Του Γιώργου Λεκάκη
Τα λείψανα είναι
της Ύστερης Εποχής του Χαλκού.
Τα λείψανα των
ανθρώπων που σκοτώθηκαν από τέτοια γιγάντια κύματα, συνήθως παρασύρονται πίσω
στην θάλασσα και δεν ανακτώνται ποτέ. Αλλά τα λείψανα του νεαρού άνδρα, βρέθηκαν
στριμωγμένα σε έναν τοίχο αντιστήριξης, μαζί με τα υπολείμματα ενός σκύλου,
στρώματα στάχτης και συντρίμμια από διάφορα τσουνάμι, που σχετίζονται με την
έκρηξη.
Η
χρονολόγηση με ραδιενεργό άνθρακα δείχνει ότι το υλικό γύρω από τα κατάλοιπα
δεν είναι αρχαιότερο από το 1612 π.Χ. Διάφοροι λάκκοι στα γύρω ερείπια επίσης μπορεί
να έχουν σκαφτεί από επιζώντες, που αναζητούσαν θύματα…
ΠΗΓΗ: Vasıf
Şahoğlu, Johannes H. Sterba, Timor Katz,
Ümit Çayır, Ümit Gündoğan, Natalia Tyuleneva, İrfan Tuğcu, Max Bichler, Hayat Erkanal,
and Beverly N. Goodman-Tchernov «Volcanicash, victims, and tsunami debris from the Late Bronze Age Thera eruption discovered at Çeşme-Bağlararası (Turkey)», στο PNAS, 4.1.2022
119 (1) e2114213118, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2114213118
. B. Yirka «Skeleton of young man killed by ancient tsunami found on Turkish
coast», στο Phys.org,
29.12.2021. ΑΡΧΕΙΟΝ ΠΟΛΙΤΙΣΜΟΥ, 30.12.2021.
The significance of this study is multi-faceted, touching upon methodological advances in multidisciplinary approaches (earth sciences/geology–archaeology) as well as contributing to the historical and chronological understanding of the Late Bronze Age Thera eruption impacts. Our study presents physical evidence that very large, damaging tsunamis arrived even in the northern Aegean, an area previously assumed to be affected only by ash fallout. The tsunami deposits at Çeşme-Bağlararası contain the first victims (human and dog) ever identified related to the eruption and its immediate consequences. The work also introduces nine radiocarbon ages directly from the event deposit that will be of great interest and cause significant discussion amongst scholars, particularly given their context within a well-constrained, undisturbed, stratigraphic archaeological sequence.
The Late Bronze Age Thera eruption was one of the
largest natural disasters witnessed in human history. Its impact, consequences,
and timing have dominated the discourse of ancient Mediterranean studies for
nearly a century. Despite the eruption’s high intensity (Volcanic Explosivity
Index 7; Dense Rock Equivalent of 78 to 86 km) [T. H. Druitt, F. W. McCoy, G.
E. Vougioukalakis, Elements 15, 185–190 (2019)] and tsunami-generating
capabilities [K. Minoura et al., Geology 28, 59–62 (2000)], few tsunami
deposits are reported. In contrast, descriptions of pumice, ash, and tephra
deposits are widely published. This mismatch may be an artifact of interpretive
capabilities, given how rapidly tsunami sedimentology has advanced in recent
years. A well-preserved volcanic ash layer and chaotic destruction horizon were
identified in stratified deposits at Çeşme-Bağlararası, a western
Anatolian/Aegean coastal archaeological site. To interpret these deposits,
archaeological and sedimentological analysis (X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy
instrumental neutron activation analysis, granulometry, micropaleontology, and
radiocarbon dating) were performed. According to the results, the
archaeological site was hit by a series of strong tsunamis that caused damage
and erosion, leaving behind a thick layer of debris, distinguishable by its
physical, biological, and chemical signature. An articulated human and dog
skeleton discovered within the tsunami debris are in situ victims related to
the Late Bronze Age Thera eruption event. Calibrated radiocarbon ages from
well-constrained, short-lived organics from within the tsunami deposit
constrain the event to no earlier than 1612 BCE. The deposit provides a time
capsule that demonstrates the nature, enormity, and expansive geographic extent
of this catastrophic event.
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