In 1960, American explorer and biblical archaeologist Ron White was intrigued by aerial photographs in Life magazine showing a boat-shaped formation on Mount Ararat, a mountain 20 miles south of Mount Ararat. This sparked his interest in biblical accounts of Noah's Ark. Over the years, White made multiple trips to Turkey, studying volcanic regions and building a replica of Mount Ararat. Despite controversies and differing interpretations of the findings, White remained convinced that he had discovered the Ark of the Flood. He used a variety of tools and techniques, including metal detectors and a molecular frequency generator, to explore the site. His team discovered walls, cavities, a door, ramps, and large cisterns, as well as many rivets made of aluminum. One of the team's latest discoveries was a piece of wood from the deck of the structure, which was found to belong to an ancient petrified tree. Despite his efforts, White did not receive official recognition for his discoveries during his lifetime. Despite the controversies, his work has left a significant legacy in biblical archaeology and continues to inspire researchers to this day.
1. On September 27, 1960, nurse anesthetist and American explorer Ron White read an article in Life magazine about aerial photographs showing a strange formation molded into a mountain 20 miles south of Mount Ararat. The formation resembled a boat and was approximately 150 meters long.
2. White was a well-known biblical archaeologist for his discoveries linking to biblical accounts, including signs of the Tower of Babel and the site of Mount Sinai.
3. He was also known for initiating the hunt for the biblical treasure, The Ark of the Covenant.
4. In his pursuit of Noah's Ark, White discovered a structure that matched the biblical description of the ark's dimensions and location.
5. The ark, according to the Bible, was 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high. Converting these measurements to feet, the ark would be about 437 feet or 133 meters.
6. However, measurements of the ark structure on Mount Ararat were calculated to be 515 feet in simplified length, about 20% greater than the Bible's description.
7. Despite this, White remained convinced that the structure was Noah's Ark. He proposed that the author of Genesis, Moses, might have used Egyptian cubits for measurements, leading to a discrepancy in size.
8. White's team found a piece of wood from the deck of the ark, which was carbon-14 tested to prove it belonged to an ancient petrified tree.
9. They also discovered walls, cavities, a door, ramps, and large cisterns, suggesting the ark had multiple levels and could have accommodated the animals.
10. Despite significant discoveries, White did not receive official recognition for his work. He passed away in 1999, convinced that he had found Noah's Ark.