Three and a half thousand years ago, the Aegean island of Thera was hit by one of the worst natural disasters since the Ice Age – a massive volcanic eruption.
The disaster occurred 100 kilometers from the island of Crete, home of the thriving Minoan civilization. Fifty years after the eruption, that civilization was in ruins. Did Volcanoes Kill the Minoans? It’s a crime thriller that has baffled historians and scientists for decades.
The lost world of Minos has fascinated people for thousands of years. Her palace at Knossos was spacious and luxurious, with some of the first paved streets and running water in Europe. The ancient Greeks wove their splendor into their mythology; it was the home of King Minos and his man-eating Minotaur, who roamed the palace labyrinth.
The site of Knossos was excavated and restored by British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans in the 1900s. The beautiful and intricate murals of bulls and dolphins reveal highly artistic civilizations and peoples who seemed to live in harmony with nature.
Archaeologists in the early 20th century knew about this devastating volcano, and some concluded that it must have wiped out the Minoan civilization almost immediately. But is it really that easy?
First, they noticed that very little ash fell on Crete—fortunately, the prevailing winds blew the ash in the opposite direction. Later, archaeologists discovered clay tablets, proving that the Minoan civilization survived the eruption for about 50 years. So, if volcanoes killed civilization, what caused such a long gap?
