ThePainefulTruth

BARIn the current (Mar/Apr) issue of "Biblical Archaeology Review", there's an interesting article on Sodom of Sodom and Gomorrah fame. The author makes an excellent case for Sodom being in a fertile area just north of the Dead Sea, in Jordan, instead of to in the barren south where most scholars have supposed it to be. But, no matter if this is the actual Sodom or not, my real question is how it came to an end much as Sodom did in the Bible.

All the facts are presented professionally and in a scientific manner for a non-scholarly audience.

The site, which had been occupied since 4600 BCE and several surrounding satellite towns were destroyed by an event around 1600 BCE and lay unoccupied for the next 600 or 700 years, at which time a fortified town was built on the site.

"The violent conflagration that ended occupation at Tall el-Hammam (modern town's name) produced melted pottery, scorched foundation stones and several feet of ash and destruction debris churned into a dark gray matrix as if in a Cuisinart."

"Numerous pottery fragments of this matrix lie across the site and have outside surfaces melted into glass, with some bubbled up like “frothy”
magma, indicating they were burned in a flash heat event far exceeding 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.8 The conflagration must have yielded extremely high heat and effected catastrophic damage."

"8 Although microprobe analysis reveals that the glass formed under magma-like temperatures, volcanism as a cause is not an option. There is
no geological evidence within the past 10,000 years at least for volcanic activity in the middle or southern Ghor of the Dead Sea region."

The Ghor is the area east of the Jordan R. between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea.

The author leaves it there with no speculation as to what the cause might have been. I can think of nothing that would fit besides a good sized meteor reaching the surface--or an ICBM from the future.

Here's a link, but it's a subscription site: BAR

AdamWho

This is in the wrong forum.

skepticalbip

Whether the excavated town was the Biblical Sodom or not will likely never be answered. It is convienient for Biblical followers to credit it as such though because it supports their belief system.

The event itself will also likely never be determined unquestionably. A meteor or asteroid actually reaching the surface can be ruled out because that would not leave the foundations in place or recognizable bits of pottery. It would only leave a crater like Meteor Crater in Arizona but maybe smaller if the asteroid were smaller, larger if the asteroid were larger. An event like in 1908 in Tunguska is a possibility. The major speculation as to the cause of the Tunguska event is an icy asteroid striking the atmosphere and exploding, only the shock wave and fire ball reaching the ground.

This "Sodom" event will likely be credited as the "Wrath of God", an alien UFO exploding, an alien attack, proof of the advanced technolological ability of Atlantis, etc. or maybe the icy asteroid idea that has been suggested for Tunguska.

For those who want to call the remains of this old city proof of the "wrath of god", you would logically have to ask them why god was so pissed at the Tunguska forest.
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ThePainefulTruth

Archaeology is a science, a lot more so than some pseudo-sciences that exist.

credoconsolans

Didn't I see a special on the Science Channel about this? Something about the meteor that fell in Germany back around 3000 bce or something like that and hit one of the French Alps mountains and spewed flaming ejaculate back along its path, which took out some towns over the northern part of the Dead Sea?

OK, here it is.

http://www.universetoday.com/13560/e...-and-gomorrah/

There is a lot of controversy, but it is interesting.

ThePainefulTruth

I think this can only help to demystify religion in the long run. My approach is that pursuing the Truth will lead us in the right direction for finding more Truth, and will eventually expose the falsehoods in our religious beliefs. Thus my great interest in the James ossuary, which I believe is authentic and likely to be THE James, and the knowledge in the Talpiot tombs which will be enlightening even it it isn't Jesus and his family.

It had to explode fairly close to the ground to give the radial pattern it made of the trees.

I don't think most reputable archaeologists will be adhering to any of those former ideas.

Exactly, and it should be evidence of exactly that as is all scientific evidence at our disposal--which I believe is showing to be wearing away at blind faith.

These people are doing exactly what needs to be done to further science against the worst thorn in its side, blind faith.

ThePainefulTruth

That wouldn't fit if it's this site if the event it described by the tablet happened c. 3100 BCE.

AdamWho

That may be the case, but this thread isn't about archaeology.

CMc

God probably did it, but that doesn't mean it was Sodom. He probably got pissed at lots of towns and destroyed them with pillars of fire back in those days. That doesn't mean they all made it into the Bible. I wouldn't be surprised if he did some in Europe and maybe even the Americas.

skepticalbip

This reminds me of one of the funniest songs I've ever heard:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9SmeeRE_zY