Dodwell: The Obliquity of the Ecliptic Conclusion Barry and Helen Setterfield
George Dodwell died before this manuscript was finished. Thus, the last chapter on Tiahuanaco is brief, the material taken from his original material. However what he did do is summarized well in his Preface and Introduction. In the years he took to research the measurements of the obliquity of the eclipitic, or tilt of the earth's axis, going back in time as far as possible, he found undeniable evidence that something happened to the tilt of the earth's axis in 2345 B.C. The measurements actually taken differed from Newcomb's curve of the mathematically figured obliquity (based on current earth movement) to a greater and greater degree the further back he looked. Thinking this might be due to early astronomical error, he checked each of these measurements for necessary corrections regarding parallax the semi-diameter of the sun and then against one another. The latitude at which the observations were made is inherent in the data. The latitude can be checked. When this check is performed, it turns out the latitude of the observations was completely accurate. He was impressed with their accuracy. The differences from Newcomb's Curve were real. He studied some of the ancient temple/observatories. Their orientation towards summer and winter solstices were also 'off' by the amount the ancient observations showed. His conclusion, and the conclusion we find we also must draw, is that there was a sudden change in the tilt of the axis of the earth in or about 2345 B.C. Interestingly, this appears to correlate exactly with a number of disruptions of cultures in the world: it appears to have initiated the First Intermediate Period in Egypt, for instance. This is logical, since any impact event causing a change in the earth's axis tilt would necessarily trigger earthquakes of a very large magnitude as well as volcanic eruptions and other local catastrophes. These events have been researched and documented, as referenced below. Thus, George Dodwell's work in collecting and presenting the measurements and archaeological evidence which show why these events occurred is extremely valuable and we are honored to have been allowed to present it on our website.
References regarding earth and cultural disruptions at about this time: from Moe M. Mandelkehr
THE 2300 BC EVENT - A TAPESTRY OF DESTRUCTION David Arthur Douglas, The Development and Demise of the Early Bronze Age IV Collapse of Early Bronze Age Civilisations: Has the Smoking Gun been Found? Timo Niroma, Evidence for Major Impact Events in the late Third Millennium BC Proceedings of the Second SIS Cambridge Conference B.J. Peiser, Taurid Demons, Climate Change & the Collapse of Mankind's First Urban Civilizations |