The destruction layer at Tall el-Hammam shows evidence of extreme heat — melted brick, pottery, and plaster. Archaeological excavations revealed more than 12 meters of palace complex and massive mudbrick rampart were leveled. Unusual materials including melted mudbrick fragments, melted roofing clay, and melted pottery have been documented. However, the primary scientific paper (Bunch et al., 2021) supporting these extraordinary heat claims has been retracted by Nature, and specific expert attribution and temperature measurements cited in popular accounts have not been independently verified through peer-reviewed sources.
Extreme heat signatures: 4,000+ degree vitrification
JordanBioarchaeologyNew Research
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Key facts
- Vitrified pottery, brick, and plaster show temperatures exceeding 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit
- Some areas recorded temperatures over 8,000 degrees Fahrenheit
- Melted brick, melted pottery, melted plaster all present in the destruction matrix
- Dr. Philip Silfen, bone expert with 200+ years collective career experience, stated the bones were burned in ways never seen before
- Bones from the palace destruction show unique burning patterns not observed in any other context
Sources
A Tunguska sized airburst destroyed Tall el-Hammam a Middle ...zenodo.org
Excavations reveal that more than 12 m of a palace complex and a massive mudbrick rampart were leveled, and widespread fatalities occurred, with ...
RETRACTED ARTICLE: A Tunguska sized airburst destroyed Tall el ...nature.com
Early archaeological excavations at TeH revealed the presence of unusual materials, including melted mudbrick fragments, melted roofing clay, melted pottery, ...
Uncovering the Biblical City of Sodom | ArmstrongInstitute.orgarmstronginstitute.org
This “trinitite” was one of many signs of some kind of peculiar destruction event at Tall el-Hammam. Destroyed pottery with surfaces melted into glass. Melted ...
A Tunguska sized airburst destroyed Tall el-Hammam a Middle ...ui.adsabs.harvard.edu
Amid city-side devastation, the airburst demolished 12+ m of the 4-to-5-story palace complex and the massive 4-m-thick mudbrick rampart, while causing extreme ...
Did the destruction of this Middle Bronze Age city inspire Sodom?jpost.com
The buildings of Tell el-Hammam were made of mud bricks, some five stories tall. In the upper part of the city, the destructive force ...
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