Archaeologists suggest that the 12,000-year-old markings on a stone pillar at Gebekli Tepe may be the oldest solar calendar in history, created to commemorate a catastrophic comet impact.
Researchers from the University of Edinburgh have discovered that ancient people used carvings on the stone pillars of Göbekli Tepe to record astronomical observations. Scientists analyzed the V-shaped symbols on the pillars and concluded that each such sign could represent one day. On one of the pillars, they counted 365 days, which corresponds to a solar year with 12 lunar cycles and 11 extra days.
The image of the summer solstice attracted special attention. It is symbolized by a V-shaped mark on the neck of a bird-like creature. Researchers believe that this is the personification of a constellation that corresponded to the summer solstice at the time.
The Gebekli Tepe calendar predates other known lunisolar calendars by more than a thousand years. This calls into question our understanding of the astronomical knowledge of ancient people.
Scientists speculate that the carvings at Göbekli Tepe may be a memorial to a comet impact that occurred around 10,850 BC. This event could have caused a mini-glacial period lasting more than 1200 years and the extinction of many large animals.
Dr. Martin Sweetman of the University of Edinburgh’s School of Engineering, who led the study, said:
«The inhabitants of Göbekli Tepe were keen observers of the sky, which is understandable given that their world had been devastated by a comet impact. This event could have been the impetus for the development of civilization, launching a new religion and motivating the development of agriculture to withstand the cold climate».
The study was published in Taylor & Francis.
Source: Arkeonews
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