Posted on 12/20/2013 6:21:32 PM PST by BenLurkin
A piece of the famous Halley's comet likely slammed into Earth in A.D. 536, blasting so much dust into the atmosphere that the planet cooled considerably, a new study suggests. This dramatic climate shift is linked to drought and famine around the world, which may have made humanity more susceptible to "Justinian's plague" in A.D. 541-542 the first recorded emergence of the Black Death in Europe.
The new results come from an analysis of Greenland ice that was laid down between A.D. 533 and 540. The ice cores record large amounts of atmospheric dust during this seven-year period, not all of it originating on Earth.
...
It's unclear where exactly the putative comet chunk hit Earth or how big it was, she added. However, a 2004 study estimated that a comet fragment just 2,000 feet (600 meters) wide could have caused the 536-537 cooling event if it exploded in the atmosphere and its constituent dust were spread evenly around the globe.
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
looks like someone gave you the info, but here’s some additional:
Ancient Global Dimming Linked to Volcanic Eruption (The Dark Ages)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1988391/posts
The Dark Ages: Were They Darker Than We Imagined?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/925578/posts
Persian Coins From Sassanid Era (224-640AD) Discovered In Sweden
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/746713/posts
Did Asteroids And Comets Turn The Tides Of Civilization?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/714636/posts
I became a believer in the 535 A.D. catastrophe when I pulled out my Time-Life book on the Mayans (written before the David Keys book) to see what they were doing at that time. They did nothing. The book said that between 534 and 593, the city of Tikal left no written records.
Wow! If this happened today I wonder how we would react?
[Info on book “Catastrophe”.]
Thanks to all for the links. The library had it under the full name and it is now on order.
Glad to help. BTW, I’m not a fan of the book. :’)
Well... it is 9 degress F. in Chelyabinsk right now.
They were doing something, but one of those things wasn’t slaving to build some nesting-doll temple. :’)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/931431/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/935675/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1288537/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1737616/posts
Looks like an interesting read, if for no other reason that what his research accumulated. I read some of the reviews on Amazon, and some readers there have reservations.
Hell, I liked Velikovsky's "Worlds in Collision". :-)
Dr V!
AD 635-700s: The Islamic conquest of about half of the former Roman empire—including it’s breadbasket, Egypt & Libya.
With Muslim pirates also trolling the Mediterranean—the sophisticated Roman international sea trade routes—and land routes of the east and south, are cut off and trade comes to an end. With trade cut off to the North, the economy shrivels....and with it culture and education.
The Muslim conquests, as much or more than any other factor, brought in the Dark Ages to Europe....
From what I have read the impact of the 536AD volcano eruption (and this possible impact of Halley’s Comet debris) affected the weather which influenced Mohammed and his travels. History might have turned out much differently if these two events had not occurred.
536 ad, was roughly the period described by Cassiodorus. check Google
The Roman empire was already in trouble. Started with movement of the tribes in the late 300s. Visigoths, Ostrogoths, Vandals, Huns, etc. In 451 the Huns under Attila sacked Rome after he had failed to conquer Constantinople, in 455 the Vandals sacked Rome, after sweaping up from North Africa which they had conquered and occupied some decades before. So Rome was already a lame duck when the Muslims came along.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.