About 3,200 years ago, the civilizations of the eastern Mediterranean, North Africa and the Near East prospered through cultural exchange, trade and diplomacy. But in the 12th century B.C., these societies mysteriously collapsed, ushering in a “dark age” period with social and cultural stagnation. Among the affected civilizations were the ᴀssyrian Empire, the New Kingdom of Egypt, the Mycenaeans and the Minoans. This ‘reset’ of human society in general is only the last known.
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It is now a certainty in the scientific community that previously, a comet or comets of considerable size were on a collision course with Earth around 10,794 B.C., about 12,800 years ago. Near the Earth’s atmosphere, the comet swarm exploded, causing a huge trail of fragments of different sizes. These hit the earth’s soil on at least four continents. The impact had a double effect. In the areas where the large meteorites fell, there was a destructive effect typical of a hydrogen bomb of several megatons. Whatever had been in the vicinity of the various areas affected by this type of impact was blown away, pulverized.
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There was also a second side effect. From the areas where the most devastating impacts had occurred, a cloud of dust arose such that it obscured sunlight for some time, at least in part. Suddenly it became night almost everywhere. The already cold temperature (the Last Ice Age was underway) dropped even further abruptly, even in the few areas spared by the ice. Although the full details are not known, it is ᴀssumed that some plant species died, and in turn some species of herbivores that fed on those plants died. Probably some species of carnivores that fed on those herbivores also followed their fate, in an inexorable chain effect.
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The death of the herbivores in turn contributed to a decline in the production of biological methane. Methane is a greenhouse gas that is less present than carbon dioxide, but with a capacity to superheat the atmosphere as much as 21 times greater (some say as much as 80 times). A sharp decrease in biological methane in the atmosphere may have contributed to a further decrease in temperature. A real vicious circle had been created that fueled the cold. These phenomena, then created in large areas of the Earth a small but intense ice age, referred to in our days as the “Younger Dryas.” Because of all these combined effects, the human population decreased dramatically.
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What influence do these cyclical ‘resets’ of human history have? Are they completely random? Can they happen again?
