author Graham Hancock in his most recent book Magicians of the Gods. Using the the work of Paul Burley he suggests that the circle in the center of Pillar 43 represents the Sun, and that the animals in the scene represent constellations such as Scorpio and Sagittarius. Hancock and Burley also concluded that the Pillar is a time stamp pointing to the date 10,950 BC but they did not dismiss the date of 2,000AD which is coincidentally our time! Hancock suggests that the builders of Gobekli Tepe were pointing to a disaster that occurred in their time, as well as warning of an impending disaster in our time.
Full story at site
