Around 3,700 years ago, a cosmic air burst may have destroyed Tall el-Hammam with force comparable to Tunguska-scale explosions. Evidence includes shocked quartz, micro-diamonds, melted metals, and iridium and platinum spherules. The event remains controversial—archaeologists and biblical scholars debate whether this Middle Bronze Age site matches the Biblical city of Sodom, and the primary supporting study (published 2021) faced significant methodological criticism after peer review. The region's abandonment and agricultural disruption have been cited as potential parallels to the Sodom narrative.
Cosmic impact destroyed Tall el-Hammam, basis for Sodom myth
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Key facts
- A cosmic air burst destroyed Tall el-Hammam in the Jordan Valley around 4,000 years ago
- The blast had force greater than 1,000 Hiroshima bombs
- Shock wave exceeded speed of sound, incinerating everything below
- Evidence includes shocked quartz, micro diamonds, melted metals, iridium and platinum spherules
- Salt from Dead Sea soils poisoned the ground, causing agriculture collapse
- Over 100 cities and villages in a 15-mile radius were abandoned
- Region remained a dead zone for over 600 years
- Excavation reveals violent destruction layer with burned debris and shattered human remains
- Archaeologists confirm destruction layer but debate the cosmic impact evidence
Sources
A Tunguska sized airburst destroyed Tall el-Hammam a Middle ...pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
We present evidence that in ~ 1650 BCE (~ 3600 years ago), a cosmic airburst destroyed Tall el-Hammam, a Middle-Bronze-Age city in the southern Jordan Valley ...
A Bronze-Age City May Have Been Destroyed By an Exploding ...modernsciences.org
(The Tunguska event is said to have been caused by what would have been the largest asteroid to hit the Earth; the asteroid instead exploded in ...
Study Suggests That A Tunguska Sized Explosion Destroyed A City ...forbes.com
An archeological dig uncovered evidence suggesting a cosmic impact destroyed the Bronze Age city of Tall el-Hammam in the Jordan Valley.
Modeling how a Powerful Airburst destroyed Tall el-Hammam, a ...scienceopen.com
A low-altitude airburst approximately 3600 years ago destroyed Tall el-Hammam, a Middle-Bronze-Age city northeast of the Dead Sea in modern-day Jordan.
Modeling how a Powerful Airburst destroyed Tall el-Hammam, a ...researchnow.flinders.edu.au
A previous study presented evidence supporting the hypothesis that a low-altitude airburst approximately 3600 years ago destroyed Tall el-Hammam ...
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