Atlit Yam

Atlit Yam is an ancient neolithic village off of the coast of Atlit, Israel.

A study by Maria Pareschi of the Italian National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology in Pisa says that a volcanic collapse of Mount Etna's Eastern flank which happened 8,500 years ago likely caused a 10-storey (40 m or 131 ft) megatsunami that hit and engulfed some of the Mediterranean coastal cities within hours. Scientists point to the sudden abandonment of the village around the same time as more evidence that the tsunami happened.

A stone semicircle was found which contains seven 600-kilogram (1,320 lb) megaliths. There are cup marks carved into the stones and the stones are around a freshwater spring. It is suggested that it was used for a water ritual. In 2008, there were skeletons of a woman and child found, which revealed the earliest known cases of tuberculosis.

References

Category:Archaeological sites in Israel
Category:Haifa District
Category:Stone circles
Category:7th millennium BC buildings and structures