Comet impact theory: Could Göbekli Tepe mark the birth of civilisation?
Scientists have made an extraordinary discovery that could shed new light on the beginnings of human civilisation. Researchers suggest that a comet's impact 13,000 years ago had a significant impact on Earth.
According to IFLScience, researchers believe that a comet impact 13,000 years ago may have contributed to the birth of our civilisation. Evidence of this cataclysm might be found in the famous stone carvings at Göbekli Tepe, now considered the oldest solar calendar in the world.
The mystery of Göbekli Tepe: A comet as the beginning of civilisation?
The Göbekli Tepe complex in southern Turkey, estimated to be around 12,000 years old, astonishes with its precise construction and the unusual "astronomical instruments" used by its creators. Researchers have analyzed a stone column and come to fascinating conclusions—the marked symbols in the shape of a "V" may indicate days. The calendar includes 12 lunar weeks and 11 additional days.
The summer solstice was represented by a divine birdlike figure, which might symbolise the constellation Virgo—where the Sun was located at that time. The study's authors propose that the examined column could be the oldest lunisolar calendar, accounting for both the Moon's phases and the Sun's movements.
Göbekli Tepe - a monument to the past?
One of the most astounding discoveries pertains to another pillar, depicting a meteor moving through selected constellations. This could correspond to the hypothesis that a comet's impact on Earth triggered a mini-ice age.
However, this hypothesis is controversial and not accepted by all scientists. Nevertheless, the new study's authors suggest that Göbekli Tepe could have been built as a monument to this event.
Dr Martin Sweatman, one of the study's authors, believes that the sky observations by the inhabitants of Göbekli Tepe stemmed from the experience of the cataclysm, which might have motivated them to develop new forms of religion and agriculture to survive climate changes. The scientists expanded this thought by suggesting that the fear caused by the disaster might have also inspired social organisation and monumental building projects, thus sparking the development of civilisation.
"It appears the inhabitants of Göbekli Tepe were keen observers of the sky, which is to be expected given their world had been devastated by a comet strike. This event might have triggered civilisation by initiating a new religion and by motivating developments in agriculture to cope with the cold climate. Possibly, their attempts to record what they saw are the first steps towards the development of writing millennia later," explains Dr. Martin Sweatman, author of the paper published in the journal "Time and Mind".
