There is considerable evidence that around 8,000 years ago, as the last ice age was drawing to a close, there was a dramatic increase in sea levels, especially in the area around the Black Sea. Scientists speculate that the Biblical story of the Flood may have its origins in this cataclysm. Recent research suggests that the flood may have contributed to the spread of agriculture in Europe as well:
An ancient flood some say could be the origin of the story of Noah’s Ark may have helped the spread of agriculture in Europe 8,300 years ago by scattering the continent’s earliest farmers, researchers said on Sunday.
Using radiocarbon dating and archaeological evidence, a British team showed the collapse of the North American ice sheet, which raised global sea levels by as much as 1.4 meters, displaced tens of thousands of people in southeastern Europe who carried farming skills to their new homes.
The researchers said in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews their study provides direct evidence linking the flood that breached a ridge keeping the Mediterranean apart from the Black Sea to the rise of farming in Europe.
***
The researchers created reconstructions of the Mediterranean and Black Sea shoreline before and after the rise in sea levels. They estimated the flood covered some 73,000 square kilometers over a 34-year period, causing mass displacement of people.
Interesting stuff. The place where I am typing this was covered in ice approximately a half-mile deep; the melting and recession of that ice may well have had consequences half-way around the world.
To comment on this post, go here.
Notice: All comments are subject to moderation. Our comments are intended to be a forum for civil discourse bearing on the subject under discussion. Commenters who stray beyond the bounds of civility or employ what we deem gratuitous vulgarity in a comment — including, but not limited to, “s***,” “f***,” “a*******,” or one of their many variants — will be banned without further notice in the sole discretion of the site moderator.