775▶ natural disasters
introduction
Natural disasters are a fi xture of life on earth. From the dawn
of history to the 21st century, people have had to contend
with fl oods, fi res, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, storms,
plagues of destructive insects, and other deadly visitations of
nature. Th ese and other natural occurrences wreaked havoc
on farms, cities, and coastal communities and disrupted pat-
terns of farming, fi shing, and other activities. In the ancient
world these events oft en led to the loss of entire communities,
as people were oft en unable to fl ee natural disasters. Th ey also
destroyed ancient monuments that represented some of the
high achievements of ancient cultures.
Few written records of these natural disasters exist. Once
major exception is the Roman Empire, which left behind
written records of major volcanic eruptions, such as the erup-
tion of Mount Vesuvius in 79 c.e. that buried Pompeii and
other nearby cities. Th e archaeological ruins of Pompeii have
provided historians with a unique look at the region’s culture,
for the city was covered in volcanic ash and lava so quickly
that people were “frozen” in their homes going about their
daily tasks. Ancient Mexico was also devastated by volcanic
eruptions, and ancient Japan was the frequent site of volcanic
eruptions as well as tsunamis.
In the absence of written records, historians have had
to rely on archaeological evidence for natural disasters. Us-
ing sophisticated tools, as well as old-fashioned digging, they
have uncovered the eff ects of natura l d isasters t hroug hout t he
world. Around the Mediterranean Sea, for example, countries
such as Greece and the many islands in the region were sus-
ceptible to earthquakes. It is believed that a major earthquake
devastated the island of Crete, home of the Bronze Age Mi-
noan culture, in about 1700 b.c.e. Lost in this earthqua ke was
the magnifi cent palace of King Minos. While written records
from the Minoan culture survive, historians have not been
able to decipher them. Th ese records could very well contain
records of the earthquake, but archaeologists know that the
palace was destroyed because excavations have shown that
a new palace was built on the ruins of the destroyed palace.
Earthquakes were also responsible for obliterating four of the
ancient Seven Wonders of the World: the Hanging Gardens
of Babylon, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Colossus of
Rhodes, and the Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus.
Sometimes the eff ects of natural disasters were less vis-
ible but no less disruptive. Along the coast of South America,
for example, people had to contend with changes in ocean
weather patterns that killed off the fi sh and seafood popula-
tions on which the people depended. Th roughout the history
of the ancient world famine was a constant threat, as pro-
longed periods of drought or higher-than-normal tempera-
tures could lead to shortages of food and widespread death
from starvation over long periods of time.
Ancient peoples tended to attach religious signifi cance to
natural disasters. Th e ancient Chinese, for example, thought
drought and extreme high temperatures were signs that de-
mons were loose in the land. Th ey oft en saw such disasters as
a form of punishment, a sign that the gods were displeased
with humans. In ancient China a series of major disasters
over the centuries actually led to the fall of emperors, who,
the people believed, were being punished for brutality or for
living in luxury.