The eruption of the Santorini volcano and its effects on Minoan Crete

Abstract

Sometime in the course of the second millennium BC, an earthquake appears to have triggered a massive eruption of the Santorini volcano. The immediate consequences of the earthquake closely followed by the eruption for Cretan society during the Late Minoan I period are rather difficult to characterize, although physical evidence in the form of Theran ash has shown up at an increasing number of sites. Certain features of the archaeological record, taken in isolation, have hardly been noticed in the past. The long-term effects of the eruption, however, have recently become more comprehensible thanks to a reconsideration of old and new archaeological evidence. The combined picture gives the impression of a period of societal stress following these events. Changes in architecture, storage and food production, artisan output, the distribution of prestige items, administrative patterns and ritual manifestations can be pinpointed archaeologically. These may and should be interpreted as disturbances in the political, economic, cult and security-related domains. It is argued that the inability of the Minoan palatial centres to adapt to changing circumstances caused by a double disaster, an earthquake followed by the eruption of Santorini, led to an increase in crisis-related situations, culminating in the widespread fire destructions which brought this palatial phase of Minoan civilization to an end and opened the way for mainland Mycenaean domination of the Aegean.

Nothing Lasts Forever: Environmental Discourses on the Collapse of Past Societies

“…They, too, argue that there was reconstruction but also that numerous changes in the archaeological record reflect the actual and psychological impacts of the eruption and its effects. Economic dislocation and a loss of faith in the established order based on the palaces are reflected in architectural changes that restricted access and increased local storage facilities (Driessen and MacDonald 2000). They further suggest that existing social tensions would have been exacerbated and that a period of conflict ensued, reflected in the widespread but selective destructions visible in LM 1B and the end of regional Cretan influence.…”

Modelling of tsunami generated by the giant Late Bronze Age eruption of Thera, South Aegean Sea, Greece

“…1) region through widespread damage to coastal areas, particularly on Crete (Fig. 1) island (Marinatos 1939; Pichler & Schiering 1977; Yokoyama 1978, 1988; Pararas‐Carayannis 1992; Driessen & Macdonald 1997, 2000; McCoy & Heiken 2000a, b). The Minoan culture was involved in extensive maritime activities, especially trade (Hood 1971; Doumas 1983; Dickinson 1994), thus being highly susceptible to damage from tsunami.…”

Tephra, tephrochronology and archaeology – a (re-)view from Northern Europe

“…[169][170][171][172]). Tephras do, of course, play a major role in archaeological work on Iceland and the North Atlantic, in Kamchatka, and in other areas known to be volcanically active [37,[173][174][175], but even there, archaeological stratigraphies are rarely investigated for cryptotephrasdespite the fact that numerous hypotheses about the direct impact (or otherwise) of past eruptions on the affected societies have been aired [173,[176][177][178]. Yet, finding such temporal markers either in addition to known visible layers or in the absence of previously recognised layers could unlock a tremendous analytical potential:…”