Thera
A volcanic eruption about 1500 BCE
crippled the Minoan civilization and
may have been recorded in Exodus
The Aegean
Crete
The Minoans
• 2600-1450 BCE
• Major earthquake and palace destruction
about 1700 BCE (or invasion?)
• Thera eruption about 1500 BCE weakened
Minoan culture
• Widespread palace destruction about
1450 BCE
• Supplanted by Mycenaeans from mainland
about 1420 BCE
Minoan Culture
• Maritime trading civilization
• Weapons and fortifications relatively few
• Non-Greek Language
– Script Linear A not yet deciphered
– Later adapted to Mycenean Greek (Linear B)
• Creative Art
– Sea themes abound
– Female figures predominate over male
Minoan
Vase,
Heraklion
Minoan
Vase,
Heraklion
Minoan
Vase,
Heraklion
Woman
on a
Swing,
Heraklion
Knossos, Crete
Knossos, Crete
Knossos, Crete
Axe Emblems, Heraklion
The Mysterious Phaestos Disk
Mediterranean Volcanoes
Thera
(Santoroni)
Eruption of Thera
• 1500 BCE according to artifact evidence
• 1600-1620 BCE by radiocarbon, ice core,
dendrochronology, possible Chinese
record
• Minoan civilization survived but probably
crippled by coastal damage
• Must have been warning; no bodies on
Thera
A Chinese Record?
“yellow fog, a dim sun, then three suns, frost
in July, famine, and the withering of all five
cereals.”
– Bamboo Chronicles about 1618 BCE
Volcanic Explosivity Index
VEI
Classification
Description
Ejecta volume
Global
Frequency
0
Hawaiian
non-explosive
> 1000 m³
daily
1
Strombolian
gentle
> 10,000 m³
daily
2
Vulcanian
explosive
> 1,000,000 m³
weekly
3
Pelean
severe
> 10,000,000 m³
yearly
4
Pelean/Plinian
cataclysmic
> 0.1 km³
10 yrs+
5
Plinian
paroxysmal
> 1 km³
50 yrs+
6
Ultra-Plinian
colossal
> 10 km³
100 yrs+
7
Ultra-Plinian
super-colossal
> 100 km³
1000 yrs+
8
Ultra-Plinian
mega-colossal
> 1000 km³
10,000 yrs+
Pre-Eruption
Pre-Eruption Cutaway
Plinian Eruption
Collapse of Plinian Cloud
Caldera Collapse Begins
Caldera Collapse
Caldera Collapse
Caldera Collapse
Caldera Flooding
Caldera Flooding
Phreatic Explosion and Tsunami
Rebuilding
The Plagues of Egypt
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Rivers turn to blood
Frogs
Gnats
Flies
Death of Livestock
Boils
Hail
Locusts
Three days of darkness
Death of the Firstborn
The Plagues of Modern Times
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Nothing good on cable
RIAA Lawsuits
Telemarketers
Cell phones in public
Middle seats on airliners
Cellulite
Spam e-mail
Nigerian money scams
Three dollars a gallon for gas
Firstborn come back home to live