Jordanian archaeologists have come close to solving the disappearance of the biblical cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, allegedly razed to the ground 4 thousand years ago as a result of a powerful cataclysm. Holy Scripture interprets this event as a heavenly punishment sent by the Almighty to the inhabitants of these two cities for their carnal sins. After examining a satellite image from the Dead Sea area, scientists saw the outlines of ruins, which may be the remains of ancient settlements. By the way, this is not the first attempt to tie these two legendary cities to the area, but all the previous ones were not convincing enough for everyone.
The area of the Dead Sea, according to scientists, has kept the secret of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah who suffered for the sins of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah for four thousand years. According to images from space, experts have determined that the ruins of cities may be located in the southern, shallower part of the Dead Sea.
A sea of questions
Despite the fact that the Bible gives a seemingly pretty clear hint of exactly what to look for, no archaeological expedition has yet been able to identify the "cities of sin" among the many ancient ruins. “The biblical descriptions regarding the location of Sodom and Gomorrah are twofold. Some texts point to the southern part of the Dead Sea, others - to the north, "one of the long-standing researchers of the problem, professor at Indiana University in Pennsylvania, Doctor of Archeology Thomas Schaub, told Itogi. In this regard, there are heated debates about where, in fact, you need to look. This is despite the fact that the Bible indicates that the place where the cities of sinners stood was flooded with water, and, therefore, they must be on the seabed. In this case, archaeologists for some reason persistently searched the coast.
Maybe because it is unrealistic to immerse yourself in the waters of the Dead Sea due to the superconcentration of salt in them? But what if the remains of two cities are indeed captured on satellite images and the search needs to be carried out in the water area? Thomas Schaub is rather skeptical about searches at the bottom of the Dead Sea, because the geological data of his recent expedition to this area show that in the third millennium BC, that is, when Sodom and Gomorrah disappeared, the level of the Dead Sea was much higher than it is now … The researcher's logic is simple: cities could not have been built on the seabed! "Any ruins," says the scientist, "that can now be seen underwater in the southern part of the Dead Sea, most likely date back to the time of Rome, when, according to geological data, the water level was low."
However, this opinion is disputed by the Israeli historian Igor Torik: “There were other studies that showed that the southern basin of the Dead Sea was formed much later than the northern one. The fact that the water level in the Dead Sea was higher is a fact, but in its northern part”. And the southern basin, according to the historian, then did not exist at all. It was allegedly formed much later, about 4 thousand years ago, that is, just when Sodom and Gomorrah supposedly died. By the way, he is sure that there could be no settlements of the Roman era on this territory: the Romans did not build anything here.
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The Jordanians, based on the excavations and research of American archaeologists, until recently adhered to the version that the coastal settlements of Bab edh-Dhra and Numeria are located on the site of Sodom and Gomorrah. Scientists have found traces of a terrible fire there, which could have destroyed the ancient settlements. “Moreover,” notes Thomas Schaub, “the fire came from above: first the roofs of the houses caught fire, then they collapsed and incinerated the buildings from the inside. This has been shown by studies of the ruins. This version has only one major drawback. Radiocarbon dating indicates that Bab edh-Dhra and Numeira were not destroyed at the same time, but with a time difference of about 250 years.
But even if these two settlements do not stand in the place of Sodom and Gomorrah, they can indicate their approximate location. Indeed, judging by the Byzantine sources and the map of Medva, compiled from the works of the first historian of the Church of Eusebius, these were densely populated lands. This is also indicated by the Bible, which says that in addition to Sodom and Gomorrah, other cities were located nearby. Perhaps Bab edh-Dhra is just one of those “other” cities that fell from the same catastrophe that destroyed the biblical cradles of vice. Then they had to be somewhere nearby, and searches near the coast of the Dead Sea may well be crowned with success.
Igor Torik, by the way, sincerely doubts the geographical knowledge of Eusebius and gives his point of view: "According to the Bible, Sodom and Gomorrah should be exactly in the middle of the southern Dead Sea basin under water." Moreover, according to him, in the early 70s of the last century, the southern basin of the Dead Sea dried up. Israeli scientists conducted research there and actually found some artificial structures. They couldn't really study them, because they were covered with a thick crust of salt, and then this place again went under water. The structures were just found in the very middle of the southern section of the Dead Sea, that is, where they were seen on satellite images. In fact, it turns out that the story of the discovery of certain structures in the 70s gets its unexpected continuation.
Blow from above
But in order to find the disappeared cities, it is equally important to get an answer to the question: what really happened to Sodom and Gomorrah? Having learned this, scientists will get their hands on an undeniable argument for the future identification of a particular object. Sodom and Gomorrah, according to the Scriptures, were destroyed overnight by fire and brimstone flying from heaven. But scientists question this legend. “The Bible is not an archaeological source. She cannot accurately describe everything. Everything that is mentioned in it has a historical basis, but it is impossible to say how close these events are to reality,”says Igor Torik. Geological data from the study area show that the cataclysm that destroyed the cities did not resemble either an earthquake or a volcanic eruption, and the Dead Sea region was never a volcanic zone. The geological situation in the territory where, as Igor Torik suggests, Sodom and Gomorrah should be located, is generally very strange. At the bottom of the sea lies a huge layer of salt left after the drying up of the ancient ocean. In the middle of the southern basin, this layer has a dent, as if someone stepped on it with a giant heel. It could have been a blow from some unknown force from above. Perhaps he also destroyed the "cities of vice", the remains of which were observed by researchers in the last century. But what kind of blow it was, scientists cannot yet answer. The fall of a celestial body? Quite possible. It could have been a blow from some unknown force from above. Perhaps he also destroyed the "cities of vice", the remains of which were observed by researchers in the last century. But what kind of blow it was, scientists cannot yet answer. The fall of a celestial body? Quite possible. It could have been a blow from some unknown force from above. Perhaps he also destroyed the "cities of vice", the remains of which were observed by researchers in the last century. But what kind of blow it was, scientists cannot yet answer. The fall of a celestial body? Quite possible.
Fiction or fiction?
But the intrigue doesn't end there. Some scholars doubt that Sodom and Gomorrah really existed at all. “The stories of their destruction in the Bible can be a saga with an edifying bias,” says Thomas Staub, who, after years of searching for the two cities, seems to be starting to lose faith in their former existence.
However, most researchers still agree that the biblical texts can be trusted in terms of describing history. Perhaps the answer to all the scientists' questions does not have to wait long. The ruins of biblical cities may appear on the surface, because the Dead Sea, and especially its southern part, is now catastrophically shallow. According to scientists, a completely unique reservoir can disappear from the face of the Earth in 700-800 years, and in its place there will be a lifeless space, which at one time turned out to be in the place of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Opinions
Tigran Mkrtychev, Doctor of Arts, Deputy Director of the State Museum of the East for scientific work:
Ludwig Paul, Doctor of History, Professor at the Institute for Asia and Africa, University of Hamburg: