[Avodah] tower of Bavel

[Eli Turkel]

<<The Gemara in Shabbos 10b says that at the time of Lot's escape, S'dom was
52 years old and Tzoar was 51. Rashi there states the following:
"Sdom preceded (Tzoar) by one year), as it explains that Sdom was 52,
because you must say that the builders of the tower were in Shinar, and
there was no population in the world except in that Bik'ah, as it writes
"And the entire Land was one language.... and it was when they travelled
from the east... and from there they dispersed to other places when they
were scattered and they built themselves cities; and from the time they were
dispersed until Sdom was destroyed it is but 52 years, for at the end of the
days of Peleg is when the dispersion happened, as it says in Seder Olam...
calculate the years of Peleg and it comes out that the year he died in was
Avraham's 48th year, and when Sdom was destroyed that was the 99th year of
Avraham...>>

This contradicts the various theories that only a few people were in
Shinar at the
time of the dispersion. Thus, we return to my question that Ur of the
Chaldees seems to be older.
Furthermore it implies that Charan and Egypt were just beginning when
Abraham visited them
i.e Tzohar is not just that city but all of Egypt including the Pharoh
dynasties were less
than 51 years old.
It also eliminates the ancient Sumer, Akkadian etc dynasties not to
speak of China.

-- 
Eli Turkel