New Conference Paper: Meteor Strikes Recorded in Prehistoric Art: From Göbekli Tepe to Lascaux

The following paper will be presented at the conference "Fourth International Symposium on Megalithic Monuments and Cult Practices", October 10-14, South West University "Neofit Rilski", Bulgaria.

METEOR STRIKES RECORDED IN PREHISTORIC ART: FROM GÖBEKLI TEPE TO LASCAUX

 

Martin B. Sweatman

 

Abstract: Earth has endured an episode of coherent catastrophism over the last 20-30 thousand years or so. This means strikes by comet fragments were much more common and violent during this period than the long-term average. Over most of this time, humans were unable to record these comet strikes in writing. But, it seems they were still able to record what happened to them, and when, with a form of proto-writing that involved constellations and precession of the equinoxes. Here, I describe evidence for two cosmic impacts recorded on stone; Pillar 43 at Göbekli Tepe and the Lascaux Shaft Scene. Each is an artistic masterpiece designed to endure. The impact described at Göbekli Tepe is probably the well-known but controversial Younger Dryas impact. This, it seems, was a pivotal moment in pre-history, as it ushered-in the agricultural transition in the Fertile Crescent. The impact probably recorded by the Lascaux Shaft Scene is currently unknown. Nevertheless, it appears to have had an equally dramatic effect on the hunter-gathers of south-west France. One that took millennia to recover from. Both these cosmic impacts seem to be described using almost the same kind of proto-writing and similar constellations. Are there other prehistoric examples waiting to be decoded?

 

Keywords: Göbekli Tepe, Lascaux Shaft Scene, Younger Dryas impact, coherent catastrophism

 

Coherent Catastrophism

Centaurs are comets that orbit in the outer solar system between the orbits of Jupiter and Neptune. They are called comets because it is generally thought that they will develop a cometary tail if they were to approach the sun more closely like other objects from the outer reaches of the solar system. Due to occasional gravitational perturbations by the outer planets their orbits are known to be unstable. It follows that on rare occasions a Centaur can either be ejected from the solar system entirely, be returned to the Oort Cloud from where they originated, or, sometimes, enter the inner solar system though interaction with Jupiter. At this point, if not before, they will typically develop a cometary tail. Due to cometary decay and further gravitational interactions with Jupiter it is possible that some former Centaurs can even adopt orbits that cross Earth’s path, perhaps for thousands of years (Horner et al., 2004; Napier et al., 2015; Galiazzo et al., 2019). In this case, their decay products, which consist of clumps of material varying in size from grains of sand to massive objects that are new comets in their own right, will be seen as a meteor stream on Earth. Most meteors are harmless and burn up in the sky without significant consequences on the ground. But large fragments can cause low-altitude airbursts that can vapourize materials on the ground, while the largest fragments can reach the ground before exploding resulting in ground impact structures like craters. This process, whereby comets from the outer solar system can sometimes form Earth-crossing orbits that present an impact risk to Earth is inevitable and known as ‘coherent catastrophism’ (Asher et al., 1994; Steel and Asher, 1996; Napier, 2019). The word ‘coherent’ is used to indicate that these impacts on Earth can be correlated in time with a wide range of timescales,

Coherent catastrophism is the working model among cometary scientists for the origin and evolution of the Taurid meteor stream (Napier, 2013; Egal et al., 2022a; Egal et al., 2022b; Ferrin and Orofino, 2021; Devillepoix et al., 2021). This is, by far, the largest meteor stream that intersects Earth’s orbit. However, it is currently not the most intense meteor stream due to its immense age and therefore its dispersal into a broad, diffuse ring that consists of many separate strands of material. However, orbital intersection of Earth with denser strands of this broad Taurid meteor stream from time to time can result in meteoric flare-ups.

Estimates suggest the Taurid’s progenitor Centaur was originally ~ 100 km in diameter and entered the inner solar system around 20-30 thousand years ago (Napier, 2010; Ferrin and Orofino, 2021). It is now either largely decayed or ejected from the inner solar system because, currently, the most massive remnant fragments are thought to be comet Encke (~ 4 km) as well as dozens of large asteroids in near Earth orbits, such as Hephaistos (~ 7 km). Many of these objects are currently called asteroids because they do not display an obvious tail. However, they are probably the large dormant remnant fragments of this ancient progenitor comet (Ferrin and Orofino, 2021).

 

The Younger Dryas impact

Given this scenario, we can expect the impact rate on Earth over the last 20-30 thousand years or so to be much higher than the long-term average. It follows that we can expect some dramatic impact events to have been observed and endured by humans over this time. One such event is thought to be the Younger Dryas impact (Firestone et al., 2007; Sweatman, 2021; Powell, 2022; Moore et al., 2024; Sweatman et al. 2024). This event is thought to have involved hundreds or thousands of comet pieces originating from the Taurid meteor stream. These impacts are thought mainly to consist of airbursts over an entire hemisphere of Earth on the same day, although occasional ground impacts are not ruled out.

Evidence that the Younger Dryas impact actually occurred around 10,870 ± 50 BCE, is in the form of microscopic geochemical signatures of an extraterrestrial impact, such as excess platinum, nanodiamonds and exotic microspherules that form a distinct layer, or horizon, found at > 50 sites on at least five continents known as the Younger Dryas boundary. The Younger Dryas impact hypothesis suggests this impact event also triggered the Younger Dryas mini-ice age, which lasted around 1200 years, and significantly affected many species of megafauna and the Clovis people of North America, leading ultimately to their demise.

Evidence that the impact triggered the rapid onset of the Younger Dryas climate change is in the form of a layer of excess platinum in the Greenland ice sheet at the same time (within current resolution) that a dramatic reduction in temperature is recorded in the GISP2 ice core (Petaev et al., 2013). Separate evidence shows that many species of megafauna were extirpated or became extinct at around the same time (Boulanger et al., 2014; Villavicencio et al., 2015; Stewart et al., 2021; O’Keefe et al., 2023). Furthermore, it remains the case that the Younger Dryas boundary layer seems to cap the Clovis archaeological technocomplex – no Clovis artifacts are yet confirmed to have been found above the YDB.

One of these YD impact sites is thought to be Abu Hureyra, around 150 kms south of Göbekli Tepe (Moore et al., 2023). Geochemical indicators in a specific burned layer at this site, which was one of the world’s earliest villages, are consistent with the date of the YD impact and with an ET airburst. Anomalously thick layers of charcoal with consistent radiocarbon dates also occur in Lakes Van and Akgol in Turkey (Turner et al., 2010). This event would therefore have been witnessed by tens of thousands of people in the Fertile Crescent, including many survivors.

 

The pillars of Göbekli Tepe

Excavations at Göbekli Tepe, southern Turkey, beginning in 1994 have uncovered several large sub-circular stone enclosures featuring megalithic pillars covered with symbols (Schmidt, 2000; Schmidt, 2010; Schmidt, 2011; Dietrich et al., 2012). Although originally thought to be a remote sanctuary, it is now thought that Göbekli Tepe was a settlement (Clare, 2020). Ground penetrating radar scans reveal that many further large enclosures, along with a multitude of small rectangular structures,  remain to be uncovered (Dietrich et al., 2012). The earliest radiocarbon dates yet recovered (from Enclosure D) are around 1200 years younger than the Younger Dryas impact, corresponding to near the end of the Younger Dryas period and the beginning of the Neolithic (Dietrich et al., 2013). Göbekli Tepe is, therefore, generally called a PPNA (pre-pottery Neolithic A) settlement. However, it is surely much older than this, for several reasons;

i)         The oldest radiocarbon date does not correspond to the oldest section of Enclosure D (Kinzel and Clare, 2020).

ii)           Enclosure D is architecturally very impressive. It must surely have been based on a pre-existing template. Thus, we should expect pre-cursers to Enclosure D that are many hundreds of years older.

iii)        Another enclosure at Göbekli Tepe, E, that is missing its walls and pillars is undated. It appears to be a more primitive form than Enclosure D. Possibly, its pillars were reused in the construction of other enclosures (Sweatman, 2024).

Given these facts, it is possible that Göbekli Tepe began as an Epipalaeolithic settlement after the Younger Dryas impact event but many hundreds of years before the oldest radiocarbon dates yet reported for Enclosure D.

 

Figure 1. Enclosure D at Göbekli Tepe.

            Pillar 43

            Enclosure D is formed by eleven remarkable T-shaped pillars, including Pillars 43 and 33, embedded into a rough stone wall (see Fig. 1). Two more even taller (> 5 m) T-shaped pillars are symmetrically placed near its centre. Most of the pillars have symbols, such as animals with specific poses as well as more geometric symbols, carved into them using a kind of bas-relief.

            One of the central T-pillars, 18, displays what appear to be astronomically-related symbols at its ‘neck’ (see Fig. 2). Archaeologists excavating the site believe these structures and symbols are evidence of shamanism (Dietrich, 2023). Links between shamanism and astronomy, and between Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers and astronomy, are also expected (Krupp, 1999; Hayden and Villeneuve, 2011). Thus, it is reasonable to suppose that the animal symbols might represent constellations.

            Sweatman and colleagues provided a consistent astronomical interpretation of many of these symbols, supported by a compelling statistical case (Sweatman, 2017; Sweatman and Tsikritsis, 2017; Sweatman, 2019; Sweatman and Coombs, 2019). Especially, it appears many of the animal symbols are pre-cursors to the well-known Greek constellations and perhaps also to many of the earliest Egyptian deities. Given the location of Göbekli Tepe at the northern reach of Mesopotamia, and its suspected role in the origin and diffusion of civilisation in the Fertile Crescent, such links might be expected.

Figure 2. Likely astronomical symbols at the ‘neck’ of Pillar 18, one of the two tall T-shaped pillars at the centre of Enclosure D at Göbekli Tepe. Photograph courtesy of Alistair Coombs.

            This expectation is amplified by the presence of a scorpion near what appears to be a solar disk on Pillar 43 (see Fig. 3). The disk appears at the visual centre of Pillar 43 and hovers slightly above the wing of a bird-of-prey, which we interpret to be an early version of Sagittarius. Using the location of this disc relative to the bird-of-prey, which is suggested to record the position of the sun on the summer solstice relative to the teapot asterism of Sagittarius, and using precession of the equinoxes, Pillar 43 is interpreted to record the date of a most important event, one important enough to motivate the construction of Göbekli Tepe with its remarkable architecture and artistry (Sweatman, 2019; Sweatman, 2024). The date is interpreted to be 10,950 BCE, to within a few hundred years. Given the headless man also appearing at the bottom of this pillar, which we expect symbolises death, this date is linked with the Younger Dryas impact. Pillar 43 can therefore be interpreted as a memorial to this most destructive impact event.

Figure 3. Pillar 43 in Enclosure D at Göbekli Tepe. The animal symbols are interpreted as early pre-cursors to the ancient Greek constellations and thought to represent a date on Pillar 43 using precession of the equinoxes. The V-symbols and small square symbols above the solar disk are thought to represent 364 days of a solar calendar. The final V-symbol (representing the summer solstice) is found at the neck of the bird-of-prey. Note, four animals are highlighted by solar symbols; the bird-of-prey next to the solar disk on the main panel and three more small animals next to sunset symbols at the top of the pillar. Photograph courtesy of Alistair Coombs.

            Sweatman (2024) provides many other reasons for suspecting this interpretation is correct. One of these is that the three small animal symbols next to apparent sunset symbols at the top of Pillar 43 appear to be a good match to the constellations corresponding to the three other special astronomical days of the year; the winter solstice and the spring and autumn equinoxes. If this interpretation is correct, then it confirms Gurshtein’s (2005) prediction that a system of recording dates using the four solstice and equinox constellations, along with precession of the equinoxes, existed in prehistory, although Göbekli Tepe is more advanced and earlier than even he suspected. Moreover, consider Pillar 33. This Pillar (see Fig. 4), also from Enclosure D, displays a group of snakes leaping from the legs and torsos of animals; tall bending birds on one side of the pillar and a fox on the other side of the pillar. If this interpretation is correct and the animal symbols do indeed represent constellations, then the snakes are naturally interpreted as meteors. Clearly, snakes do not leap from the legs and bodies of real animals, so these symbols are clearly not intended to represent actual animals.

Figure 4. Sketch of Pillar 33 in Enclosure D at Göbekli Tepe. It is interpreted as a picture of the Taurid meteor stream (the snakes) emanating from the direction of Pisces (the tall bending birds) and northern Aquarius (the fox on the opposite side of the pillar).

 

            Moreover, the tall bending bird symbol had already been interpreted as Pisces (on Pillar 43) while the fox symbol bears a striking resemblance to the shape of the northern part of Aquarius (Sweatman and Tsikritsis, 2017). At the time Göbekli Tepe was occupied, we expect the Taurid meteor stream emanated from the direction of these two constellations over the course of several weeks. Pillar 33 can therefore be interpreted as the mechanism of the Younger Dryas impact. In summary, the consistent theme of Enclosure D appears to be the Younger Dryas impact event. The site’s excavators, on the other hand, interpret Göbekli Tepe’s symbolism in terms of a skull cult, or a cult of ancestor worship (Notroff et al., 2017; Gresky et al., 2017). However, these ideas are not inconsistent with remembering the Younger Dryas impact event. The theme of other enclosures at Göbekli Tepe is less clear.

 

            A calendar carved on Pillar 43

            Further strong evidence that corroborates this astronomical interpretation was published recently. Sweatman (2024) showed how geometric symbols on Pillar 43 can be interpreted in terms of a lunisolar calendar (see Fig. 3). Briefly, the top row of V-symbols in the middle of Pillar 43 consists of a line of 14 double Vs, with alternating vertical orientation, with a single V at the end of the row. This can be read in two ways (Gordon, 2021); either i) by counting the 15 upright Vs right-to-left, and the same back again left-to-right, to give a total or 30, or ii) by counting the 15 upright Vs right-to left as before, but counting the 14 upturned Vs on the way back to get a total of 29. This row of Vs then has an obvious interpretation as a lunar cycle, since counting the days between successive full moons will yield either 29 or 30 days, alternately. A similar counting device is seen carved on a piece of European Palaeolithic antler (Marshack, 1972) and interpreted in the same way.

            Underneath this row of V-symbols is a row of 11 small squares. If we interpret each square to mean “repeat the above count” then we have a total of 12 lunar cycles (which would also be the earliest known evidence of arithmetic) totalling 354 days.

            Beneath this row of small squares is another row of 10 Vs, which when added to the count gives a total of 364 days. Obviously, this is 1 day short of a full year (ignoring the extra ~ 0.25 day). However, one more V-symbol can be seen at the neck of the bird-of-prey (Murdoch, 2021). Since this bird was previously interpreted to symbolise the summer solstice constellation (Sagittarius), Sweatman (2024) interpreted this extra V as the summer solstice itself, which completes our count. Note that symbols at the neck appear to have a special significance within the Göbekli Tepe culture; they are not just decoration. For example, in addition to astronomical symbols at the neck of Pillar 18 (see Fig. 2) we see specifically V-symbols at the necks of the Urfa Man statue (found in Sanliurfa around 15 km away) and a wall carving at Sayburç which is also linked with the Göbekli Tepe culture (see Sweatman, 2024). Thus, an entire year of 365 days is likely represented on Pillar 43, counted in terms of 12 lunar cycles plus 11 epagomenal days.

            We can ask why they recorded this calendar structure on Pillar 43? Probably, this was a clever device to ensure the meaning of the pillar could not be misunderstood. Essentially, they were using constants of nature, i.e. the lunar and solar cycles, to make it clear that a V-symbol represents a single day. For an astronomically astute culture, a calendar that counted the days of the lunar and solar cycles would have been unmistakeable and useful. Moreover, by counting up to only 364 they made it clear that the final V-symbol at the neck of the bird-of-prey meant that this bird symbolised an astronomically special day (i.e. the summer solstice) and not a real bird. Very clever indeed.

 

Lascaux

Let’s now turn our attention to Lascaux, in southern France (northern Aquitaine), and especially the Lascaux Shaft Scene. The caves at Lascaux are famous for their Palaeolithic artworks, thought to date to around 15,000 BCE. The entrance to the Lascaux caves is oriented about 3 degrees south of the summer solstice sunset (Jegues-Wolkiewiez, 2007; Hayden and Villeneuve, 2011). Taking the slope at the entrance of the caves into account the entrance’s orientation towards the summer solstice sunset is nearly perfect. Hayden and Villeneuve (2011), in agreement with Jegues-Wolkiewiez (2007), consider this evidence for a strong interest in solar astronomy by the hunter-gatherers that used the caves. This makes a lot a sense considering that all resources used by Palaeolithic hunter gatherers are seasonal and that many of the more ‘complex’ hunter-gatherer communities in recorded history are known to have had an interest in the solstices and equinoxes (Hayden and Villeneuve, 2011).

Thus, the Lascaux Cave entrance hallway, which is covered with paintings of bulls and is thus known as the Hall of Bulls, might have been illuminated for only a few days either side of the summer solstice by the setting sun. Sweatman and Coombs (2019) interpret the bull symbol, consistent with deductions from Gobekli Tepe by Sweatman and Tsikritsis (2017), as similar to the constellation Capricornus. It so happens that Capricornus was the summer solstice constellation at that time the caves were in use. We can therefore expect other animal symbols at Lascaux might symbolise constellations as well. A statistical analysis of all radiocarbon-dated European Palaeolithic cave art of animals by Sweatman and Coombs (2019) shows this is very likely correct.

 

The Lascaux Shaft Scene

At the bottom of a deep shaft near the end of the cave complex is the most difficult to reach, secret and therefore ‘sacred’ painting; the Lascaux Shaft Scene (see Fig. 5). It depicts a dying man together with four other animals; three on the main wall (a bull, rhino and bird) with a horse on the rear wall. The bull is disembowelled by a spear.

Figure 5. Replica of the Lascaux Shaft Scene, comprising four animals and a dying man; three on the main panel and one more on the opposing wall. Compare with Pillar 43 at Göbekli Tepe. The spear might represent a meteor strike, like Pillar 33 at Göbekli Tepe. Photograph courtesy of Alistair Coombs.

Considering that we expect the animals to symbolise constellations, with the bull as pseudo-Capricornus, how should we interpret this scene? In fact, there are several similarities with Pillar 43 at Göbekli Tepe. Notably, both artworks feature four prominent animals and a dying man. On Pillar 43 the four highlighted animals are thought to symbolise the four constellations corresponding to the solstices and equinoxes. If the same is true at Lascaux, then we can once again interpret the scene as a date using precession of the equinoxes. In this case, the date obtained by Sweatman and Coombs (2019) using an assumed zodiac is consistent with radiocarbon evidence as being close to 15,300 BCE.

But what of the disembowelled bull, spear and dying man? Surely, the dying man signifies death, just like the headless man on Pillar 43 at Göbekli Tepe. And if the bull symbolises a constellation, then surely the spear symbolises a meteor, just like the snakes on Pillar 33 at Göbekli Tepe. In this case, we can interpret the Lascaux Shaft Scene as another meteor strike, this time caused by a meteor from the direction of the pseudo-Capricornus. Very interestingly, the Taurids would have emanated from this direction at around 15,300 BCE (Sweatman and Coombs, 2019; Sweatman, 2019). We can therefore interpret the Lascaux Shaft Scene as a memorial to another comet impact event caused by coherent catastrophism of the Taurid meteor stream. In this case, while the bull symbolises pseudo-Capricornus (summer solstice), the rhino, bird and horse symbolise pseudo-Taurus (winter solstice), pseudo-Libra (autumn equinox) and pseudo-Leo (spring equinox), respectively. Indeed, the horse’s shape is very similar to that of Leo, while a rhino can easily replace our modern bull as Taurus. The water bird as Libra is consistent with Pillar 43.

While there is no geochemical evidence yet for a cosmic impact at that time in southern France, there might be some indications of an unusual event in this region. For example, Barshay-Szmidt et al. (2016) analyse radiocarbon dates corresponding to 19 Magdalenian cultural sites in southern France (Aquitaine) and the northern Pyrenees. They find (see their Figure 7) apparent continuity in occupation of the region through several phases of the Magdalenian culture, except at one time; there is a clear break during the Late Middle Magdalenian in Aquitaine lasting a few thousand years and beginning near to 15,300 BCE. This break in occupation might be explained by a devastating cosmic impact, which was later recorded by survivors in the most sacred part of the Lascaux cave system. Barshay-Szmidt et al.’s (2016) study was motivated by the apparent disappearance of specific megafauna in this region; perhaps these were also affected by the impact as predicted by Napier (2010).

 

Conclusion

Cosmic impacts on Earth are thought to have been much more frequent and violent over the last 20 to 30 thousand years than the long-term average due to the decay of the Taurid meteor stream progenitor. We also see conspicuous similarities in two major Palaeolithic/Epipalaeolithic artworks; Pillar 43 at Göbekli Tepe and the Lascaux Shaft Scene. Consistent and compelling interpretations of both artworks involve cosmic impacts from the direction of the Taurid meteor stream. These interpretations use the same assumed zodiac and system of writing dates using precession of the equinoxes and are both supported by compelling statistical analyses. On Pillar 43, this interpretation is corroborated by the likely presence of a lunisolar calendar (which includes evidence for arithmetic), and a consistent interpretation of Pillar 33 as illustrating the mechanism of this impact event.

Evidence for the impact thought to be recorded at Göbekli Tepe, the Younger Dryas impact circa 10,870 BCE, remains extremely strong (Sweatman, 2021; Powell, 2022; Powell, 2024; Sweatman et al., 2024) despite recent attempts to refute it (Holliday et al., 2023). Although there is no geochemical evidence yet of a cosmic impact in Aquitaine around the time the Lascaux Shaft Scene was painted, circa 15,000 BCE, there does appear to have been a major and extended population decline in the region beginning at that time, corresponding to the Late Middle Magdalenian. Possibly, it would be fruitful to search for the putative geochemical evidence on an ET impact in Palaeolithic lake beds nearby. Note, the Pyrenean region which was also occupied by the Magdalenian culture appears to have been relatively unaffected.

 

Acknowledgements: The author has published a popular book on this topic.

 

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