New archaeological findings in Iraq could change the way we understand human history. During excavations in the ancient city of Tell Fara, researchers discovered evidence of a massive flood beneath thousands of years of cultural layers, an event that likely occurred around 20,000 years ago. Scientists hypothesize that this catastrophe could have wiped out a highly developed civilization, leaving behind only fragments of its culture and numerous myths about a “great flood.”
In the 1930s, archaeologists in Tell Fara first identified a “flood layer”—a thick stratum of yellow clay and sand. Similar deposits were also found in other ancient cities, including Ur and Kish in Mesopotamia, as well as Harappa in the Indus Valley and settlements in Egypt. This was the first hint that such cataclysms might have been global in scale.
Independent researcher Matt LaCroix asserts that various geological data, including ice cores, tree rings, volcanic deposits, and magnetic disturbances, point to a global catastrophe precisely 20,000 years ago. He correlated this data with ancient flood myths found in cultures from Mesopotamia to Egypt and Peru, concluding that they could be echoes of a real historical event.
Artifacts found beneath the flood layer—including proto-cuneiform tablets, polychrome vessels, and seals—suggest that the society that existed at the time was quite advanced. In contrast, the cultural remains found above this layer are markedly different, which could indicate the complete destruction of the preceding civilization and a subsequent sharp cultural break.
The hypothesis of a global flood 20,000 years ago remains controversial. Most scientists are skeptical of this idea, pointing out that in the late Paleolithic period, human communities mainly consisted of small groups of hunter-gatherers. However, researchers who support the catastrophe theory are confident that these findings could push back the generally accepted timeline for the beginning of civilization by as much as 8,000 years.
