Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Article
  • Published:

Archaeomagnetic dating of Santorini volcanic eruptions and fired destruction levels of late Minoan civilization

Abstract

Archaeomagnetic dating on the Minoan ash horizons of the Santorini volcano and on fired destruction levels at late Minoan sites on Crete demonstrates that the basal (Plinian) air-fall ash of the first ‘Minoan’ pumice is contemporaneous with the destruction levels on central Crete, while the higher ‘Minoan’ ashes are contemporaneous with the destruction levels in extreme eastern Crete. These destruction levels were almost certainly caused by seismic activity, rather than the ash fall The determination of a time gap between these events lead to a reappraisal of the archaeological evidence and is important volcanologically.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Frost, K. T. Letter to The Times (1909).

  2. Page, D. L. Soc. Promotion Hell. Stud., Suppl. Pap. 12, (1970).

  3. Marinatos, Sp. Antiquity 13, 425–439 (1939).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Luce, J. V. The End of Atlantis (Thames & Hudson, London, 1969).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Ninkovitch, D. & Heezen, B. Colston Papers Vol. 17, 413–464 (Butterworth, London, 1965).

    Google Scholar 

  6. McCoy, F. W. in Thera and the Aegean World Vol. 2 (ed. Doumas, C.) 57–78 (Thera & Aegean World, London, 1980).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Exodus, IX, 31/32.

  8. Thorarinsson, S. in Thera and the Aegean World Vol. 1 (ed. Doumas, C.) 263–275 (Thera & Aegean World, London, 1978).

    Google Scholar 

  9. Meszaros, S. in Thera and the Aegean World Vol. 1 (ed. Doumas, C.) 257–261 (Thera & Aegean World, London, 1978).

    Google Scholar 

  10. Yokoyama, I. in Thera and the Aegean World Vol. I (ed. Doumas, C.) 277–283 (Thera & Aegean World, London, 1978).

    Google Scholar 

  11. Michael, H. N. in Thera and the Aegean World Vol. 1 (ed. Doumas, C.) 791–795 (Thera & Aegean World, London, 1978).

    Google Scholar 

  12. Weinstein, G. A. & Betancourt, P. in Thera and the Aegean World Vol. 1 (ed. Doumas, C.) 805–814 (Thera& the Aegean World, London, 1978).

    Google Scholar 

  13. Friedrich, W. L., Fribourg, R. & Tauber, H. in Thera and the Aegean World Vol. 1 (ed. Doumas, C.) 241–243 (Thera & Aegean World, London, 1978).

    Google Scholar 

  14. Michael, H. N. in Thera and the Aegean World Vol. 2 (ed. Doumas, C.) 241–246 (Thera & Aegean World, London, 1980).

    Google Scholar 

  15. Biddle, M. & Ralph, E. K. in Thera and the Aegean World Vol. 2 (ed. Doumas, C.) 247–252 (Thera & Aegean World, London, 1980).

    Google Scholar 

  16. Warren, P. M. Nature 308, 492–493 (1984).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  17. Pomerance, L. in Thera and the Aegean World Vol. 1 (ed. Doumas, C.) 797–803 (Thera&Aegean World, London, 1978).

    Google Scholar 

  18. Hammer, C. V., Clausen, H. B. & Dansgaard, W. Nature 288, 230–235 (1980).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  19. Lamarche, V. C. & Hirschboeck, K. K. Nature 307, 121–126 (1984).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  20. Exodus, XIII, 21.

  21. Aitken, M. J. Physics and Archaeology (Clarendon, Oxford, 1974).

    Google Scholar 

  22. Tarling, D. H. Palaeomagnetism (Chapman & Hall, London, 1983).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  23. Kovacheva, M. Geophys. J. R. astr. Soc. 61, 57–64 (1980).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  24. Tarling, D. H. in Thera and the Aegean World Vol. 1 (ed. Doumas, C.) 195–201 (Thera & Aegean World, London, 1978).

    Google Scholar 

  25. Downey, W. S. thesis, Univ. Newcastle upon Tyne (1983).

  26. Molyneux, L. Geophys. J. R. astr. Soc. 24, 429–433 (1971).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  27. Kono, M. & Ueno, N. Phys. Earth planet. Inter. 13, 305–314 (1977).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  28. Lowrie, W. & Fuller, M. J. geophys. Res. 76, 6339–6349 (1971).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  29. Hoblitt, R. P. & Kellogg, K. S. Bull. geol. Soc. Am. 90, 633–642 (1979).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Bond, A. & Sparks, R. S. J. Geol. Soc. Lond. 132, 1–16 (1976).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Downey, W. S. Bull., volcan. (submitted).

  32. Kirschvink, J. L. Geophys. J. R. astr. Soc. 62, 699–718 (1980).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  33. Tarling, D. H. & Symons, D. T. A. Gephys. J. R. astr. Soc. 12, 443–448 (1967).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  34. Vitaliano, C. J., Frout, J. S. & Vitaliano, D. B. in Thera and the Aegean World Vol. 1 (ed. Doumas, C.) 203–216 (Thera & Aegean World, London, 1978).

    Google Scholar 

  35. Popham, M. R. Ann. Br. School, Athens 62, 337–352 (1967).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Doumas, C. Antiquity 48, 110–115 (1974).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Doumas, C. in Thera and the Aegean World Vol. 1 (ed. Doumas, C.) 777–782 (Thera & Aegean World, London, 1978).

    Google Scholar 

  38. Hood, S. Br. Inst. Cret. Stud. 20, 151–153 (1973).

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  39. Hood, S. in Thera and the Aegean World Vol. 1 (ed. Doumas, C.) 681–690 (Thera & Aegean World, London, 1978).

    Google Scholar 

  40. Fleming, N. C. in Thera and the Aegean World Vol. 1 (ed. Doumas, C.) 81–84 (Thera & Aegean World, London, 1978).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Downey, W., Tarling, D. Archaeomagnetic dating of Santorini volcanic eruptions and fired destruction levels of late Minoan civilization. Nature 309, 519–523 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1038/309519a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/309519a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing