18 September 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

The biblical narrative of Sodom may have been inspired by a cosmic meteorite that devastated an ancient city

The Bible account of Sodom’s destruction lies at the heart of classic “fire and brimstone” judgment day prophesies. But what if it was produced by something else in the sky, like a cosmic meteor airburst?

The Bible describes the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19:23-29, stating:

“By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. Then the LORD rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens. Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, destroying all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land. But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the LORD. He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, and he saw dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace. So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.”

Researchers have uncovered 3600-year-old evidence that the ancient city of Tall el-Hammam — an archaeological site in Jordan – was destroyed by a “cosmic airburst” so hot it melted brick and clay.

Researchers stand near the ruins of ancient walls, with the destruction layer about midway down each exposed wall. (Photo: Phil Silvia, CC BY-ND)
Researchers stand near the ruins of ancient walls, with the destruction layer about midway down each exposed wall. (Photo: Phil Silvia, CC BY-ND)

What proof was there for biblical-scale destruction? Pottery that had melted to glass, mudbrick that had ‘bubbled,’ and partially melted construction material were discovered behind a five-foot-thick burn layer.

Experiments with laboratory furnaces revealed that the bubbling pottery and mudbricks of Tall el-Hammam melted at temperatures exceeding 2,700 degrees Fahrenheit (1,500 C). That’s hot enough to melt a car in a matter of minutes. The destruction layer also comprises microscopic balls of molten material that are smaller than dust particles in the air. Spherules are comprised of evaporated iron and sand that melted at around 2,900 degrees Fahrenheit (1,590 C).

Diamonds (center) inside a crater were formed by the fireball's high temperatures and pressures on wood and plants. (Image credit: Malcolm LeCompte, CC BY-ND)
Diamonds (center) inside a crater were formed by the fireball’s high temperatures and pressures on wood and plants. (Photo: Malcolm LeCompte, CC BY-ND)

All of these data suggest that temperatures in the city climbed faster than those caused by volcanoes, wars, or typical city fires. A cosmic collision is the sole natural process that remains.

“We saw evidence for temperatures greater than 2,000°C,” says, James Kennett, an author of the paper published in Scientific Reports.

The same evidence is found at known impact sites, such as Tunguska and the Chicxulub crater, created by the asteroid that triggered the dinosaur extinction.

Tall el hammam ancient city

Because of the abnormally large amount of salt that was spread across the area, the researchers discovered indications of an impact near the Dead Sea.

“The salt was thrown up due to the high impact pressures,” Kennett says of the meteor that likely fragmented upon contact with the Earth’s atmosphere. “And it may be that the impact partially hit the Dead Sea, which is rich in salt.”

It’s conceivable that an oral narrative of the city’s destruction was passed down through centuries before being written as the story of Biblical Sodom. The Bible narrates the destruction of a city near the Dead Sea: stones and fire rained from the heavens, more than one city was destroyed, dense smoke ascended from the burning, and city residents were slaughtered. Could this be an eyewitness report from the past? If this is the case, Tall el Hammam’s maybe the second-oldest destruction of a human town by a cosmic impact event, following the village of Abu Hureyra in Syria around 12,800 years ago. It is also possible that this is the earliest recorded record of such a terrible catastrophe.

Cosmos Magazine

Related Articles

Ancient Three Fortresses: Layered Defense on Egypt’s Eastern Border at Tell Abu Saifi

11 May 2025

11 May 2025

Archaeological excavations at the strategically significant Tell Abu Saifi site in North Sinai have unearthed compelling evidence of Egypt’s long-standing...

1,600-year-old Hunnic double burial found in Poland

15 June 2024

15 June 2024

In 2018, archaeologists uncovered a 1,600-year-old double burial in the village of Czulice near Krakow, Poland, containing the remains of...

1,500-Year-Old Imperial Stone Inscription Unearthed in Ulanqab, Inner Mongolia

18 August 2025

18 August 2025

A newly unearthed stone inscription, tentatively named the “Stele of the Emperor’s Northern Tour,” has been discovered in the vast...

Ancient Egyptian Kohl recipes more diversified than previously thought

28 April 2022

28 April 2022

Researchers analyzed the contents of 11 kohl containers from the Petrie Museum collection in London and have revealed that the...

1500-year-old Amulet Made to Ward off the Evil Eye in Galilee

26 May 2021

26 May 2021

Discovered about 40 years ago in the Galilee village of Arbel, the necklace sheds light on life 1500 years ago....

A 2,000-year-old ancient “mirror” throws light on aristocratic life in China

17 May 2022

17 May 2022

Archeologists in Beijing have successfully reconstructed a 2,000-year-ago dressing mirror once cherished by the high nobility during the Han Dynasty....

Ancient Guests, Exotic Gifts: Wild Boars Traveled Miles to a Prehistoric Feast in Iran

15 July 2025

15 July 2025

New research suggests prehistoric communities in Iran’s Zagros Mountains transported wild boars over 70 kilometers to participate in elaborate communal...

The discovery that surprised archaeologists; a Rare glass cup adorning the table of rich Romans in Crimea

2 April 2022

2 April 2022

A discovery made in Frontovoye-3 necropolis in Crimea shows that during the Roman Empire there were more centers of glass...

International Sand Sculpture Festival Opens with the Theme “The Lost City of Atlantis”

6 May 2021

6 May 2021

The 16th edition of the International Sand Sculpture Festival (SANDLAND) has begun in Turkey’s Mediterranean resort city of Antalya. Every...

Two Infant burials found under prehistoric “Dragon Stone” in Armenia

4 June 2024

4 June 2024

An international team of researchers has unearthed the remains of an adult woman and two infants buried under a basalt...

Long-Awaited Excavation to Commence at Mount Ararat ‘Noah’s Ark’ Site

9 May 2025

9 May 2025

The legendary search for Noah’s Ark, a tale that has captivated imaginations and spurred countless expeditions for generations, is poised...

Archaeologists Uncover Monumental 2,800-Year-Old Lydian Palace in Sardis, Birthplace of Money

15 August 2025

15 August 2025

Archaeologists excavating the UNESCO World Heritage site of Sardis, located in the Salihli district of Manisa, Türkiye, have uncovered the...

A First in Denmark: Rare 4th Century Roman Helmet and Chainmail Found

3 February 2025

3 February 2025

Archaeologists have recently unearthed a massive stockpile of weapons near Hedensted, Denmark, buried 1,500 years ago by an ancient chief....

Archaeologists opened an untouched Etruscan tomb

31 October 2023

31 October 2023

In Vulci Archaeological Park, central Italy, a 2,600-year-old intact double-chambered Etruscan tomb that was discovered in April and had remained...

Scientists identified a unique engraving that could be the oldest three-dimensional (3D) map in the world

4 January 2025

4 January 2025

Scientists working in the Ségognole 3 cave, located in the famous sandstone massif south of Paris have identified a unique...