Noah's Ark and the Rise of Design

When did Noah live and build the ark?

This is one of the many fascinating questions that arises when studying the early chapters of Genesis and attempting to place them in an historical context.  The premise arising from research carried out for the Ages Of Joy creation model is that the flood that Noah built the ark to survive occurred near the end of the Younger Dryas, or roughly 11,600 years ago (9,600 BCE).  The Younger Dryas refers to the time period characterized by an abrupt return to ice-age conditions that lasted 1,200 years and occurred just as the Earth was exiting the last ice age.

Recently published articles seem to lend a level of support to this premise.

First, lets start with what the Bible says:

So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high. Make a roof for it, leaving below the roof an opening one cubit high all around. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks. Genesis 6:14-16

The dimensions sited are often translated to yield a boat 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high and built from some kind of wood, the word for which has no certain translation.

Noah built the ark, so the question is, when in human history did people become capable of executing designs of this magnitude and complexity.  Given its wood construction, it is unlikely that any remnants survive for discovery.  The nearest proxy that we can currently consider is ancient stone monuments.

Published May 12, 2020, the article Geometry guided construction of earliest known temple, built 6,000 years before Stonehenge provides some interesting clues.

The structure described in the article is known as Göbekli Tepe and is often characterized as a temple, although the ideas regarding its true purpose remains somewhat controversial.   Its location in southeastern Anatolia, Turkey is interesting in relation to where Noah's ark landed after the flood, being described as "the mountains of Ararat."  The mountains of Ararat could refer to any high country in the general vicinity of Mount Ararat which is located in modern day Turkey, just 340 miles from where Göbekli Tepe stands.  Further adding to the intrigue, construction on Göbekli Tepe is thought to have begun approximately 11,500 years ago (9,500 BCE), which is only about 100 years after the end of the Younger Dryas.

The article quotes Professor Avi Gopher of the Tel Aviv University's Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Civilization, saying  "Göbekli Tepe is an archaeological wonder" and "its architectural complexity is highly unusual for [hunter gatherers]."

The article goes on to describe that "three of the structures were designed as a single project and according to a coherent geometric design pattern."

Göbekli Tepe itself was composed of gigantic, round stone structures and monumental pillars of stone  as much as 18 feet tall and weighing as much as 10 tons.  More than 200 pillars arranged in 20 circles have been found.  While the ark itself was a very different kind of construction project, the overall scale might be considered to be in the same ballpark.

Professor Gopher leans on the current assumption that the builders where hunter gatherers.  However,  we learn from the story of Noah that he and his sons both managed a large number of animals, including gathering significant stores for them, and planted a vineyard after the flood.

The article goes on to elaborate:

Certain planning capabilities and practices, such as the use of geometry and the formulation of floor plans, were traditionally assumed to have emerged much later than the period during which the Göbekli Tepe was constructed -- after hunter-gatherers transformed into food-producing farmers some 10,500 years ago. Notably, one of the characteristics of early farmers is their use of rectangular architecture.

What this hints at is an earlier origin for agriculture than many assume.  While wide spread farming began to flourish only later, there are some clues that it had a longer development phase than is commonly supposed.

In fact, an older article, published July 22, 2015, provides evidence of farming as far back as 23,000 years ago in the middle east: First evidence of farming in Mideast 23,000 years ago.

Interestingly, this article is co-authored by Professor Marcelo Sternberg, also of the Tel Aviv University.  Perhaps Professors Sternberg and Gopher should chat.  These individuals that first explored the advantages of farming where still characterized as primarily hunter-gatherers.  However, they managed to gather 140 species of plants, including wild emmer, wild barley, and wild oats.

Over the course of 11,000 years, the first forays into farming may have given rise to the ability to gather large stores of plants of many kinds.  This skill is evidenced in the narrative about Noah and his sons.

You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them. Genesis 6:21

The narrative of Noah's Ark has fascinated countless generations and engendered all manner of creative interpretation.  Now scientific discoveries are beginning to shed light on the cultural capacity that existed when it was built and when that capacity developed in the scope of human history.

Tune in next time for examination of this fascinating article: Remnants of human migration paths exist underwater at 'choke points' which explores ancient drowned civilizations and speculates about an early origin of boats.