Fire in the Sea:
The Santorini Volcano:
Natural History and the Legend of Atlantis
by Walter L. Friedrich
tr by Alexander R. McBirney
Posted on 07/29/2004 12:25:45 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
Determining a reliable calendrical age of the Santorini (Minoan) eruption is necessary to place the impact of the eruption into its proper context within Bronze Age society in the Aegean region. The high-resolution record of the deposition of volcanically produced acids on polar ice sheets, as available in the SO42-time series from ice cores (a direct signal), and the high-resolution record of the climatic impact of past volcanism inferred in tree rings (a secondary signal) have been widely used to assign a 1628/1627 age to the eruption. The layer of ice in the GISP2 (Greenland) ice core corresponding to 1623±36 , which is probably correlative to the 1628/1627 event, not only contains a large volcanic-SO42-spike, but it contains volcanic glass. Composition of this glass does not match the composition of glass from the Santorini eruption, thus severely challenging the 1620s age for the eruption. Similarly, the GISP2 glass does not match the composition of glass from other eruptions (Aniakchak, Mt. St. Helens, Vesuvius) thought to have occurred in the 17th century nor does it match potential Icelandic sources. These findings suggest that an eruption not documented in the geological record is responsible for the many climate-proxy signals in the late 1620s . Although these findings do not unequivocally discount the 1620s age, we recommend that 1628/1627 no longer be held as the "definitive" age for the Santorini eruption.
(Excerpt) Read more at sciencedirect.com ...
Identification of Aniakchak (Alaska) tephraMinute shards of volcanic glass recovered from the 1645 ± 4 BC layer in the Greenland GRIP ice core have recently been claimed to originate from the Minoan eruption of Santorini [Hammer et al., 2003]. This is a significant claim because a precise age for the Minoan eruption provides an important time constraint on the evolution of civilizations in the Eastern Mediterranean. There are however significant differences between the concentrations of SiO2, TiO2, MgO, Ba, Sr, Nb and LREE between the ice core glass and the Minoan eruption, such that they cannot be correlatives. New chemical analyses of tephra from the Late Holocene eruption of the Aniakchak Volcano in Alaska, however, show a remarkable similarity to the ice core glass for all elements, and this eruption is proposed as the most likely source of the glass in the GRIP ice core. This provides a precise date of 1645 BC for the eruption of Aniakchak and is the first firm identification of Alaskan tephra in the Greenland ice cores. The age of the Minoan eruption of Santorini, however, remains unresolved.
in Greenland ice core
challenges the 1645 BC date
for Minoan eruption of Santorini
Nicholas J. G. Pearce
John A. Westgate and Shari J. Preece
Warren J. Eastwood
William T. Perkins
Fire in the Sea:
The Santorini Volcano:
Natural History and the Legend of Atlantis
by Walter L. Friedrich
tr by Alexander R. McBirney
first quarter 2005 bump:
Linear B Tablets and Mycenaean Social, Political, and Economic Organization
Lesson 25, The Prehistoric Archaeology of the Aegean
Revised: Friday, March 18, 2000 | Trustees of Dartmouth College
Posted on 08/29/2004 8:19:46 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1202723/posts
Hebrews, Israelites, Jews
PROBLEMS WITH MT. SINAI IN SAUDI ARABIA
Compiled by Brad Sparks
http://www.ldolphin.org/sinai.html
A diagnosis for a biblical plague?
Tomb could hold clue to Moses legend
By Charles M. Sennott
The Boston Globe
May 18, 2005
Article Last Updated: 11/26/2004 11:47:21 PM
http://www.sltrib.com/faith/ci_2475207
The Reality of Ancient Catastrophism
The Cydonia Files | November 7, 2001 | Joe Schembrie
Posted on 11/07/2001 9:12:46 AM PST by JoeSchem
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/565860/posts
Biblical Plagues and Parting of Red Sea caused by Volcano
News.telegraph.co.uk | 11/11/02 | John Petre
Posted on 11/11/2002 12:44:06 PM PST by Betty Jane
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/786902/posts
Scientist Defends Account Of Exodus
Washington Post | 4-10-2003 | Richard N. Ostling
Posted on 04/11/2003 1:52:30 PM PDT by blam
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/891225/posts
Moses' Egyptian Name
Biblical Archaeology | 5-30-2003 | Ogden Goelet
Posted on 05/30/2003 11:32:54 AM PDT by blam
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/920412/posts
Digging Out The Truth Of Exodus
USN&WR | 10-20-2003 | Helen Fields
Posted on 10/12/2003 10:27:46 AM PDT by blam
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/999861/posts
Tomb May Shed Light On 10th Plague
Boston Globe | 11-23-2004 | Charles M. Sennott
Posted on 11/23/2004 6:11:43 PM PST by blam
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1287173/posts
The Ten Lost Tribes: The Case for Afghanistan, Kashmir, and Pakistan
Moshiach.com | current | moshiach.com
Posted on 09/24/2001 8:53:22 AM PDT by xzins
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/531159/posts
Egyptian Jurists Sue 'The Jews' for Compensation...
of Gold Allegedly Stolen During Exodus from Egypt
Memri.org | 8/09/03 | Dr. Nabil Hilmi,
Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Al-Zaqaziq
Posted on 08/21/2003 12:48:59 PM PDT by adam_az
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/968120/posts
13th Century Tablet Could Lead To Lost Archives Of Ramses II
ABC News | 9-27-2003
Posted on 09/28/2003 9:31:05 AM PDT by blam
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/991032/posts
Nefertiti's 'Love Affair' With Moses to Hit the Silver Screen
Yahoo News! | Fri Apr 8
Posted on 04/08/2005 4:21:11 PM PDT by nickcarraway
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1380126/posts
3rd Millennium BC
Slam, bang, thanks Saddam: new meteor theory
The Sunday Telegraph via Sydney Morning Herald | 11/06/01 | Robert Matthews
Posted on 11/05/2001 7:38:35 AM PST by dead
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/564185/posts
Meteor Clue To End Of Middle East Civilisations
The Telegraph (UK) | 11-04-2001 | Robert Matthews
Posted on 01/03/2002 10:50:09 PM PST by blam
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/601395/posts
A Catastrophical Scenario For Discontinuities In Human History
Journal of New England Antiquities Research Association, 26, 1-14, 1991
First version published in 1985 as Quaderno 85/3
Emilio Spedicato - University of Bergamo
Posted on 04/19/2002 12:42:27 PM PDT by vannrox
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/669263/posts
Comets, Meteors & Myth: New Evidence For Toppled Civilizations And Biblical Tales
Science Tuesday/Space.com | 11-13-2002 | Robert Roy Brit
Posted on 08/11/2002 5:32:56 PM PDT by blam
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/731502/posts
Evidence for Major Impact Events in the late Third Millennium BC
Evidence of Astronomical Aspects of Mankind's Past and Recent Climate Homepage
FR Post 9-4-2 | Timo Niroma
Posted on 09/04/2002 4:48:54 PM PDT by vannrox
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/744698/posts
2nd Millennium BC
Sodom and Gomorrah are 'found at bottom of Dead Sea'
Source: Electronic Telegraph
Published: Sunday 26 March 2000 Author: By Jonathan Petre
Posted on 03/25/2000 20:24:34 PST by ironwill
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a38dd9102796f.htm
Scientists uncover Sodom's fiery end
Source: BBC
Published: 18 August 2001 Author: Andrew Craig
Posted on 08/18/2001 11:32:11 PDT by AdrianZ
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3b7eb4ab1456.htm
1st Millennium BC
Satellite Images 'Show Atlantis'
BBC | 6-6-2004 | Paul Rincon
Posted on 06/06/2004 10:00:25 AM PDT by blam
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1148579/posts
AD
Catastrophic event preceded Dark Ages - scientist
Source: Reuters
Posted on 09/08/2000 10:06:44 PDT by VadeRetro
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a39b91ca42b27.htm
Warmer Periods In Alaska
Source: ScienceDaily.com
Published: 8-21-2001 Author: Hu, Brown & Engstrom
Posted on 08/21/2001 16:02:08 PDT by blam
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3b82e8702a92.htm
The Dark Ages: Were They Darker Than We Imagined?
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/756422/posts
Evidence Of Tunguska-Type Impacts Over The Pacific Basin Around The Year 1178 AD
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/829934/posts
Astronomers unravel a mystery of the Dark Ages
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1070892/posts
Is Yahweh punishing the enemies of Israel with natural disasters?
Posted on 02/01/2005 5:38:05 AM PST by BlackJack
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1333341/posts
Treasure from the Deep: Drinking Water
BusinessWeek | MAY 1, 2003 | Jane Black
Posted on 05/02/2003 6:24:55 PM PDT by Willie Green
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/904913/posts
Santorini tephra from Rhodes
C. Doumas & L. Papazoglou
Department of Antiquities
National Archaeological Museum
Tositsa 1, Athens, Greece
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v287/n5780/abs/287322a0.html
"We describe here recent excavations at lalysos (Trianda) on Rhodes which have produced further evidence of the southeasterly distribution of the Thera tephra. Although a considerable amount of this tephra has been found there, this does not seem to have affected the continuity of life at the settlement, corroborating the view that the ash fall over Crete would have had little, if any, effect."
Oooh, a link here found somewhere else:
http://www.factbites.com/topics/1620s-BC
That was one of my (Mike Baillie's) favorite theories...I'm not sure I want to part with it yet. (Shoot!)
The Exodus dates to about 1450 BC, the actual end of the Middle Kingdom; meanwhile, the New Kingdom is dated centuries too high, having started during the reign of King Saul in Israel. The Thera eruption (the massive one) took place circa 22,000 years ago; the caldera seen today as the harbor was formed then. :')
The only major eruption in historical times dates to circa 200 BC, which goes a long way toward explaining how Herodotus (who lived before that) doesn't mention it, even though he talks quite a bit about Santorini / Thera / Calliste.
As consolation to you...
It also means that Plato didn't base his Atlantis story on the eruption of Thera, since A) it hadn't happened yet, unless one counts the 22,000 year BP major eruption, and B) never made sense in the first place.
:'D
I'm leaning toward SE Asia for the site of Atlantis these days.
Now, about Thera, I'm not gonna throw out the 1628BC date just yet. There's a lot of (other) supporting evidence for a major eruption at that time.
AFAIK, there isn't any supporting evidence anywhere for it. The stuff that got buried isn't from that long ago (not by a long shot); there's no evidence that the island was abandoned for a long time, and no human remains have ever been found; the houses appear to have been stripped bare, suggesting that earthquakes tipped off the residents that they'd better get out; there's no literary evidence for any eruption there (apart from the 200 BC eruption); there's not even a blown-out city core -- the caldera is prehistoric.
It's a little strange to me that the Thera eruption -- 22,000 years ago -- hasn't been fingered by someone out there as the cause, or a cause, or a contributing factor, of the most recent glaciation. :') I don't see it as such, but it's still strange that no one has.
There is ash and pumice in Egypt tied to Thera and dated 1628BC+- and a tsunami on Crete dated to 1645BC+-.
Sometimes the ice layers are compressed, melt together or completly missing. I think they are a very good indicator but not 'fool-proof.' We'll have more data within the next five years or so...
"There is ash and pumice in Egypt tied to Thera and dated 1628BC+- and a tsunami on Crete dated to 1645BC+-."There are deposits believed to be from Thera. The 1628 BC date is based on the ice core evidence, and that doesn't exist any longer. Depending on the depth (and remember, these deposits are not found in contexts by which they can be dated through ruins), they could be from 200 BC, or they could be from 22,000 BC.
Lighten up a little.
The volcanic eruption of the ancient Greek island of Thera was among the largest in thousands of years. Thera's blast collapsed its cone, producing a tsunami often blamed for the fall of the Minoan civilization on nearby Crete. Little scientific evidence for this theory existed until recently, when geologists finally uncovered proof that the tsunami's waves were massive when they hit Crete. They would have destroyed ports, crippled the maritime economy, and led to devastating crop failures, potentially catalyzing the Minoans' decline in subsequent years. Research into Thera's tsunami is ongoing.
This occurred within 50 years after the tsaunami hit Crete. Some suspect the 'hordes' were the Mycenes(sp).
Hey, I'm lighter than air. ;') Since the tsunami never existed in historial times, the hordes must have come first. :') The Mycenaeans were indeed the horde though. Regardless of what PBS says, there is absolutely no evidence of any tsunami in historical times on Crete, other than those of recent centuries, all of which were mild, and in each case caused by earthquakes. There's some ancient damage which could have been caused by earthquake.
One point I'm trying to make here is that the academics who promote the historicity of the huge volcanic eruption seize on anything and everything that seems to help, then when shown to be incorrect, retreat to another fallback position and pick up whatever else is around. It's not a scholarly approach, and reminds me mostly of the global warming demagogues, who keep retreating from one unsupported position to another, as the data continues to build showing that climate change is natural, that the oceans are not warming at depth, that sealevel isn't rising, etc.Akrotiri on Thera, the Santorini Volcano and the Middle and Late Cycladic Periods in the Central Aegean Islandsmost of the pumice from the eruption is found to the southeast of Santorini. The Greek Mainland and western Crete would have been altogether unaffected by the ash fall, but eastern Crete would have been covered by a maximum of ten, and more probably by between one and five, centimeters of fine pumice. Archaeologists eager to establish a correlation between the Theran eruption and the collapse of Neopalatial Crete feel that such a quantity of ash would have had a disastrous effect on agriculture in eastern Crete. However, others point out that such a relatively thin layer of pumice would have been eroded away by wind and rain within a year or two and would in fact enhance rather than detract from the fertility of the soil. A layer of Theran ash was identified in the late 1980's in some lake sediments in western Anatolia, indicating that the windborne dispersal of this ash had a much more northern and eastern distribution than previously suspected... Doumas in fact claimed that the collapse of the magma chamber and hence the appearance of the tidal wave was an event which postdated the volcanic eruption itself by a decade or more... More recently, the vulcanologists have claimed that the Santorini caldera formed quite gradually and that a tidal wave, if indeed there was one at all, would not have been on anything like the scale envisaged by Marinatos and other proponents of the link between the Theran volcano and the sudden decline of Neopalatial Crete... the simple facts are that the great earthquake which badly damaged Akrotiri is to be dated quite early in LM IA (either ca. 1650 or ca. 1560 B.C.?), that the entire town was buried in meters of volcanic ash still within the LM IA period (ca. 1625 or ca. 1550/1540 B.C.?), and that the wave of destructions (most of them including fires) which defines the end of the Neopalatial period on Crete and to which the palaces at Mallia, Phaistos, and Zakro all fell victim cannot be dated earlier than LM IB (ca. 1480/1470 B.C.?). Hood [TAW I (1978) 681-690] claims that clear evidence of the earthquake which so severely damaged Akrotiri before the town was buried is to be found at several sites on Crete where it is clearly dated to LM IA. More importantly, tephra from the later eruption of the Theran volcano has been found within the past decade in LM IA contexts on Rhodes (at Trianda) and Melos (at Phylakopi) as well as on Crete itself, ample confirmation that the eruption preceded the LM IB destruction horizon on Crete by a significant amount of time. Thus no direct correlation can be established between the Santorini volcano and the collapse of Neopalatial Minoan civilization.
Trustees of Dartmouth College
Bronze Age Aegean chap 17
Revised: Friday, March 18, 2000
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Mostly I'm updating the GGG information, and therefore not sending a general distribution.Akrotiri on Thera, the Santorini Volcano[T]he simple facts are that the great earthquake which badly damaged Akrotiri is to be dated quite early in LM IA (either ca. 1650 or ca. 1560 B.C.?), that the entire town was buried in meters of volcanic ash still within the LM IA period (ca. 1625 or ca. 1550/1540 B.C.?), and that the wave of destructions (most of them including fires) which defines the end of the Neopalatial period on Crete and to which the palaces at Mallia, Phaistos, and Zakro all fell victim cannot be dated earlier than LM IB (ca. 1480/1470 B.C.?). Hood [TAW I (1978) 681-690] claims that clear evidence of the earthquake which so severely damaged Akrotiri before the town was buried is to be found at several sites on Crete where it is clearly dated to LM IA. More importantly, tephra from the later eruption of the Theran volcano has been found within the past decade in LM IA contexts on Rhodes (at Trianda) and Melos (at Phylakopi) as well as on Crete itself, ample confirmation that the eruption preceded the LM IB destruction horizon on Crete by a significant amount of time. Thus no direct correlation can be established between the Santorini volcano and the collapse of Neopalatial Minoan civilization.
and the Middle and Late Cycladic Periods
in the Central Aegean Islands
Bronze Age Aegean chap 17
Trustees of Dartmouth College
Revised: Friday, March 18, 2000
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Geoarchaeology:p 158-159 -- "Artifacts from Akrotiri, linked to the Egyptian calendar [sic] put the Thera eruption at more than a hundred years later [than 1644 +/- 20 BC]. While the controversy remains open, it is our view that the volcanic activity recorded in the Greenland ice core more likely came from nearby Iceland than from the eastern Mediterranean (this may be testable by any chemical signature).
The Earth-Science Approach to Archaeological Interpretation
by George (Rip) Rapp, Jr. and Christopher L. Hill
p 166 -- "Living samples from a freshwater lake on limestone terrain have been known to give a radiocarbon date of up to 1600 BP."Debate erupts anew:In 1939, Spyridon Marinatos, a Greek archaeologist, proposed that the eruption wrecked Minoan culture on Thera and Crete. He envisioned the damage as done by associated earthquakes and tsunamis. While geologists found tsunamis credible, they doubted the destructive power of Thera's earthquakes, saying volcanic ones tend to be relatively mild... Despite the power of Thera, the Danish scientists' evidence raised doubts about its links to the Minoan decline. Their date for Thera's explosion, 1645 B.C., based on frozen ash in Greenland, is some 150 years earlier than the usual date. Given that the Minoan fall was usually dated to 1450 B.C., the gap between cause and effect seemed too large. Another blow landed in 1989 when scholars on Crete found, above a Thera ash layer, a house that had been substantially rebuilt in the Minoan style. It suggested at least partial cultural survival. By 1996, experts like Jeremy Rutter, head of classics at Dartmouth, judged the chronological gap too extreme for any linkage. "No direct correlation can be established" between the volcano and the Minoan decline, he concluded.
Did Thera's explosion
doom Minoan Crete?
William J. Broad NYT
Thursday, October 23, 2003
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