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Second Intermediate Period date for the Thera (Santorini) eruption and historical implications
1Cornell Tree-Ring Laboratory, Department of Classics, Cornell Institute of Archaeology and Material Studies, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States of America.
Plos One
|September 20, 2022
Summary
The Thera eruption is now dated to ~1606-1589 BCE, resolving a long-standing archaeological debate. This revised timeline impacts our understanding of ancient Mediterranean civilizations and highlights potential regional impacts.
Area of Science:
- Archaeological Science
- Volcanology
- Radiocarbon Dating
Background:
- The precise dating of the Thera (Santorini) volcanic eruption has been historically uncertain, with archaeological estimates placing it around 1500 BCE conflicting with radiocarbon (14C) dating suggesting an earlier occurrence.
- This dating discrepancy has hindered synchronized chronologies of Eastern Mediterranean civilizations during the mid-second millennium BCE.
Purpose of the Study:
- To resolve the long-standing dating uncertainty of the Thera eruption.
- To establish a robust, high-resolution chronological framework for the Thera eruption and its impact on Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean history.
- To clarify the synchronization of cultures across the Eastern Mediterranean during the mid-second millennium BCE.
Main Methods:
- Integration of a large dataset of radiocarbon (14C) dates directly associated with the Thera eruption.
- Bayesian analysis combining 14C data with the local stratigraphic sequence on Thera and the wider stratigraphically-defined Aegean archaeological sequence.
- Re-evaluation of previous assumptions regarding volcanic CO2 effects on radiocarbon dates.
Main Results:
- A revised and substantially refined date range for the Thera eruption: ~1606-1589 BCE (68.3% probability) and ~1609-1560 BCE (95.4% probability).
- The eruption is now placed within the Second Intermediate Period, predating the Egyptian New Kingdom.
- Clarification of long-disputed synchronizations between Aegean and East Mediterranean cultures.
Conclusions:
- The revised dating provides a more accurate historical context for the New Palace Period on Crete and the Shaft Grave era in southern Greece.
- The study highlights a period of likely devastating regional eruption impact in the southern Aegean during the earlier-to-mid 16th century BCE.
- The findings underscore the importance of precise chronological frameworks for understanding inter-civilizational interactions in antiquity.
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