Prehistory Decoded

The following paper was submitted to the meeting, "Second International Conference on Megalithic Architecture in the Mediterranean, Europe (West–East), and the Middle East" (Palermo, Sicily, November, 2025). The official edited version is available in the conference proceedings (it's not available online). The version below is my submitted manuscript. See the video on Youtube   for the actual presentation at the conference Early Developments in Astronomy, Arithmetic and Proto-Writing at Göbekli Tepe Martin B. Sweatman School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. Abstract Göbekli Tepe, a megalithic site in southern Anatolia, consists of many sub-circular enclosures formed by megalithic T-shaped pillars and a large number of other rectangular buildings. The pillars of this very early settlement, some standing over 5 m tall, are adorned with a complex system of symbols, including animal symbols and other geometric symbols. It is believed to date t...

Recently, Mark Boslough wrote yet another scathing piece about the Comet Research Group and the Younger Dryas Impact Hypothesis (YDIH) in the Skeptical Enquirer (he's a long time member of their college).  The Problem with Inadequately Reviewed Fringe Science | Skeptical Inquirer In it, he infers the YDIH is is worse than pseudoscience; he regards it as a massive fraud, similar to Piltdown Man x 100. But the YDIH is actually a complex scientific debate that has raged for nearly 20 years and has pushed the boundaries of the science of airburst impacts. Ironically, (given the volume's title - see above), Boslough doesn't address any of these emerging scientific issues. Instead, he tackles the people involved. As aleady pointed out by James Powell in his "Premature Rejection" and "Pillars of Salt" articles, Peer review and the pillar of salt: a case study - James Lawrence Powell, 2023 Premature rejection in science: The case of the Younger Dryas Impact Hypo...