Analysis pointed to a disaster of cosmic nature.
the Settlement of tel al hureyra in Western Mesopotamia was destroyed by 12.8 thousand years ago a comet fragments, found researchers from the University of Rochester in the United States.
tel al hureyra in the valley of the Euphrates (in modern Syria) were founded around 13.5 thousand years ago. The settlement was discovered in 1972-1973 during the construction of the tabka dam. In 1974, the site was flooded by the reservoir.
prior To flooding, the archaeologists were able to collect mysterious remnants of the molten glass. Previous analyses of the samples showed high concentrations of iridium, platinum, Nickel and cobalt, which involves mixing local soil with meteorite material when exposed to very high temperatures — up to 2.2 thousand degrees Celsius. It was clear that the village was lost due collision with a celestial body, but the exact nature of the disaster remained unknown.
In the new study, published in Scientific Reports, the scientists reproduced the process of the emergence of glass from tel Abu-Huraira in the lab. They also compared the samples from Syria with samples from other places on the Earth in ancient times falling fragments of comets and asteroids. Researchers have confirmed that to explain the appearance of such glass something in another way than a cosmic impact, is impossible.
“People in the village of al hureyra area is likely saw a huge flash in the sky, equivalent to a nuclear explosion. After a few seconds they were engulfed in the explosion. Heat wave destroyed the village and everyone in it, leaving only a layer of ash,” said study leader Andrew Moore.
Anna Lysenko
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