The moment a comet destroyed a mammoth on an ancient stone pillar

The scene of a giant comet hitting Earth and wiping out the mammoths is depicted on a stone pillar from ancient times in Türkiye.

The carvings on the stone pillars tell the story of a comet hitting Earth. Photo: Telegraph

Experts at the University of Edinburgh, UK said thatVulture Ancient Stone Column Carvingat Gobekli Tepe, southern Türkiye recreatedcomet impact event, wiping out mammoths andmake changeall human history, Telegraphreport.

Previously, experts believed that the shapecarved on ancient stone pillarGobekli Tepeabout prehistoric animals. However, using special research methods, scientists at the University of Edinburgh determined that Vulture recreatedconstellations and comets, kabout the pieces eventThe comet hit Earth exactly at the time of the Little Ice Age.

"It appears that Gobekli Tepe was an observatory for observing the night sky. One of the stone pillars here seems to be a memory of a destructive comet event, possibly the worst day in history since the end of the Ice Age," tDr Martin Sweatman, who led the study, said.

Using a computer program to locate constellations that appeared in the sky over Türkiye thousands of years ago, researchers determined that the comet hit Earth in 10,950 BC, exactly when the Younger Dryas period began, according to ice core data from Greenland.

A carving depicting a comet crashing into Earth on the Vulture Pillar. Photo: Telegraph

The Younger Dryas is considered an important period for humans because it marked the emergence of agriculture and the first Neolithic civilizations.

Before the collision,Thanks to the areaswild wheat and barley,nomadic hunter-gatherers in the Middle East turned to sedentary life. DUnfavorable weather conditions after the collision forced communities to join forces to irrigate and select seeds tomaintain the cropAgriculture was formed, creating the premise for the appearance of the first cities.

The petroglyphs appear to have remained important to the inhabitants of Gobekli Tepe for thousands of years, suggesting that the cometary event and subsequent cold climate likely had a huge impact, tpig researchers.

Sweatman said the study strengthens the hypothesis of cometary impacts during the period.GeologyYounger Dryasfrom 19,900 to 11,700 BC.For decades, scientists have suggested that a comet impacting Earth may have caused the sudden drop in temperatures during this period.

See also:

• Raw materials for life 400 light years from Earth
• The oldest fossil of a modern human dates back 350,000 years.

According to VNE