Edinburgh University archaeologists discover world's oldest calendar carved onto ancient pillar
dailyrecord.co.ukArchaeologists at Edinburgh University have stumbled upon the world's oldest calendar, a 12,000 year old timekeeping system carved into an ancient pillar, at the Gobekli Tepe site in Turkey's Anatolia mountains.The discovery indicates that people were accurately tracking dates a staggering 10,000 years before the practice was previously documented in Greece around 150 BC.
The university-led team analysed the pillar's carvings and identified 365 "V" symbols, each believed to represent a day.The ancient calendar also outlines 12 lunar months plus an extra 11 days, according to the researchers.
Moreover, the engravings seem to portray a catastrophic comet strike that is thought to have exterminated large animals 13,000 years ago and led to a mini ice age lasting 1,200 years.This cataclysmic event is believed to have been a catalyst for human civilisation, prompting advancements in agriculture and the birth of new religious beliefs.
Dr Martin Sweatman from the University of Edinburgh's School of Engineering, who spearheaded the study, commented: "It appears the inhabitants of Gobekli Tepe were keen observers of the sky, which is to be expected given their world had been devastated by a comet strike."This event might have triggered civilisation by initiating a new religion and by motivating developments in agriculture to cope with the cold climate.
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