Like many with interest in the myth, mystery, and the wonders of our ancient world, I’ve held a lifelong fascination with the prehistoric stone circles and megalithic sites in various parts of Europe. Thus, with the recent announcement that I’ll be participating in a tour of Ireland in the summer of 2015 that will visit many of these sites, I’ve been revisiting some of my old interests, and considering the various mysteries associated with parts of the ancient world that may relate to my visit of the Emerald Isle later this year.
Back in 2012, I wrote an article for Mysterious Universe titled, “Doomsday 6000 BCE: Ancient Oddities of Ireland and the Mideast,” which looked at a curious discovery in north Clare that bore similarity to other mystery-sites of the ancient world, particularly those which suggest some cataclysm may have occurred long ago. The relevant text is as follows:
“In recent news, the discovery of a 6,000 year old pre-farming settlement in north Clare, along the Irish coast, has let to much excitement among archaeologists, who have described the find as “one of the oldest habitations ever unearthed in Ireland.” Due to its age, the location predates nearby settlements by at least several hundred years. Though renowned for its age, there could nonetheless be other mysteries underlying this ancient site which point to a variety of other unique potentials; these relate not only to mysteries of the Emerald Isle, but also of other areas throughout the ancient world.”
Irish Examiner Online had carried the story of the find, which described, along with the primary discovery, the appearance of a “mystery substance” at the dig site which formed a protective barrier over the early settlement’s remains:
“The substance, which is two or three inches deep, disintegrates when it comes in contact with air. A large slab of the material has remained intact on an ancient settlement, indicating that a large amount of it was laid down at once, possibly as the result of a tsunami.
“We have found a mysterious layer of black organic material on the site and it is just under that level that we have found all the oldest archeology,” said Mr Lynch.
“We have not been able to identify exactly what this black layer is yet but, as it happens, it is this layer which helped to protect the ancient settlement that we are currently excavating.”
Writing for Mysterious Universe, I noted in 2012 that, “Supposing for a moment (though the speculation here is admittedly bold) that we are not dealing with some variety of silt deposited by a tsunami, could we instead be dealing with something more akin to a layer of ash, deposited in the wake of some catastrophic, explosive event that occurred in the ancient world?”
Archaeological evidence, as well as geological and climatic data, indicate a number of events in the ancient world may have contributed to the kinds of earth changes necessary to account for discoveries like those found in north Clare back in 2012. In fact, a number of earth-changing events likely transpired in the ancient world, for which there is a growing body of data to support.
Further reading on ancient “doomsday” events includes this article by Richard B. Firestone and William Topping, which suggests a massive nuclear-scale event that occurred in Paleoindian times, roughly 12,000 years ago, over North America.
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