Researchers at the University of Edinburgh may have uncovered the world’s oldest lunisolar calendar on the pillars of Gӧbekli Tepe, a Pre-Pottery Neolithic site in Turkey, according to new findings. This discovery also suggests that a catastrophic comet strike may have influenced the site's use as a religious sanctuary for an ancient cult. The name Gӧbekli Tepe is derived from the Armenian term Portasar, which translates to “mountain navel.”
A study published in *Time and Mind: The Journal of Archaeology, Consciousness and Culture* in June examines carvings dating back 12,000 years that are believed to form a lunisolar calendar featuring 12 lunar months and 11 additional days, making it the earliest known example of its kind. “Overall, it appears that the naked-eye astronomical skills of ancient peoples were far more advanced than previously assumed for this era,” Chemical Engineer Martin Sweatman, the study's lead author, shared.
The study revisits and decodes symbols found on pillars at the site, which were first excavated in 1994 by German archaeologists. The megalithic pillars, standing approximately 18 feet tall (about 5.5 meters), depict both abstract human figures and animals. Sweatman’s research identified 365 V-shaped symbols representing individual days, along with square symbols denoting 29.5-day lunar months. The calendar's final day is indicated by a “V” on the neck of a bird figure, symbolizing the summer solstice.
Sweatman built on previous research that interpreted these symbols as markers of constellations, revealing a prehistoric understanding of solstices. “This discovery suggests that the phenomenon known as ‘precession of the equinoxes’ was recognized at least 10,000 years earlier than previously thought, and it was used to document significant cosmic events,” Sweatman stated. The precession of the equinoxes—tracking equinoxes through changes in constellations—was believed to have first been understood by the Greeks around 150 BCE.
Additionally, Sweatman’s study identified representations of a comet impact associated with the Younger Dryas, a period that some scientists argue triggered a mini ice age around 10,850 BCE, lasting for 1,200 years.
After analyzing the symbols from the carvings, Sweatman posits that illustrations of snakes emerging from the bodies of birds and foxes on the pillars represent a meteor shower.
“On the front face of this pillar are 27 V-symbols, which we interpret to indicate that the meteor shower lasted for 27 days, radiating first from the direction of Aquarius (the fox) and then from Pisces (the tall bending bird),” Sweatman explained. He added that the depictions of the supposed comet strike at the site support the theory that Gӧbekli Tepe was likely built as part of a new religion inspired by the impact. The complex is already recognized as the oldest known religious site in the world. “These symbols suggest that the Younger Dryas impact could have played a crucial role in the emergence of civilization,” Sweatman concluded.
Sayart / Sims green sims010@naver.com
