A Test of Time: The Volcano of Thera and the Chronology and History of the Aegean and East Mediterranean in the Mid Second Millennium BCThe great mid-second millennium BC eruption of the Thera (Santorini) volcano in the Aegean Sea, has been the subject of intense popular and scholarly interest. The effects of the eruption have been linked with the destruction of the Minoan palace civilization of Crete, the legend of Atlantis and even the events described in the Biblical account of the Exodus. Scientists have studied the remains of the volcano, traced eruption products across the east Mediterranean, and sought evidence for a climatic impact in ice-cores and tree-rings. At Akrotiri, archaeologists have unearthed a major prehistoric town which was buried by the eruption, finding multi-storey houses decorated with wonderful frescoes, and full of ceramics and other finds linking this site with the contemporary civilisations of Crete, Greece, Anatolia, Cyprus, the Levant and Egypt. |
Contents
II | 3 |
Aims and Preliminary issues for this Study | 46 |
2 | 67 |
Copyright | |
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Common terms and phrases
17th century BC 18th Dynasty Aegean Aegean chronology Ahmose Akrotiri Alalakh Alalakh VII Amenhotep Amenhotep III archaeological argued Åström Avaris Beckerath Betancourt Bichrome Ware Bietak Bronze Age ceramic Chapter contemporary context conventional correlation Crete Cypriot Cyprus dataset dendrochronology destruction discussion earlier early 18th Dynasty early WSI east Mediterranean Egypt Egyptian chronology el-Dab Eriksson eruption of Thera example excavations frescoes GISP2 Hattusili Hittite Hyksos ice-core Keftiu king Kitchen Knossos Kommos Kuniholm late MBII later 17th century LCIA LCIB Levant LHIIA LMIA LMIA period LMIB LMII LMIIIA1 low chronology MBIIC Merrillees Minoan eruption Niemeier noted Palace phase Popham possible pottery pumice radiocarbon dating Ramesses Ramesses II range reign of Tuthmosis relevant Ryholt samples second millennium BC sherd signal Stuiver style Syro-Palestinian Tell el-Ajjul Tell el-Dab'a tephra Thera eruption tomb Toumba tou Skourou tree-ring Tuthmosis III volcanic eruption Warren and Hankey Zielinski and Germani