In the mid Bronze Age the Minoan Greeks come under fire in more ways than one. A series of volcanic eruptions by the Cyclades island of Thera (Santorini, Thira) peaks c.1600 BCE, devestating the island and coastal settlements. Deaths are over 20,000.
See also:
Earthquakes, landslides and a destructive tsunami stagger the Aegean region. Layers of ash cover islands. Plant life expires. The sky is dark for days. The eruption is one of the biggest volcanic events in the history of humanity.
In the 2nd millennium BCE, the Greek mainland is home to the ambitious Myceneaens, with the capital Mycenae. The era of Greek history from c. 1600 BCE, the time of the volcanic eruption on Thera, to about 1100 BCE, the early Iron Age, is the Mycenaean period.
See also:
Mainland Mycenae is a triumph of Greek civilization. It's a vital center of trade, commerce and military might. The Mycenaen empire dominates most of Greece, Crete, the Cyclades and southern parts of Anatolia.
On the island of Crete, the settled Minoans cast wary glances north, for the mainland Greeks have an aggressive approach and warlike reputation. In between are the people of the Cyclades Islands, a seafaring nation of about 220 islands in the Aegean Sea.
See also:
The Cyclades culture rises about the same time as the Minoans of Crete. While much of Greece in general shows nomadic or semi-agricultural habitation for thousands of years, permanent settlements begin c. 3000 BCE on the coast and islands of the Aegean Sea.
From the Cyclades comes the famous pure white marble. The stone is used locally to make figurines, statues, talismans and decorations.
Figurines are predominantly female although male versions occasionally appear. These items take on slight differences over the years, but retain the qualities of simplicity and clean lines.
See also
In the myth of later generations, the Cyclades are nymphs turned into islands by Poseidon. They form a ring around the sacred island of Delos, where Apollo and his sister Artemis will be born in c. 800 BCE.
Before the advent of the Greek Gods as the world knows them, trouble is brewing on the Island of Thera. The volcano is the caldera type, which spurts to amazing heights and collapses in on itself.
See also:
Volcanic activity isn't unusual and plays a major part in the activity of several Greek Islands. A volcanic arc wraps around the south Aegean. On the island of Thera, between Crete and mainland Greece, underground events lead to rumblings and shifts in the Earth.
The early geological disturbances foreshadow the spectacular eruption in 1600 BCE. Deep within the Earth the pressure heats up and finally bursts.
The volcano's plume soars 30 to 35 km (19 to 22 mi), up into the stratosphere. The eruption causes tsunamis 35 - 150 m (115 - 492 ft), wreaking havoc on the coast of Crete.
See also:
Ash covers entire towns. On Thera, pumice, a lightweight volcanic stone, buries the town of Akrotiri. The geography changes drastically, as Thera breaks apart to become a group of small islands.
On the island of Anafi, 27 km (17 mi) east, ash layers are 3 m (10 ft) deep. Pumice, occurs up to 250 m (820 ft) above sea level. On Crete, ash dates back to the pre-eruption period and could be seen as advance warning.
Earth tremors went on for months before the volcano erupted. The town of Akrotiri near the eruption is wiped out, but the population is already gone. No human remains were found in Akrotiri
See also:
Scientists continue to debate whether the tsunami following the eruption, or an earthquake before the eruption, decimated much of the coast of Crete. Effects of the cataclysm are evident in other cultures.
In Greenland, the Thera eruption causes a spike in sulfates. From China come writings attesting to a yellow sky and crop failure. In Egypt, short term climate change due to the volcano creates heavy rain and floods.
See also: