The content of this paper touches on a volcanic eruption known as the Eruption of Thera. The eruption occurred in modern-day Santorini in Greece, formerly known as Thera, in the second millennium, around 3,600 years ago (Manning, 2010). The author discusses scientifically tested impacts of the eruption on the ecosystem and the society. Further, different research perspectives of the effects of the volcanic eruption and the then populations arise.
Modern day Greece has changed in and shape over centuries, a situation heavily pegged on the eruption of Thera. The Island changed from its original form and scattered into separate islands as seen in updated world maps (McCoy, Floyd & Heiken, 2000).
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Figure 1; Current Map of the Santorini Island.
Some studies show that the eruption may have been stronger than was reported in the earlier years and that it inspired the myth of Atlantis. Some scientists suggest that the volcano buried Akrotiri, a vibrant city in Santorini, among other populated settlements in the region (Luongo et al. , 2003).
According to De Boer & Sanders (2002), research indicates that the volcanic eruption might have led to the extinction of an ancient tribe known as the Minoans. These people resided in a region known as Crete which could have been greatly affected by the eruption because of its position, just a few miles from Thera, the island that was most affected by the infamous volcanic eruption. According to Leroy & Gracheva (2013), People of the Minoan heritage were largely affected by the impact of the explosion which caused a fire and volumes of water. The burst struck the Minoans bringing with it volumes of water, fires, and brimstone that culminated in the death of societies and destruction of crops (McCoy, Floyd & Heiken, 2000). Shortage of food supply for the surviving Minoans eventually led to more deaths through drought and famine.
There are research findings to the contrary that indicate which claims that the Crete region was not destroyed. It is reported that the Knossos people in Crete region participated in trade centuries post the eruption (Knappett, Rivers & Evans, 2011). Another researcher also reports that the Minoans continued to exist even post the eruption of Thera. They argue that the Minoans continued to practice trade with Egyptian people into the 15th Century (Cline & Cline, 1991).
References
Cline, E. H., & Cline, M. J. (1991). " Of Shoes and Ships and Sealing Wax": International Trade and the Late Bronze Age Aegean. Expedition , 33 (3), 46.
De Boer, J. Z., & Sanders, D. T. (2002). Volcanoes in human history: the far-reaching effects of major eruptions . Princeton University Press.
Manning, S. W. (2010). Eruption of Thera/Santorini. The Oxford Handbook of The Bronze Age Aegean (ca. 3000–1000 BC). New York: Oxford University Press. p , 457-74.
McCoy, F. W., & Heiken, G. (Eds.). (2000). Volcanic hazards and disasters in human antiquity (Vol. 345). Geological Society of America.
McCoy, F. W., & Heiken, G. (2000). Tsunami generated by the late Bronze Age eruption of Thera (Santorini), Greece. Pure and Applied Geophysics , 157 (6-8), 1227-1256.
Knappett, C., Rivers, R., & Evans, T. (2011). The Theran eruption and Minoan palatial collapse: new interpretations gained from modelling the maritime network. Antiquity , 85 (329), 1008-1023.
Leroy, S. A., & Gracheva, R. (2013). Historical Events. In Encyclopedia of Natural Hazards (pp. 452-471). Springer Netherlands.
Luongo, G., Perrotta, A., Scarpati, C., De Carolis, E., Patricelli, G., & Ciarallo, A. (2003). Impact of the AD 79 explosive eruption on Pompeii, II. Causes of death of the inhabitants inferred by stratigraphic analysis and areal distribution of the human casualties. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research , 126 (3), 169-200.
