The only country where they celebrate the day of the flood. Another global flood awaits humanity
Everyone knows the biblical story of the Flood and Noah's Ark. However, this story is not the only one - legends about the flood (sometimes in writing) are found among many peoples inhabiting different parts of the globe.
According to the Japanese version, the first ruler of Japan, who lived before the flood, settled on the islands immediately after the waters began to recede.
Of the 130 Indian tribes of North, Central and South America, there is not a single one whose myths do not reflect this theme. One of the ancient Mexican texts, the Codex Chimalpopoca, talks about it this way. “The sky came close to the earth, and in one day everything perished. Even the mountains disappeared under water. …They say that the rocks that we see now covered the whole earth, and the tenzontli boiled and seethed with great noise, and mountains of red color rose up…”.
In the manuscripts of ancient Mexico there is preserved a legend about a global flood that destroyed a race of giants that was displeasing to God on Earth. All the people turned into fish, with the exception of one couple hiding in the branches of a tree.
Among the Indians of California, the hero of many myths, Coit, like Noah, escaped from a flood accompanied by a fiery rain.
Memories of a terrible flood that flooded the highest mountain peaks are also preserved in the myths of the Canadian Indians.
It is interesting that in all the legends about the flood among the inhabitants of the New World, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are mentioned.
In the story of the Indians from the Yagan tribe inhabiting the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, some kind of cosmic phenomenon appeared as the cause of the flood, perhaps it was the fall of a large meteorite into the sea: “...many centuries ago the Moon fell into the sea. The sea waves rose like water in a bucket when you throw a large stone into it. This caused a flood, from which only the lucky inhabitants of this island, which broke away from the seabed and floated on the sea, escaped. Even the mountains on the mainland were flooded with water... When, finally, the Moon emerged from the depths of the sea, and the water began to decrease, the island returned to its original place.”
It is easy to see that legends about the flood have been preserved in the memory of the peoples of all continents of the globe. Only in the interior regions of Asia and Africa, far from the seas and large rivers, are tales of the flood relatively rare.
The question involuntarily arises: if legends about the flood are so ubiquitous, then does this not indicate a global phenomenon that captured all continents, i.e., was the flood truly universal?
Changes in the position of the boundaries of land and sea constantly occur in the history of the Earth. Repeated shift sea conditions continental - a ubiquitous phenomenon and characteristic of the geological history of our planet.
Such transgressions (advances) and regressions (retreats) of the sea are caused by geological reasons. During the eras of mountain building, when the contrast of the relief increases, sea regressions occur: during this period, the waters of the World Ocean are concentrated in deep-sea depressions. The seas are getting deeper and the mountains are getting higher. On the contrary, in eras of relative tectonic calm, when the topography of the sea and land bottoms gradually levels out, the waters of the World Ocean cover the low plains of the continents with a muddy film - another transgression of the sea occurs.
In the geological history of the Earth, the largest transgressions took place at the end of the Cambrian - the beginning of the Ordovician, in the Carboniferous, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.
However, changes of this kind in the outlines of land and sea, which occur unusually slowly, cannot be classified as catastrophic phenomena.
It is much easier to explain disasters using fluctuations in the level of the World Ocean caused by changes in the amount of water in it. Until relatively recently (from a geological point of view, of course), approximately 10 - 20 thousand years ago, ice covered a significant part of Northern Europe and America. Then the ice melted. As a result, the World Ocean received such an additional amount of water that its level rose by 100 m.
As if an explanation for the global flood had been found. The melting of glaciers is not so different from the biblical and other legends, and the widespread rise in sea levels means the complete flooding of all coastal countries.
But no matter how tempting it is to explain the legends of the flood by the melting of continental ice or, more precisely, by eustatic fluctuations in ocean levels caused by this melting, such a hypothesis must be abandoned. The fact is that the natural melting of glaciers is an extremely slow process, lasting many centuries, and, of course, it, like any other geological or meteorological phenomenon, cannot serve as an impetus for a simultaneous catastrophically fast and significant the magnitude of the sea level rise.
Numerous legends about the flood are undoubtedly associated with certain local phenomena that caused a sudden rise in water levels.
There are three or four most likely causes of floods. Of course, one of the most frequent is a tsunami. The effect is similar to that of waves from a large meteorite falling into the sea (although this happens much less frequently).
Underwater earthquakes and meteorites can only cause a short-term wave invasion. Meanwhile, from many legends it is known that the flood lasted several days, or even weeks. Obviously, the reason for the prolonged rise of water was another phenomenon - strong winds that drove sea water into the mouths of large rivers and, as it were, blocked them with a natural dam. The most severe floods occur this way. An example of a relatively weak flood of this type is the rise in water level in the Neva, described by A. S. Pushkin in the poem “The Bronze Horseman”.
Floods could also be caused by accidental breakthroughs of water from closed reservoirs and pools as a result of earthquakes, karst processes, etc. Powerful mountain falls and landslides can dam even the largest river and cause severe flooding.
Finally, typhoons. P. A. Molan believes that, except for a typhoon, not a single geophysical phenomenon is capable of generating a flood simultaneously with the help of rain and giant waves similar to tsunami waves. Undoubtedly, the floods mentioned in legends in most cases fall into this category. But let's return to the biblical version of the flood as the most famous. Only at the end of the last century was it established that the direct source of the biblical legend is the Assyrian myth of Gilgamesh, written down in cuneiform on clay tablets in the 21st century. BC The Great Flood occurred in ancient times, and the Assyrian Utnapishta escaped from it in an ark with various animals, who tells Gilgamesh about this event in the following way: “... loaded it (the ark) with everything that I had. I loaded it with everything that I had in silver, I loaded it with everything that I had in gold, I loaded it with everything that I had of living creatures, I brought on board the ship my whole family and clan, steppe cattle and animals, I raised all the craftsmen...
In the morning it started to rain, and at night I saw the rain of grain with my own eyes. And he looked at the face of the weather - it was scary to look at the weather...
The first day the south wind raged, quickly swooping in, filling the mountains, overtaking people as if with war. They don't see each other...
When the seventh day arrived, the storm and the flood stopped the war... The sea calmed down, the hurricane subsided - then it stopped...
The island arose in twelve fields. The ship stopped at Mount Niqir. Mount Nitsir held the ship and does not allow it to sway...”
It is not difficult to find very significant differences in the descriptions of the flood in the Bible and in the myth of Gilgamesh. If the Bible does not say anything about the wind that accompanied the flood, then the Assyrian source contains the most direct references to the wind. On the contrary, the Bible indicates that the wind helped stop the flood (“...and God brought a wind on the earth, and the waters stopped”).
The duration of the flood also looks completely different. If according to the Bible the flood lasted almost a year, then according to Assyrian sources it lasted only seven days.
At the same time, the description of the construction of the ark, as well as the method by which Utnapishta and Noah determined the level of the water fall, are surprisingly consistent. The first one released from the ark first a dove, which returned without finding a place to rest, then a swallow; Noah released a raven and twice a dove for the same purpose. “And the dove returned to him in the evening; and behold, a plucked olive leaf was in his mouth: and Noah knew that the water had abated from the earth.”
Babylonian historian and priest Berossus, who lived approximately 330-260. BC e., in the “History of Chaldea” also states that, according to legend, a severe flood occurred in his country.
The amazing similarity of the Assyrian legend with the biblical one, reaching the complete identity of individual expressions, indicates that the biblical version is only a retelling of the Chaldean (Assyrian) legend. All famous Assyrologists have now come to this conclusion.
The Chaldean story reduces the flood to very small and quite plausible proportions - it rains only for seven days, the water does not cover the tops of the mountains. The stopping of the ship on the Nitsir Mountains at the time when the flood reached its maximum gives us an idea of the height of the water rise. The height of the Nitsir mountains is about 400 m.
The famous Austrian geologist E. Suess was the first to use information about the flood recorded in cuneiform and discovered during excavations in Nineveh. He came to the following conclusions: by flood we must mean the devastating flood that occurred in the lower reaches of the Euphrates, which captured the Mesopotamian lowland; its main reason was the attack of a tsunami wave on the mainland, generated by an earthquake in the Persian Gulf region or south of it; it is very likely that the period of the strongest earthquake was accompanied by a cyclone coming from the south.
Subsequent researchers only slightly clarified Suess's version. They established that strong earthquakes are not typical for the Persian Gulf and the tsunami wave, no matter how high it was, could not flood the entire Mesopotamian lowland. Most likely, the flood described in the Chaldean legend was a huge flood as a result of heavy rains and strong winds blowing against the flow of the rivers.
In the Bay of Bengal located to the east, major floods caused by a cyclone occurred in 1737 and 1876. The first of them raised the water by 16 m, the second by 13 m. The death toll in each case was more than 100 thousand people. Apparently, similar phenomena have occurred for a long time at the mouths of the Tigris and Euphrates, with the only difference being that 4000-5000 years ago the floods covered much further into the mainland than now. At that time, the Persian Gulf came close to the Nitsir Mountains, and therefore the ship, driven, according to legend, up the river, could short time reach the mountains
Among the catastrophic floods that affected European civilization, one can note the breakthrough of Atlantic waters into the Mediterranean Sea, which sharply raised its level, and the Dardanian flood. The latter is associated with the breakthrough of waters into the Black Sea. During the last glaciation, the level of the Black Sea was more than a hundred meters lower than it is today. The vast expanses of its modern shelf were dry land, especially in the northwestern part. The waters of the paleo-Danube flowed along this shelf, connecting the waters of the Danube, Dniester, and Bug, and they flowed into the salty waters that filled the deep-sea Black Sea depression. From the same depression, the flow of water flowed into the Sea of Marmara (then still a lake) through a powerful sea river - the present-day Bosporus (an analogue to it may be the Kara-Bogaz-Gol Strait). And in place of another strait, the Kerch Strait, the fresh waters of the paleo-Don flowed, uniting the Don, Kuban and other, smaller rivers of the Black Sea region into a single river system. The Paleo-Don flowed into the Black Sea off the southeastern coast of Crimea.
Studies of sedimentary rocks of the Black and Marmara Seas have shown that sedimentation to a depth of one hundred meters did not occur earlier than the 2nd - 6th millennium BC, since at that time these areas were dry land. The breakthrough of the Dardanelles isthmus, caused by a monstrous earthquake, led to the formation of the Sea of Marmara, which was previously a lake. The consequences of the disaster were enormous. Water level in the Black Sea for short term rose more than 100 meters. Huge areas were flooded Black Sea coast. The coastline on the low-lying eastern shore of the sea moved back almost 200 km, and in place of a large lowland along which the paleo-Don and paleo-Kuban rivers flowed (and flowed into one channel), the Sea of Azov was formed.
Thus, there are many possible disasters associated with floods, and scientists are inclined to believe that in many corners of the Earth at one time there was a Great Flood.
Based on materials from http://katastrofa.h12.ru
Not everyone knows that. The most interesting thing is that this has been going on for almost two thousand years. And none of the indigenous inhabitants of the island imagines that it could be any other way. After all, there is a reason for this and, as they say, a very respectable one. This is because Cyprus celebrates a fun holiday on this day.
It all started in those days when everything was led by Zeus. People suddenly imagined that they were equal to the gods. Why! Thanks to Prometheus, they learned what fire is and how many benefits it brings. They became immensely proud. And what did all this lead to? As punishment, they were expected to suffer the punishment now known to everyone as a worldwide “cataclysm.” That is, “flood” in Greek.
It was a terrible flood with consequences that can only be described as catastrophic for humanity. As the legend goes, they didn’t go under water, but only two remained afloat. These people are the spouses Deucalion and Pyrrha. And this was the will of Zeus. They begged his forgiveness. On the tenth day after the flood on the only piece of land, and this was the top sacred mountain Parnassus, new people appeared, more pious. They appeared from the stones that Deucalion and Pyrrha threw.
And to this day he annually thanks the great Thunderer for the kindness and mercy. And washes away all last year’s sins with Mediterranean water. Then the swimming season officially opens, to which everyone is immensely happy. All this happens on one specific day. As you might guess, this house is called Kataklysmos.
Early in the morning, not only Cypriots, but also curious guests go to churches and temples where holiday prayers are held. And after the services it begins throughout the island. According to tradition, the Cataclysmos is greeted especially violently and emotionally in Larnaca. A cross is carried out from the church to the embankment. Then the priest settles into a boat that sails from the shore. The priest throws the cross at deep sea. Desperate residents rush to catch this cross.
The one who finds this cross first becomes the king of the holiday. He is seated on a wooden and shell throne and awaits the will of the king. And this will is expressed in just two words: “Everyone bathe!” As soon as these long-awaited words leave the lips of the one sitting on the throne, everything is done. And right in trousers and dresses. Anyone who did not rush to ruin his clothes with salt himself will definitely be dipped into sea water.
When the sacred ablution ends, the sea is at the disposal of surfers and yachtsmen. All kinds of competitions, races and regattas are held for them. On the shore, hungry people buy all kinds of delicacies on the shelves of markets that spontaneously formed by the sea: kebabs with wine, fried fish, honey donuts. There is music everywhere. Everywhere they sing and dance. Children ride on carousels and jump on trampolines. All this cheerful cacophony and bacchanalia continues until late at night, and ends under. However, everyone knows that Kataklysmos will happen next year.
In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on this day all the sources of the great deep burst open, and the windows of heaven were opened; and rain fell on the earth for forty days and forty nights(Genesis 7, 11-12).
The Fall damaged human nature. The state of the world after the expulsion of our first parents from paradise testifies to the increase in human weakness. Sin spreads across the face of the earth and deeper rooted in human nature. True worship of God continued to be preserved among the descendants of Seth. But after a few generations they ( sons of God) began to mingle with the descendants of Cain ( daughters of men). People's lives have become carnal and unspiritual: And the Lord said: My Spirit will not forever be despised by men, because they are flesh.(Genesis 6:3). When the full extent of universal corruption on earth was revealed, the Lord brought global flood. It was God's judgment on humanity that has forgotten God and plunged into the abyss of corruption. Saint Philaret of Moscow explains why the flood was an inevitable measure in relation to ancient humanity: “God saw man in a state in which he did not at all correspond to the destiny of Wisdom revealed in his creation, and could no longer be involved in Creative love and goodness.”
Only Patriarch Noah there was a man righteous and blameless and walked with God (Genesis 6:9). The Lord commanded Noah to build a large ark. Some researchers based on the words of Divine Justice: let their days be a hundred and twenty years(Genesis 6:3) they conclude that Noah took one hundred and twenty years to build it. This means that Noah's contemporaries had one hundred and twenty years to repent.
The Ark was a huge floating house with three floors and many compartments. The water poured out for one hundred and fifty days and covered the whole earth. Antediluvian humanity perished in the waters of the flood. Then the water began to decrease. The Ark landed on Mount Ararat.
The pious patriarch, leaving the ark, arranged altar to the Lord. This is the first mention of an altar in Scripture. Noah made a burnt offering on it, taking from every clean animal and from every clean bird. This sacrifice was pleasing to God. She was brought from the whole world and for the whole world and “was therefore the most perfect prototype of the nation-wide and universal sacrifice of Christ” ( Saint Philaret of Moscow. Notes for a thorough understanding of the book of Genesis. M., 1867. Part 2. P. 6). The Holy Fathers call Noah's Ark a prototype of the Church, which is a ship of salvation in the sea of life.
For us believers, there is not a shadow of doubt about the authenticity of the described event. The Savior Himself points to its historicity (see: Lk 17:26). The holy Apostle Peter also speaks about this (see: 2 Pet 2:5).
There is extra-biblical evidence of the remains of the ark on Mount Ararat. The most ancient mention is found in the Chaldean historian Berossus (c. 350/340-280/270 BC). “In our time, only a small part of the ship that stopped in Armenia remains lying in the Corduy Mountains in Armenia, and some go there and scrape off the asphalt” (Babylonian History. Book 2). The 1st century Jewish historian Josephus writes: “The Armenians call this place the landing site, and to this day the natives show there the remains of the ark. This flood and the ark are also mentioned by all those who wrote the history of the non-Jews” (Antiquities of the Jews. I. 3. 5).
In the most ancient layers of culture of more than a hundred peoples (Sumerians, Greeks and others) there are legends about the flood. Although the narratives differ significantly, what they all have in common is that they all talk about a gigantic flood. Fossils of fish and shells are found high in the mountains on different continents.
Kataklysmos, or Flood Day, is an annual holiday that has been celebrated in Cyprus for almost two thousand years and falls on Trinity Sunday. Particularly colorful events take place in Larnaca.
This is a kind of water festival, which is celebrated, according to one version, in memory of the great flood, and according to another - in honor of the goddess Aphrodite, born from sea foam. The cult of water, which has survived to this day, is expressed in mass participation in all kinds of water competitions, dousing and swimming in the sea, which is believed to wash away all last year’s sins.
The holiday in Larnaca begins on the embankment, where the cross is taken out of the temple. The priest gets into the boat, sails away from the shore and throws the cross into the sea. The one who finds this cross is appointed king of the holiday and is seated on a wooden and shell throne. After this, he gives the first royal order, opening the bathing season, and everyone rushes into the sea, fully clothed. In continuation of this ritual, a series of competitions on the water begins, where boats, sailboats, surfs appear, people play water polo, and compete in canoe races. Spectators continue the celebration on the embankment, where fairs are held and treats are offered, just like in ancient times when feasts were held in honor of Aphrodite. During the day, various concerts, competitions, performances are held, a children's program is organized, music sounds from everywhere, and people have fun until late at night.
The traditional end of the holiday is colorful fireworks.
The impetus for this work was publications about the discovery of the Global “Flood” in the Black Sea, primarily books and articles by Bill Ryan, Walter Pittman (1997), Petko Dimitrov (2003) and Dr. Ballard.
This material The authors consider a new direction in the development of geographical knowledge - “Geomythology”, proposed by academicians Leonov and Khain (2008).
The purpose of this work is the search and detailed study of events close in scale and time to the Biblical Flood and similar events reflected in the memory of mankind. If the Flood really took place, then in addition to myths and legends, traces of it should have been preserved: bottom sediments of basins, paleontological remains, landforms, traces of coastlines, etc.
As a result of our research, we were able to discover traces of a massive flood in the Ponto-Caspian region and its drainage basin during the deglaciation era of the last (Valdai) glaciation in the range of 16-10 thousand years ago. This watering manifested itself in various landscapes: coastal plains, river valleys, interfluves and even on slopes.
Research materials were obtained as a result of projects under RFBR grants No. 08-06-00061, 05-05-64929, 02-05-64428
Geological evidence of the “Flood” can be considered bottom and coastal sediments of flood basins, as well as paleontological remains in them. Their detailed analysis, including lithological, mineralogical, geochemical indicators, as well as the isotopic composition of sediments and fossil remains, makes it possible to reconstruct the conditions of sedimentation, the composition of flood waters and the sequence of flood events.
In the epicenter of the “Flood”—the Caspian Basin—bottom sediments are represented by sediments of the Khvalynian (more precisely, early Khvalynian for the maximum of the “Flood”) basin. They differ from the overlying and underlying sediments in many ways. The most characteristic are the so-called. "chocolate clays", named for their distinctive reddish-brown color. In places they are interbedded with greenish-gray and dark gray clays, forming a thin (1-2 cm) ribbon layering. Chocolate clays are also interbedded and faciesally transform into silts, sandy loams, and rarely sands with high content clayey matter and shells of marine mollusks of the Caspian type. The thickness of chocolate clays and associated Khvalyn sediments usually does not exceed several meters (3-5 m), sometimes reaching 20-25 m or more. The main area of these deposits is the Caspian lowland from the modern shore of the Caspian Sea to the foothills of the surrounding hills (Ergeni, General Syrt, Privolzhskaya, Stavropol), as well as in the estuaries of the Volga and Ural. The area of Khvalynian deposits exposed directly to the surface reaches 0.5 million km 2 here, and total area development of Khvalyn sediments - up to 1 million km 2.
The characteristic reddish-brown color of chocolate clays is not due to free iron oxides, but to clay minerals including Fe oxides. Low content or absence of carbonates in clays indicates a cold climate, because... At low temperatures, the solubility of carbonates increases and they are retained in solution. On the other hand, the abundance of chemogenic atomized carbonate and the absence secondary changes terrigenous pelitomorphic clayey matter indicates that sedimentation took place under dry climate conditions. The beginning and peak of this transgression occurs in arid environments with increased evaporation processes. The geochemistry of sediments and the composition of authigenic minerals allow us to conclude that the Khvalynsk transgression was formed not under humidifying conditions, but under rather arid conditions (Chistyakova, 2001).
In a series of marine layers of the Caspian basin, the Khvalynian deposits lie above the Late Khazar (last interglacial) and below the New Caspian (Holocene) sediments. They are separated from the lower Khazars by continental freshwater Atel layers, synchronous in the deep-sea basin with the sediments of the Atel regressive basin, the level of which was 110-120 m below the modern level of the Caspian Sea, i.e. at around -140 -150 m abs. (Lokhin, Mayev, 1986; Chepalyga, 2002).
In the Manych depression, an analogue of chocolate clays are clayey-silty reddish-brown ones - the Abeskun layers of G.I. Popova (1980) - lie on the surface of the depression and are not covered by anything, but contain a fauna of Caspian-type mollusks with Didacna Monodacna, Adacna, Hipanis, Dreissena, Micromelania. They make up the accumulative swells of the Manych Strait and correspond only to the Early Khvalynian deposits of the Caspian Sea and the main episode of flood events 16-14 thousand years ago.
In the Black Sea depression, the “Flood” deposits lie within the New Euxinian deposits (Karkinite layers). On the continental slope and in the deep-sea basin they are represented by peculiar light reddish-brown and fawn silts up to 0.5-1.0 m thick. Their color resembles the chocolate clays of the Caspian basin, their age is also close (15 thousand years).
The main indicator of the marine “Flood” is specific brackish-water mollusks, represented by species close to modern North Caspian ones. Among them, the Caspian endemics from the family Limnocardiidae stand out: the genus Didacna Eichwald, now found nowhere outside the Caspian Sea, but widely represented in the Pleistocene of the Azov-Black Sea basin up to and including the Karangat basin. Didacnas are represented by Didacna praetrigonoides (dominant), D. paralella, D. delenda, D. supcatillus, D. ebersini, D. pallasi, as well as relatively deep-sea (>25 m) D. (Protodidacna) protracta. Other endemic limnocardiids include Monodacna caspia, M. laeviscula, Adacna vitrea, and Hypnanis pklicata. The most widespread elements of the Early Khvalynian fauna outside the Caspian Sea are the subgenus Dreissena (Pontodreissena (D. rostriformis), and in desalinated areas D. polymorpha. Among the gastropods, representatives of the Caspian endemic genera Caspia and Micromelania are often found. The shells of the Early Khvalynian complex are distinguished by their small sizes ( 2-3 times smaller than modern ones) and a thin-walled shell. These deposits are usually associated with a cold climate and low salinity. However, larger individuals usually develop in cold conditions (Cope’s law), and the conclusion about low salinity is untenable, because the species are rich. the composition indicates a salinity close to the Northern Caspian - up to 10‰ or more. A more realistic explanation is the significant turbidity of the water and the lack of oxygen at the bottom of the basin. The cause of the increased turbidity could be solifluction processes accompanying the thawing of permafrost.
New euxinian deposits contain a fauna of Caspian-type mollusks; Moreover, the zebra mussels Dreissena rostriformis dominate here, less often Dr. polymorpha and limnocardiids Monodacna Caspia, M. colorata, Adacna, Hipanis and gastropods Caspia, Micromelania.
In the Black Sea, didacnae of the genus Didacna are completely absent; they are traced along the Manych valley down to the lower reaches of the river. Zap. Manych (village Manych-Balabinka). This may be an indicator of lower salinity (up to 5-6‰) in the New Equina basin.
A fauna of the Caspian type, similar in composition, was discovered by us (Algan et al., 2001, 2003) in the bottom sediments of the Bosphorus in well 14 at levels of 80-100 m with a dating of 16-10 ka. Its composition is dominated by Caspian Dreissena rostriformis.
The sediments of the Early Khvalyn Sea also contain microfauna: foraminifera, ostracods, and diatoms.
The waters of the “Flood” left clear traces of their dynamics in the morphology of the relief: marine terraces, specific coastlines, leveled flat bottom topography, as well as erosion-accumulative landforms of the flood water discharge channels: the Manych-Kerch Strait, the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles.
Flood water discharge valleys. The Manych-Kerch Strait is a giant erosive runoff depression that connected the Caspian Sea with the Black Sea basin. The total length of the strait reached 950-1000 km and varied depending on sea level; the maximum width is 50-55 km, the minimum is 10 km. Depth - up to 30-50 m. The slope of the strait bottom was 0.0001, and the difference in water level from the Caspian Sea (+50 m abs.) to the Black Sea (-80 -100 m) reached 150 m at the beginning of the drainage and 100 m at the end plum. Water consumption reached 50 thousand km3
Coastline. The Early Khvalynsk basin was fundamentally different from the modern one, because at a higher sea level, it rested on the foothills of the hills surrounding the Caspian basin (Ergeni, General Syrt, Volga). Instead of accumulative shores intricately indented by shallow bays, abrasion shores with deep bays—fiord-type estuaries—appeared on the flat surface of the Caspian lowland and large deltas of the Volga and Ural. An example would be the bay we studied along the river valley. Yashkul, which penetrated 50 km deep into Ergenei and was filled with a layer of chocolate clays with marine Khvalyn fauna.
Marine terraces record the position of sea level and coastline at each oscillation during the decline phase of the Khvalynsk Sea. Due to the unusually high rise in the level of the Flood Basin, its deposits overlap much older terraces and form up to 9 marine terraces with the following levels in tectonically stable areas (Dagestan): 48, +35, +22, +16, +6, -5, 0, -6, -12 m (Rychagov 2001, ....; Svitoch 2000, ....). These terraces record the standing of the levels during the phase of the general decline of the basin, and these oscillations were interrupted by a significant decrease in the level of tens of meters. The most significant of them are 2 regressions: Eltonskaya (up to -50 m abs.) and Enotaevskaya (up to -100 m abs.). These data allow us to reconstruct
fluctuations in the level of the Khvalynsky basin during the decline phase.
The chronology of the Khvalynsk transgression of the Caspian Sea has been studied in particular detail, for which there are more than fifty radiocarbon dates (Rychagov, 1997; Svitoch 2002; Leonov et al., 2003). Most of the dating falls within the range of 16-10 thousand years.
In total, during the Khvalynian time (5-6 thousand years), up to 10 cycles of level fluctuations are observed with a periodicity of 500-600 years. They are combined into 3 groups with a duration of 2 thousand years. Fluctuations in the level of the Khvalynsky basin, as well as movements of the coastline over hundreds and thousands of kilometers, as well as large-scale flooding and drying of sea basins, can be considered as waves of the “Flood”, stretched over 5-6 thousand years. The first wave of the “Flood”, early Khvalynian, began 14-15 thousand years ago and lasted about 2 thousand years; it was complicated by three oscillations with sea levels +40, +50, +35 m abs. Because The runoff threshold in the Manych Strait at that time was only +20 m, then all these three basins overflowed into the Black Sea through the Manych-Kerch Strait. It is this first wave and especially its ascending phase that can be considered as the actual Global Flood in the Ponto-Caspian Sea. The second wave of the “Flood”, the middle Khvalynsk one, at the peaks of oscillations no longer exceeded marks of +22, +16 and +6 m and the Caspian waters did not overflow into the Black Sea, the strait probably did not function. The third wave of the “Flood”, the late Khvalynian one, no longer rose above the current sea level and all its 4 oscillations (-5, 0, -5, -12 abs.) were below it, but above the Holocene level of the Caspian Sea.
Sea pools.
The most significant in scale and most suitable for comparison with the ancient mythical floods unfolded in the inland marine and lake-sea basins of Eurasia, known as the Ponto-Caspian Sea.
Khvalynskoe Sea. 
The epicenter of the “Flood” and the most sensitive indicator of its events (rising sea levels, moving coastlines and flooding of coastal areas) turned out to be the Khvalynsky basin of the Caspian Sea, especially at the peak of transgression. It was in it that the bulk of the waters of the “Flood” were concentrated, their composition and habitat were transformed, and the excess water was drained into the Black Sea. As a result of the development of the Flood, the Khvalynsk Sea overflowed over an area of about a million square meters. km, and together with the Aral-Sarykamysh basin its water area exceeded 1.1 million km 2, which is 3 times larger than the modern Caspian Sea. Volume of accumulated water masses(130 thousand km 3) exceeded the modern one by 2 times. As for the events of the “Flood” itself, almost a million km 2 of low-lying areas were flooded to elevations of +48 +50 m abs. g.o. in the Caspian Plain. The type of basin also changed: an isolated endorheic lake (Atelsky basin) turned as a result of the “Flood” into a giant flowing lake-sea with a one-way discharge of water into the neighboring basin. Despite repeated flushing of the pool fresh waters, chemical composition and water salinity changed little (within 10-12‰), because the main environmental indicator - the composition of the fauna of mollusks and other organisms - has not changed significantly. Perhaps this indicates the short-term existence of the flowing pool. And yet, the water of the Khvalyn Sea differed from the Caspian Sea in its low temperature (4 ° C in the north and up to 14 ° C in the south), which is confirmed by the isotopic composition of oxygen (18 O = 10‰). It can also be assumed that the Khvalyn waters are highly turbid, which was reflected in the composition of sediments and the small size of mollusk shells. This is due to the powerful influence of solifluction processes and an increase in solid runoff from river basins (Leonov et al., 2002).
New Euxinian Sea. In the Black Sea depression during the “Flood” there was the New Euxinian lake-sea, the level of which was very low and initially did not exceed -80 -100 m. As a result of the drainage of flood waters from the Caspian Sea, the level very quickly rose to -50 -40 m abs. The water area increased from 350 to 400 thousand km 2, so the area of shelf flooding by the waters of the “Flood” did not exceed 20-30 thousand km 2. The volume of water masses in the New Euxinian basin reached 545 thousand km 3 (slightly less than the Black Sea), but these were waters of a completely different origin.
River flooding were caused by a multiple increase in river flow, especially during enormous spring floods - super floods (super foods) in river valleys with flooding of all floodplains and low river terraces. These processes caused the formation of large river channels, significantly larger in size than the modern channels of the corresponding rivers. They are known as latitudinal valleys, macromeanders, and large bends (Dyry 1964, Panin, Sedarchuk 2005). River flow passed through these paleochannels, serving as the main source for marine flooding - transgressions of internal lake-sea basins.
Slope flooding covered almost all slopes of valleys and other relief elements and manifested themselves especially actively in the spring-summer season during intensive thawing of permafrost, increased solifluction flows down the slopes, their moistening, planar water flow, accumulation of fine-earth sediments at the bends of the slopes. Thawing permafrost and slope flooding were additional sources of water for the formation of river superfloods. These processes are most studied when detailed studies at Paleolithic sites.
Interfluve flooding covered vast areas of plateaus and interfluves with relatively flat relief. As a result of uneven thawing of permafrost, thermokarst processes have intensified and the area of thermokarst lakes - paleoalasses - has increased significantly. The lakeization of interfluves has led to an increase in water areas and a reduction in the area of territories.
Cascade of Eurasian basins (Vorukasha Sea). As a result of the events of the Great Flood, a system of interconnected basins was formed in inner Eurasia. They are traced from the Caspian Sea to the Sea of Marmara, which allows us to reconstruct the Cascade of the Eurasian basins, including the Aral-Sarykamysh basin, Uzboy, Khvalynsk Sea, Manych-Kerch Strait, New Euxinian Sea, Bosporus, and the ancient Sea of Marmara. Further, through the Dardanelles Strait, the waters of this Cascade merged into the Mediterranean Sea. In terms of the scale of the water area, the lake-sea system of the Eurasian cascade has no analogues. Of the modern inland basins, the largest lake system in the world is the Great Lakes. North America- are significantly inferior to the flood basin in all respects: in area (245 thousand km 2) - 6 times, in volume of water masses (227 thousand km 3) - 30 times, in terms of flow rate discharged under (14 thousand m 3 / sec) - more than 4 times, over the area of the drainage basin - more than 3 times.
The cascade of the Eurasian basins impressed ancient man and could be reflected in ancient epic and mythology. In particular, a description of a similar basin is given in the Avesta - the Vorukasha Sea.
Sources of water for the flood:
Biblical version of the flood.
Let us first consider the biblical version of the hydrological events of the Flood. The beginning of the flood is described as follows:
“...all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of heaven were opened, and rain fell on the earth for forty days and forty nights” (Genesis 7:11-12).
Further developments led to the occurrence of extreme hydrological phenomena:
“And the flood continued on the earth for forty days (and forty nights) and the waters increased and it (the ark) rose above the earth; the waters increased and greatly multiplied on the earth and the ark floated on the surface of the waters.” (Genesis 7.11)
"And the waters on the earth increased exceedingly, so that they were all covered high mountains, which are under the sky; The waters rose on them fifteen cubits... And all the moving flesh on the earth lost their life... And the waters increased on the earth for a hundred and fifty days." (Genesis 7: 11-21).
This was the peak of the flood events, the maximum rise in level. After this, the flood subsided:
"... and God brought a wind to the earth and the water stopped. And the fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were closed, and the rain from heaven stopped. And the ark stopped in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat. The water constantly decreased until the tenth month, in On the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains (Ararat) appeared" (Genesis 7, 8).
The completion of flood events is described as follows:
“In the six hundred and first year (of Noah’s life), by the first (day of) the first month, the water was dried up on the earth; and Noah opened the ark to the king and looked, and behold, the surface of the earth was dry. And in the second month, by the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry.” (Genesis 8.14).
Chronology and localization of the biblical flood.
Age of the flood. The time of the flood events is determined in the biblical calendar from the birth of Noah, similar to the modern calendar with time counting from the birth of Christ.
“Now Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of water came upon the earth” (Genesis 7:6).
This date looks like: 600 RN (Nativity of Noah). True, this date is not tied to other known dates, including the present. But theologians have long calculated the date of the flood using data on the birth, death and life expectancy of subsequent generations of Noah's many descendants (Genesis 10-11).
The time frame of the “Biblical Flood” according to various sources varies from 4.5 to more than 10 thousand years. Thus, the Flood in Mesopotamia is determined in the interval of 4500-6000 years (Rowe, 2003), but this Flood was not universal, it more of a description major flood. As for the Biblical flood, according to the latest research, based on various sources, the prevailing dates are from the 12th to the 9th millennium BC. e. (Balandin, 2003), i.e. from more than 13 to 12 thousand years ago. This means that the age of the “Flood” goes back to the end of the Ice Age, and not to its very end. The duration of the Flood also varies from two weeks to several months. In theological literature there is even an exact date for the World Flood - 9545 BC. e. (Leonov et al., 2002), i.e. 11949 years ago. Quite close dating of the events of the “Flood” was obtained based on the study of its sediments: Khvalynian sediments of the Caspian Sea, New Euxinian sediments of the Black Sea, as well as alluvial sediments filling macro-bends in river valleys.
But this date is in good agreement with radiocarbon dates of the Late Khvalynsk transgression (Arslanov et al. 2007, 2008).
Duration of Noah's voyage.
The prevailing opinion is still that the flood and Noah's journey lasted only 40 days. But this is a deeply erroneous idea: a careful reading of the Bible allows us to establish a significantly longer duration of these events.
For more precise definition the duration of Noah's voyage, it is necessary to determine the date of the exodus, i.e. start and date of descent, i.e. its end and disembarkation from the ark. Both of these dates are indicated quite accurately in the Book of Genesis, although in the system of counting time from the birth of Noah. But this will not prevent us from determining the sailing time with an accuracy of one day.
Time of departure, i.e. sailing, is determined by the following quotation:
“The waters of the flood came to the earth. In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month” (Genesis 6, 11).By analogy with the modern calendar, it will look like this: 02/17/600. RN (from the Nativity of Noah). And further:
“On that same day Noah and Shem, Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife and his three sons’ wives with them, entered into the ark” (Genesis 7:13).The time of the descent from the ark (near Mount Ararat) is given exactly in chapter 8 of the Book of Genesis:
“In the six hundred and first year (of Noah’s life), by the first [day] of the first month the water was dried up on the earth; and Noah opened the roof of the ark, and looked, and behold, the surface of the earth was dry. And in the second month, by the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry... And he went out Noah and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him." (Genesis 8, 13-14, 18).IN modern form the date of descent is 02/27/601. RN. The difference in the dates of the exodus (02/17/600 RN and the descent 02/27/601 RN) is one year and 10 days. This is the total duration of Noah's voyage from boarding the ark to landing on earth - only 375 days.
True, the net sailing time at sea may be somewhat shorter. It is necessary to subtract the time from boarding the ship (02/17/600 RN) until the ascent of the ark (up to 40 days) and after the opening of the ark’s roof on 01/01/601. RN until the soil dries completely 02/27/601. RN, i.e. 57 days. Then the duration of Noah’s voyage in the waters of the Khvalynsky basin will be from 278 to 318 days, i.e. about one year, on average 300 days.
Noah's voyage distance. Now, knowing the duration of the voyage, we can approximately estimate the distance that Noah swam on the ark during this time. It is logical that he swam in one direction from north to south quite purposefully. Initially, the voyage took place in the Volga paleo-estuary, the ark slowly drifted downstream until it flowed into the sea and further along the western shores of the Khvalynsk Sea. Let's assume a real average sailing speed of about 5 km per day, also taking into account the inevitable stops to replenish supplies and due to weather conditions. Then the speed of movement could be about 200 m/hour or 3.5 m/minute or 5-10 cm/second. During the year's voyage, the ship could cover a distance of about 1,500 km. This exceeds the length of the modern Caspian Sea from north to south (1200 km). This seemed to contradict the biblical version. However, it should be taken into account that the Late Khvalyn basin of that time had a higher level, above ±0 m abs. and a more extensive water area, its length from north to south reached 1400-1500 km, and if we take into account the Volga paleo-estuary, then slightly more - 1500-1600 km, which approximately corresponds to the distance covered during Noah’s voyage. This is a fairly good match between paleogeographic and biblical data.
Location of flood events in the EEZ. Now you can determine the place of action from biblical sources, i.e. the water area in which Noah sailed. To do this, it is necessary to first identify the type of sea basin, its size, and geographic location based on the geographic objects mentioned in the original source. All this information can be obtained from the Bible, more precisely from the Book of Genesis ( Old Testament) in chapters 7, 8 and 9. The reconstruction of the watercraft - Noah's Ark - will also be very useful for this purpose.
When determining the type of pool, we proceed from the fact that a rapid rise in water level is impossible in a reservoir connected to the ocean, because The ocean level, due to its size and inertia, cannot rise so quickly. This means that it was an inland closed body of water without connection with the ocean. Now you can determine the geographical location of this reservoir using clues from the Bible itself. The Book of Genesis mentions that Noah's voyage took place along the mountains of Ararat:
“And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day, on the mountains of Ararat” (Genesis 7:10)
The “Ararat Mountains” mentioned here are directly related to the Caucasus. And not only to the Greater Caucasus, but also to the Lesser Caucasus, where Mount Ararat is located, as the place of the descent and end of Noah’s journey. And the nearest large isolated reservoir is located just east of the Caucasus Mountains in the Caspian Basin. If we use paleogeographic data, we can reconstruct the flood basin of the time of Noah’s voyage. this time (11-12 thousand years ago) the Khvalynsky basin existed here, in the late phase of transgression, i.e. Late Khvalyn Sea with highstand levels from ±0 m abs. (Makhachkala phase) up to + 15 m abs. (Turkmen phase). Since the main parameters of the basins of these phases are already known to us, they can be used to reconstruct biblical events, including the voyage of Noah.
Noah's Ark. Of great importance for the reconstruction of the flood events and Noah's voyage is the restoration of the type and size of the vessel on which Noah sailed - Noah's Ark. Its main dimensions are given in the Book of Genesis and can be used to interpret the parameters of the reservoir and flood events:
Graphic reconstruction of the Ark
“Make yourself an ark and make it this way: the length of the Ark is 300 cubits, its width is 50 cubits and its height is 30 cubits.”
Considering that a cubit in ancient times was about 0.5 meters, then in metric units it would be: length 150, width 25 and height 15 meters. In terms of size, this is a fairly large watercraft even for modern ships. Pays attention to compliance perfect proportions width and length (1:6), still accepted in shipbuilding. This means that the ark was intended for long and long voyages.
As for the material from which the ark was built, it is, of course, a wooden vessel, as is clearly stated in the Bible. And from exactly one type of wood:
“Make yourself an ark of gopher wood...” (Genesis 6:14).
The gopher tree is most likely a coniferous tree, namely the larch Larix sibirica, because it doesn't rot in water. In support of this, there is an indication that the ark was impregnated with resin for sealing:
“...make compartments in the Ark and cover it with pitch inside and outside...” (Genesis 6, 14).
What did Noah's Ark look like and how was it built? Most likely, it had no resemblance to the drawings of Doré and other artists dedicated to the Flood, which depict a modern-style wooden ship made from lumber. But this is impossible, since according to all the laws of shipbuilding, a ship of this size can only be made of all metal, and a wooden ship will immediately fall apart. And the technological capabilities of that time (11-13 thousand years ago) in terms of building materials were very limited and made it possible to actually build only the simplest and most primitive watercraft - a wooden raft. But it was not a simple raft, but a three-deck one. There is direct information about this from the Bible: firstly, the large height of the ship - 15 m (Genesis 6, 15) already suggested the presence of several tiers of buildings or decks. Secondly, direct instructions to Noah on the construction of the ark:
“You shall make compartments in the ark…” (Genesis 6:14).
“build in it a lower, a second and a third [dwelling]” (Genesis 6:16)
The purpose of these three decks can be interpreted based on the needs of navigation. Thus, the lower deck could be inhabited only by animals, which was also logical and solved the problem of cleaning the premises by washing away manure with sea waves. The third deck was probably used as the command bridge and residence for Noah and his family. As for the second (middle) deck, it could be occupied by the crew and service personnel. Just six people (three sons and three daughters-in-law of Noah) could not manage navigation, watch duty, caring for animals, kitchen, cleaning and other numerous duties on such a ship. big ship, and even with such a long voyage. This means there was an additional crew: sailors, servants, prisoners, who could be accommodated on the middle deck.
Analysis of the parameters of Noah's Ark also allows us to reconstruct the natural environment of that time and clarify the place where the voyage began. To build the raft-ark, a large amount of building materials was needed, primarily wood. You can calculate the volume of material. The area of the lower deck of the ark with dimensions of 150 x 25 m was 3750 m2, and if you take logs with an average diameter of 0.5 m and a length of 10 m, you get 750 logs with a total volume of up to 1000 m3. And this is only the lower deck and only one layer of logs. This is a huge amount of high-quality round timber, and only one species - larch. So much timber could only be collected at the mouth of a great river, concentrating water and driftwood from a large drainage basin. This river could only be the Volga - the largest river in Europe. The remaining rivers of the Caspian basin (except for the Amu Darya) are small and mountainous; there were no forests in the mountains at that time. According to palynological data, larch forests then grew in the Volga and Kama basin and throughout the Russian Plain (Grichuk 1971, Abramova 1990).
Therefore, the data on Noah’s Ark give grounds to consider the place of origin of Noah’s tribe from the paleoestuary of the Volga, which flowed into the Late Khvalyn basin somewhere in the area of the current Caspian lowland about 50° N. The distance from here to the final point of the voyage - the southern coast of the Khvalyn Sea and the city of Ararat is 1500-1600 km, which is approximately equal to our calculations of the distance of the annual voyage of Noah's Ark. This is a good agreement between biblical and paleogeographical data.
Sources of water of the “World Flood”. As for water sources, the Book of Genesis provides fairly clear indications that are useful for paleohydrological reconstructions. Chapter 7 tells us that the flood began when
“...all the fountains of the great deep were broken open” (Genesis 7:10),
and then only
“...the windows of heaven opened and rain poured down on the earth for 40 days and nights” [ibid.].
The interpretation of the second quote is not controversial and has traditionally been considered as a manifestation of intense precipitation in the form of rain. But the first quote has not yet been interpreted as an objective phenomenon. But this is very important; most likely, the expression “sources of the great abyss” should be understood as underground water sources, including springs, hollows, swamps, solifluction flows on the slopes, and river superfloods and overflowing lakes that feed on them. The fact that the “sources of the great abyss” are mentioned first, before precipitation, may indicate the predominance of groundwater flow associated with thawing permafrost before rainfall. And this is in good agreement with our multi-landscape concept of the EES, which includes, in addition to sea flooding, also river superfloods, slope flooding and lakeization of interfluves by paleoalases (Chepalyga 2006). There is just room in it for underground and groundwater from the sources of the “great abyss”. Also a good coincidence of biblical data with the events of the EEA.
It was previously revealed that the ark’s voyage took place in the Khvalyn Sea, most likely in the basin of the Turkmen phase of the development of the Khvalyn transgression with sea level at +15 m abs. The area of the sea then was 809 thousand km² and more than 2 times larger than the size of the water area of the modern Caspian Sea (380 thousand km²), and the volume of water reached 102 thousand km² (1.4 times larger than the modern Caspian Sea). The seashores were winding, especially on the northern shore; the length of the coastline (9458 km), however, was the smallest among the Khvalyn basins (in the highstands) but 1.6 times longer than the modern one. The coastline of the northern coast was especially complex, with many bays, peninsulas and several islands. The largest bay jutted deep into the land along the modern Volga valley, and north of the turn of the Volga it continued in the form of a narrow estuary that jutted deep into the land, from where Noah’s Ark supposedly went out into the sea. This is the Volga paleoestuary.
Beginning of the voyage (exodus). We will begin the reconstruction of Noah’s voyage by establishing the extreme points of the journey: loading onto the ark (exodus) and disembarking (descent). As for the latter, traditionally the place of descent is considered to be Mount Ararat in the Lesser Caucasus, not far from the coast of the Khvalynsk Sea.
Now let's determine the starting point for swimming. Considering the elongation of the sea from north to south by 1600 km and the landing site near the southern coast, it can be assumed that Noah sailed south from the north. This is confirmed by data from Noah's Ark. The need to collect a large amount of timber for the Ark suggests starting the voyage from the northern shores of the Khvalynsk Sea, more precisely from the Volga paleo-estuary. This was the only place on the Caspian shores with rich reserves of driftwood.
Reconstruction of Noah's voyage
Now let's test this hypothesis using information from the primary source. The Book of Genesis (chapter 9) describes that shortly after the end of the voyage and disembarkation from the Ark (presumably near the city of Ararat), Noah had the experience of tasting grape wine. But this experiment was the first and therefore unsuccessful. Noah drank wine and fell naked in the tent, causing ridicule even from his son Ham:
"...and he drank wine and became drunk and lay naked in his tent. And Ham saw the nakedness of his father and went out and told his brothers... Noah woke up from his wine and learned what his youngest son had done to him, and said: Cursed Canaan, the servant of servants he will be to his brothers." (Genesis 9, 21-25)
How could it happen that such a righteous and blameless person as Elder Noah (he was already 601 years old) behaved so indecently? After all, he was God-pleasing and even after the voyage the Lord himself blessed him! There can only be one answer: Noah did not know the insidious properties of wine, because he had never tasted it before the voyage. This means that he came here from a country where grapes do not grow, that is, in a colder country and Noah’s homeland is located far north of Ararat and the Caucasus. And since the Ark covered a distance of 1500-1600 km, you need to measure this distance from the southern shore of the Caspian Sea to the north in order to get to the homeland of Noah. And then we find ourselves on the northwestern coast of the Khvalynsk Sea, in the Volga paleoestuary, somewhere around 50°N. Again, a fairly good agreement between biblical data and paleogeographic reconstructions.
Stages of Noah's voyage.
The first stage of the voyage. So, Noah’s voyage passed from north to south, from the Volga paleo-estuary to the southern coast of the Khvalynsk Sea. It is most likely that at first Noah's Ark slowly drifted in the Volga estuary downstream until it flowed into the sea. And then the Ark moved south along the western shore of the Khvalynsk Sea. Therefore, at the first stage of the voyage, which lasted 5 months (150 days), information about the coast or other landmarks is not given in the Biblical description of the journey; only the flood events and the death of all living things are described. The reason for the lack of information about coastal landmarks may be the absence of any notable landmarks on the banks. If we accept our reconstruction, then this is quite understandable. The voyage took place in the Northern Caspian region along flat, low-lying shores, which were also overgrown with reeds and coastal vegetation. So that this low shore was almost invisible from the ship. Only after 150 days did the mountains appear, or rather the tops of the Ararat Mountains.
“And the Ark rested in the 7th month, on the 17th day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat” (Genesis 8:4).
This name in the Bible refers to the Caucasus Mountains, not only the Greater Caucasus, but also the Lesser Caucasus, where Mount Ararat, the place of the descent from the Ark, is located.
Second stage. Let's try to determine where Noah could first see the peaks of the Caucasus Mountains. If you sail along the western shore of the Khvalynsky Sea to the south, 700-800 km to 43°N, then this place can be located near the modern Terek delta, then flooded to a level of +15 m abs by the waters of the Terek paleo-bay. From here you can really observe the snowy peaks of the Caucasus, even Mount Elbrus, in good weather. How far could Noah's Ark travel in 150 days of sailing at a speed of 5 km/day? It will be 150x5km=750km. Again, an amazing coincidence between the calculation of distances based on biblical data and paleogeographical reconstructions.
Third stage lasted another month and a half (45 days), the voyage took place along the Caucasian coast:
"The water gradually decreased until the 10th month; on the first day of the 10th month the tops of the mountains appeared" [Ararat] (Genesis 9.5)
During this time, the Ark could have sailed about 220-250 km and ended up in the area of the mouth of the Samur between Derbent and the Absheron Peninsula. It is here that the Caucasus Mountains come close to the shore of the Khvalynsk Sea. Here, in the sediments of the Turkmen stage of the Khvalyn Sea near the village of Bilidzhi, a bone bowl was discovered, made by man from the kneecap of a mammoth - the Bilijai bowl. Since mammoths did not live here at that time, it can be assumed that it was brought from the north by the Cro-Magnon tribe, who, like Noah, migrated from the Volga basin. Again, a good match between biblical, paleogeographical and archaeological data.
Fourth stage. The next transition, lasting 40 days, ended on 12/10/600IРН much further south:
"When forty days were completed, Noah opened...the window of the ark..." (Genesis 8:6)
During this time, the Ark could sail 40x5 km = 200 km. We measure another 200 km south along the coast and find ourselves south of Absheron at the mouth of the Pirsagat River. What is remarkable about the coast here? Here, in the Gobustan region, among the rocky shores and convenient bays, there could be another site for Noah’s Ark.
It is here in Gobustan that there are traces of a large anchorage of ancient ships and human settlements for many thousands of years from the Paleolithic to the Middle Ages. This is evidenced by numerous rock paintings of ancient ships. Among them there are also flat-bottomed ships, similar to rafts, and they are the largest and oldest, dating back 9-10 thousand years ago. One of them depicts 37 people sitting with bows at the ready, but without oars. These were probably warriors, among them two dead are lying, and one is standing, probably a priest or leader. Here we can again record the coincidence of not only biblical, paleogeographical but also archaeological data.
Swimming final. Further, Noah's path probably ran through the Kura Bay to the southwestern shore of the Khvalynsk Sea, from where it was very close to the city of Ararat and the Ararat Valley - the supposed place of the descent from the ark. It is quite possible that at the final stage of the voyage from 01/01/601 RN to 02/27/601 RN Noah’s expedition explored southern coasts sea until it stopped in the Ararat Valley. This place turned out to be more comfortable for Noah than the dry sea coast. The local landscape of the mountainous woodlands of the Ararat Valley, irrigated by numerous rivers and streams, and rich in wild fauna, was more familiar, similar to the native forest-steppes of the Middle Volga region.
So, when superimposing the biblical description of the flood and Noah's voyage on the reconstructed events of the EEA, one can note numerous coincidences of these parameters, both quantitative and factual, which confirms the reality of the biblical flood events.
Now, after finding out all the details of Noah’s voyage, it is possible to determine the place and time of this event in the natural processes of the EEA. In terms of duration, these processes are incomparable with a difference of thousands of times: the EZ lasted 6 thousand years, and Noah’s voyage lasted only about a year. This means that the voyage on the Ark is just a short episode in the background of the longer events of the EZ. Accordingly, the significance of these events is assessed differently. Based on the biblical text, the primary sins were human sins, God's punishment and Noah's miraculous salvation. And the flood was secondary, it was necessary as a background and motivation for the salvation of Noah’s tribe and all of humanity. The global flood or biblical flood was probably just one of the spring-summer floods during one of the highstands (+15 m abs.) of the Khvalynsk transgression.
In fact, the main process is the events of the World Flood, and in nature it is the EEA and the Khvalynsk transgression, which began much earlier (four thousand years) and continued for another two thousand years, until the end of the Pleistocene. This means that the biblical events of the flood and Noah’s voyage developed against the background of much longer and larger-scale events of the EEA and represent only a particular episode in the history of the EEA. It is possible that Noah’s voyage is not a unique event, but one of the episodes of mass migrations of the Late Paleolithic Cro-Magnon tribes from the Volga basin through the Khvalynsk Sea to the Caucasus, Transcaucasia and further to the Middle East. This could have been one of a series of targeted campaigns to the south of the more highly developed Cro-Magnon tribes of Northern Eurasia to discover and conquer new lands, the Caspian region and Central Asia, then inhabited by more primitive Neanderthal tribes. This is confirmed by archaeological data, because. on the shores of the Caspian Sea there are Mousterian sites located on the Khvalyn terraces in the area of the Manas-Ozen River (Amirkhanov, 2005), but there are no Late Paleolithic finds. The situation is similar for the entire Caspian region, where there is no Late Paleolithic but Mousterian sites are known. (Amirkhanov, 2005). Their age is very young for Mousterian, no older than 12-14 thousand years. This means that Neanderthal tribes lived on the coasts of the Caspian Sea almost until the end of the Pleistocene. And at this time, starting from 40-35 thousand years ago, Late Paleolithic tribes already lived north of the Khvalyn Sea and the entire Cascade of the Eurasian basins and west of the Caucasus. A kind of refugium (shelter) was formed around the Caspian Sea and in Central Asia, where the Mousterian tribes of Neanderthals, who lived here for more than 20-25 thousand years after disappearing from Europe, were preserved. (Doluhanov et al., 2007)
Noah's voyage on the Ark is presented as a march of an evolutionarily advanced tribe of Cro-Magnons from the Volga basin to the south to conquer new lands occupied by tribes of primitive Neanderthals, who at the end of the Pleistocene were supplanted by more highly developed Cro-Magnons. These were pioneer conquerors like the conquistadors in America and the Russian Cossacks in Siberia.
This material should be considered as popular science, designed to give an “earthly” explanation of one of the greatest myths on the planet.
- Bible. Books of Holy Scripture and the New Testament, canonical, Moscow Patriarchate. 1988. The First Book of Moses, Genesis. Ch. 6,7,8. ss. 9-11.
- Jafarzade I. M. Gobustan. Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of the Azerbaijan SSR. Elm. Baku. 1973 P. 374
- Leonov Yu.G. Lavrushin Yu.A. and others. New data on the age of sediments of the transgressive phase of the Early Khvalynsk transgression of the Caspian Sea. Reports of the Academy of Sciences, vol. 386, no. 2, pp. 229-233.
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