12 September 2023 , 19:33
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An expert theologian claims the ancient city of Tall el-Hammam - obliterated by what appears to be an "atomic blast" - is indeed the biblical city of Sodom.
This claim comes after archaeological discoveries in Jordan have seemingly provided evidence of the city's existence. Scientists had previously unearthed signs indicating that Tall el-Hammam, located in the southern Jordan Valley, was wiped out in a catastrophic event. Dr John Bergsma, a distinguished Professor of Theology at Ohio's Franciscan University, suggests this cataclysmic event mirrors the biblical account.
The biblical narrative of Noah's Ark has been "proven" in the Grand Canyon with sea creatures found "frozen in time". Genesis recounts how God rained sulphur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah due to their "wickedness", resulting in their total annihilation. Similar scenes of destruction were observed in the ruins of Tall el-Hammam, which profoundly altered Dr Bergsma's understanding of the Old Testament.
Steven Collins was baffled at the pottery that was 'glazed ' on just one side (Youtube)Dr Bergsma points to evidence of extreme heating on skeletons and pottery fragments discovered by archaeologists as potential proof of an asteroid strike, reports Daily Star.
Around 3,600 years ago, Tall el-Hammam was a thriving city, significantly larger and more powerful than Jerusalem or Jericho. However, it disappeared almost overnight. Interestingly, the lack of arrowheads or other signs of a siege in the ruins suggests that the destruction of Tall el-Hammam and its neighbouring city was not due to a military attack.
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Steven Collins, the lead archaeologist at Tall el-Hammam, shared some of these astonishing findings with Dr Bergsma. Pieces of pottery found at an archaeological site were discovered to be coated in Trinitite, as explained by Dr Bergsma. Trinitite, he elaborated, is "that glass layer that you get when you set off an atomic bomb in the desert and it melts the sand".
The catastrophe could have thrown up masses of salt from the nearby Dead Sea (Nature.com)The discoveries didn't stop there. Dr Bergsma added: "They also started to find human remains. Human skeletons that are complete up until about halfway up the backbone and then there's just a scorch mark and there's nothing on the top of the body..."
He further detailed the evidence of a massive heat blast from the sky, approximately 25C above the horizon, which seemingly incinerated these twin cities on the Jordanian side of the river.
Steven Collins drew parallels between this devastation and the infamous Tunguska Event of 1908, where a colossal asteroid collided with Earth's atmosphere over Siberia, causing extensive destruction. He stated: "The proposed airburst was larger than the 1908 explosion over Tunguska, Russia, where a 50-metre-wide bolide detonated with 1,000 times more energy than the Hiroshima atomic bomb."
James Kennett, emeritus professor of earth science at the University of California, noted that the airburst seemed to have produced large amounts of salt. This discovery eerily echoes the biblical story of Lot's wife being turned into a pillar of salt after the obliteration of Sodom. "The salt was thrown up due to the high impact pressures," he said. "And it may be that the impact partially hit the Dead Sea, which is rich in salt," he said.
However, some archaeologists have criticised Mr Collins, accusing him of drawing hasty conclusions without sufficient evidence. Professor Kennett has suggested that the event in question may have simply sparked later legends such as Sodom or the destruction of Jericho.
However, Dr Bergsma begs to differ. He firmly believes in the historical authenticity of these events, stating: "It really changed my perspective on the Old Testament map because what it pointed out to me is things that sounded too outlandish to be history...is actually shown to be a historical event."
* This article was crafted with the help of an AI tool, which speeds up The Mirror's editorial research. An editor reviewed this content before it was published. You can report any errors to [email protected]