A cluster of comet fragments believed to have hit Earth nearly 13,000 years ago may have shaped the origins of human civilisation, research suggests.
Possibly the most devastating
cosmic impact since the extinction of the dinosaurs, it appears to coincide with major shifts in how
human societies organized themselves, researchers say.
Their analysis backs up claims that an impact occurred prior to start of the Neolithic period in the so-called Fertile Crescent of southwest Asia.
During that time, humans in the region—which spans parts of modern-day countries such as Egypt, Iraq and Lebanon—switched from hunter-gatherer lifestyles to ones centered on agriculture and the creation of permanent settlements.
Catastrophic event
It is thought that the comet strike—known as the Younger Dryas impact—also wiped out many large animal species and ushered in a mini ice age that lasted more than 1,000 years.
Since it was proposed in 2007, the theory about the catastrophic comet strike has been the subject of heated debate and much academic research.
