Episode summary
In this Y-Files episode, host AJ examines controversial claims that ancient asteroid impacts may be documented in archaeological records and ancient texts. The central narrative links three artifacts: a 5,000-year-old Assyrian clay tablet from Nineveh's library, the Nebra Sky Disc found in Germany, and physical evidence from excavation sites in Austria and Jordan. Rocket scientists Allan Bond and Mark Hempsell proposed that the Nineveh planisphere records an asteroid strike at Kofels, Austria on June 29, 3123 BC, using planetarium software to reconstruct ancient star positions. The episode then shifts to archaeologist Stephen Collins' excavations at Tall el-Hammam in Jordan, which he identified as the biblical city of Sodom. His team found evidence of extreme heat—melted pottery, shocked quartz, diamond dust, and iridium deposits—consistent with an airburst around 1650 BC. A 2021 paper making these claims was retracted in April 2025 after physicist Mark Boslough challenged the methodology, though the team republished elsewhere. Ironically, Boslough now leads research warning that the Taurid meteor stream poses genuine threats during close approaches in 2032 and 2036. The episode emphasizes that similar destruction patterns appear at Abu Hurayra, Syria dating to 12,800 years ago, suggesting a history of impacts predating writing. AJ concludes by noting a building-sized asteroid passed Earth undetected in December 2024, highlighting current blind spots in planetary defense. While mainstream assyriologists and many archaeologists dispute the impact interpretations, the physical evidence of ancient high-temperature destruction events remains unexplained.
