#mediterranean archaeology

Researchers home in on Thera volcano eruption date

Some new stuff I’d not heard. But 1628 BCE is apparently OUT. That goes to a volcano in the Alaska chain.

That also “demotes” the power of the Thera erruption. It was formerly considered the most powerful eruption in recorded human history…but that now goes to Alaska. the current possible dates are 1611 on the high end, mid-1500s, and 1538 on the low end. Archaeology supports the lower end, hard science evidence supports the higher end…so far.

But if it wasn’t the super-powerful eruption previously thought, that would also explain why its impact doesn’t appear to have been as harmful on surrounding civilizations. That’s been part of the puzzle. The eruption of Thira did NOT knock out the Minoan civilization (whatever of those 3 dates turns out to be true, but especially if earlier), or significantly harm the burgeoning Mycenaean one, either. Some evidence suggests the biggest waves his the Palestinian coast instead. But a less massive eruption explains the lesser impacts.

(Less massive is relative, mind. It still blew the top off the island, but there was less ash in the atmosphere than what the big Alaskan eruption of 1628 put out.)