Fire in the Sea
The Santorini Volcano: Natural History and the Legend of Atlantis
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by Walter L. Friedrich,
Translated by Alexander R. McBirney
Cambridge University Press
Due/Published
March 2000, 256 pages,
cloth
ISBN
0521652901
Just because I've been there. That's all. Maybe you have, too! The legend of the lost city of Atlantis has captivated the human imagination for centuries. Did this city actually exist, and, if so, what happened to it? Was it destroyed in the greatest cataclysmic event of the Bronze Age? While the truth behind the legend of Atlantis may never be known, Fire in the Sea tells the story of one of the largest and most devastating natural disasters of classical history that may also hold vital clues to the possible existence and fate of the lost city. Friedrich describes the eruption of the Greek island of Santorini, or Thera, sometime in the 17th or 16th century BC. This eruption, perhaps one of the largest explosions ever witnessed by humankind, sent a giant cloud of volcanic ash into the air that eventually covered settlements on the island. Friedrich relates how this event forever altered the course of civilization in the region, and inspired a mystery that has fired humanity''s imagination ever since. More than 160 full-color photographs help capture the beauty, the geology, archaeology, history, peoples, and environmental setting of Santorini. Fire in the Sea will readily appeal to the general reader interested in natural catastrophies as well as the beauty of the region. Contents Preface/ Acknowledgements/ Introduction/ Part I. The Geological Framework: 1. The geography of Santorini/ 2. Santorini and the puzzle of plate tectonics/ 3. The geological development of Santorini/ 4. Stratigraphy--the backbone of the geology/ 5. Plant remains and geological time/ Part II. The Minoan Eruption and its Effects: 6. The mechanism of the Minoan eruption/ 7. When did the catastrophe occur?/ Part III. The Volcano Releases its Secret: 8. A Bronze-Age Pompeii/ 9. What was living on the island during the Bronze Age?/ 10. An idea takes hold/ 11. Geological observations and the legend of Atlantis/ Part IV. The Island is Changing its Appearance: 12. The caldera is filling again/ 13. Volcanism today/ 14. Present and future changes of the island/ Bibliography/ Appendices |
