Wow there is a lot of ancient history in the mid east. More cultured and advanced before that fraud Mohammad came along with his immoral, murderous womanizing and heathen ways with no biblical history behind him other than what he copied from the Bible and the Bibles warnings of false prophets. Before then they were more cultured.
Sodom is really interesting because of its biblical and historical history that was witnessed and documented. I’m guessing it took 700 years not just because of scorched earth but shock waves so powerful it not just evaporated but drove sea water across it and salted the land and water. That and the emotional aspect like Pompeii a grave yard and Sodom a cursed graveyard. I didn’t know till watching that they changed the name of it to a unfortunate event. There still learning from it.