These symbols and carvings are believed to tell the story of 13,000 years ago when a devastating comet hit Earth.
One of the most enigmatic and mysterious temples on the planet’s surface is located in modern-day Turkey. Many large, circularly shaped stone pillars are found at the site, which is now known as Gobekli Tepe by modern scholars. Inside these circles, researchers found traces of symbols and hidden messages that its builders–who have still not been identified–left behind for us to see.
The massive pillars at Göbekli Tepe. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons. The symbols and carvings tell the story about how, 13,000 years back, a catastrophic comet impact struck Earth.
Using computer simulations of the Solar System around that time, researchers in 2017 found that the carvings found at Gobekli Tepe describe a massive comet impact that took place around 10,950 BCE – which is curiously just around the same time a mini ice age caused the world, and civilization as we know it, to change forever. The Younger Dryas is the name of this mini Ice Age, which lasted around 1,000 years. It is considered a pivotal period in the history of humanity, as it was at that time that agriculture and the first Neolithic civilizations were created. Experts have extensively studied the Younger Drays. While we have a lot of information about this specific period, we don’t yet know the cause
Close-up of one of the pillars on the site. Image Credit: Wikimedia. And while a cosmic impact has been the leading theory for years, we just haven’t found enough evidence to support that idea. However, scientists at the University of Edinburgh argue that Gobekli Tepe’s carvings may indicate that a comet strike could have been responsible for Earth’s history-changing period. Speaking to the Telegraph back in 2017, Sarah Knapton from The Telegraph explained: “I think this research, along with the recent finding of a widespread platinum anomaly across the North American continent virtually seal the case in favor of [a Younger Dryas comet impact].”
“Our work serves to reinforce that physical evidence. What is happening here is the process of paradigm change,” she added. The findings of the experts at Gobekli Tepe have made a significant difference. We not only found the oldest temple in the world, but Gobekli TEP may have been the oldest observatory ever made by humans. “It appears Gobekli Tepe was, among other things, an observatory for monitoring the night sky,” Sweatman revealed in an interview with the Press Association. “One of its pillars seems to have served as a memorial to this devastating event – probably the worst day in history since the end of the Ice Age.”
One of many places where large T-shaped Pillars were found. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons.
Gbekli Tepe is the oldest Temple on Earth. Archeologists claim that the modern-day circles and pillars in Turkey were built around 9,000 B.C. This means that they predate Stonehenge by approximately 6,000 years, and the Pyramids by about 7,000 years. Scientists believe that some symbols on the pillars of Gobekli Tepe may have been carved around 11,000 B.C
The symbols describing the comet impact were found on a stone pillar that was called the Vulture Stone. They showed several animals in different positions. These symbols have been puzzled for decades by experts. Researchers now believe that the symbols are actually depictions of astronomical constellations that show comet fragments impacting Earth
Furthermore, the symbol of a ‘headless man’ on the stone is believed to signify human disaster and extensive loss of life due to the comet impact. The pillar was created by Gobekli Tepe’s builders as perhaps a monument inside the structure that may have served as a means of commemorating a devastating event.
The researchers from the University of Edinburgh also report that they discovered evidence of changes to the Earth’s rotational axis due to the comet strike. Astronomy is a great way to learn about the thoughts of our ancestors. “Many paleolithic cave paintings and artifacts with similar animal symbols and other repeated symbols suggest astronomy could be very ancient indeed,” researchers explained. “If you consider that, according to astronomers, this giant comet probably arrived in the inner solar system some 20 to 30 thousand years ago, and it would have been a very visible and dominant feature of the night sky, it is hard to see how ancient people could have ignored this given the likely consequences.” In the research paper published by Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry, you can find out more about Gobekli Tepe and its symbols as well as the comet strike.