A researcher at University of Edinburgh has discovered what he believes is the earliest Lunisolar calendar at Göbekli Tepe, a ancient site in southern Turkey, which was once a complex of temple-like structures.
According to the New York Times Martin Sweatmana scientist at the University of Edinburgh, announced his findings in a study published last month. SweatmanV-shaped markings in the calendar document a significant astronomical eventA Comet impact About 13,000 years ago, this had a profound impact on the Earth and made the antique column a kind of monument.
Dr. Sweatman explained that the detailed carvings at Göbekli Tepe tell the story and date of the comet fragments that struck the Earth around 10,850 BC. This event has been controversial among researchers. The comet impact is believed to have triggered an ice age that lasted 1,200 years and led to the extinction of many large animals. For humans, this catastrophic event likely led to lifestyle changes and advances in agriculture, paving the way for the rise of civilization.
In 2017, Dr. Sweatman linked the comet impact to the site in Turkey in a scientific paper. He suggested that the carvings at Göbekli Tepe were immortalized on the columns and that the site was used for astronomical observations.
At the time, however, a team of excavators at Göbekli Tepe questioned these finds. Jens Notroff, an archaeologist who wrote a comment on the excavators’ website, was skeptical about the new finds and questioned the symbolic meaning of the markings. On the social media platform X, he expressed that there is “an obsession with the idea that there ‘must be a secret,’ a hidden code that must and can be deciphered, when in reality it is just about past people living their lives.”
Dr. Sweatman is confident that his recent discovery—which shows that one of the pillars also contains a lunisolar calendar and records the day of the comet’s impact—is consistent with his previous research.
“We can actually be very confident that it is a date,” he said.
Sweatman’s research suggests that ancient people were able to record their observations of the sun, moon and constellations using a solar calendar to keep track of time and mark the changing seasons.
It is difficult to imagine how ancient people carved these symbols into the stones, but it gives an idea of the significance this event had for them.
“This suggests,” said Dr. Sweatman, “that this event was important to them.”
Although Dr. Sweatman has studied the symbols on Göbekli Tepe extensively, his most recent breakthrough came from a tip-off. Someone emailed him and suggested that the V-shaped symbols on the column might represent the lunar cycle.
“I had never noticed it before,” he said. “I always wondered what those boxes and V symbols could mean.”
According to Dr. Sweatman’s findings, each V-shaped symbol could represent a single day.
“This interpretation allowed the researchers to estimate a 365-day solar calendar on one of the pillars, consisting of 12 lunar months plus 11 additional days,” the study says.
The final V on the column is “represented by a V worn around the neck of a bird-like animal, which was believed to represent the constellation of the summer solstice at the time,” according to the research. Other statues nearby, possibly representing deities, also bear similar markings.
Dr. Sweatman found that after this interpretation of the V-shaped symbols, everything fit.
“The carvings suggest that ancient people were able to record their observations of the sun, moon and constellations in the form of a solar calendar, which was used to keep track of time and mark the changing of the seasons,” he said.
Although we still find it difficult to understand the exact way ancient people thought, these findings provide clues as to the importance they attached to astronomical events.
Dr. Sweatman emphasized that this event was of great importance to the people of that time, which was evident from the detailed and carefully executed carvings.
According to the New York Times Martin Sweatmana scientist at the University of Edinburgh, announced his findings in a study published last month. SweatmanV-shaped markings in the calendar document a significant astronomical eventA Comet impact About 13,000 years ago, this had a profound impact on the Earth and made the antique column a kind of monument.
Dr. Sweatman explained that the detailed carvings at Göbekli Tepe tell the story and date of the comet fragments that struck the Earth around 10,850 BC. This event has been controversial among researchers. The comet impact is believed to have triggered an ice age that lasted 1,200 years and led to the extinction of many large animals. For humans, this catastrophic event likely led to lifestyle changes and advances in agriculture, paving the way for the rise of civilization.
In 2017, Dr. Sweatman linked the comet impact to the site in Turkey in a scientific paper. He suggested that the carvings at Göbekli Tepe were immortalized on the columns and that the site was used for astronomical observations.
At the time, however, a team of excavators at Göbekli Tepe questioned these finds. Jens Notroff, an archaeologist who wrote a comment on the excavators’ website, was skeptical about the new finds and questioned the symbolic meaning of the markings. On the social media platform X, he expressed that there is “an obsession with the idea that there ‘must be a secret,’ a hidden code that must and can be deciphered, when in reality it is just about past people living their lives.”
Dr. Sweatman is confident that his recent discovery—which shows that one of the pillars also contains a lunisolar calendar and records the day of the comet’s impact—is consistent with his previous research.
“We can actually be very confident that it is a date,” he said.
Sweatman’s research suggests that ancient people were able to record their observations of the sun, moon and constellations using a solar calendar to keep track of time and mark the changing seasons.
It is difficult to imagine how ancient people carved these symbols into the stones, but it gives an idea of the significance this event had for them.
“This suggests,” said Dr. Sweatman, “that this event was important to them.”
Although Dr. Sweatman has studied the symbols on Göbekli Tepe extensively, his most recent breakthrough came from a tip-off. Someone emailed him and suggested that the V-shaped symbols on the column might represent the lunar cycle.
“I had never noticed it before,” he said. “I always wondered what those boxes and V symbols could mean.”
According to Dr. Sweatman’s findings, each V-shaped symbol could represent a single day.
“This interpretation allowed the researchers to estimate a 365-day solar calendar on one of the pillars, consisting of 12 lunar months plus 11 additional days,” the study says.
The final V on the column is “represented by a V worn around the neck of a bird-like animal, which was believed to represent the constellation of the summer solstice at the time,” according to the research. Other statues nearby, possibly representing deities, also bear similar markings.
Dr. Sweatman found that after this interpretation of the V-shaped symbols, everything fit.
“The carvings suggest that ancient people were able to record their observations of the sun, moon and constellations in the form of a solar calendar, which was used to keep track of time and mark the changing of the seasons,” he said.
Although we still find it difficult to understand the exact way ancient people thought, these findings provide clues as to the importance they attached to astronomical events.
Dr. Sweatman emphasized that this event was of great importance to the people of that time, which was evident from the detailed and carefully executed carvings.
