Boom And Bust Old Style

The linked article below, taken from the web site, Archaeologica, is about the eruption of Santorini in the Eastern Mediterranean around 1600 B.C. and its dating.

Fixing just when ancient volcanic eruptions took place is very difficult because those researching are challenged by the evidence they do find.

In the case of this one it appears that the presence of bean weevils in sealed storage jars allows them to fix not just a period of a few years but also the season.

This rather invites the joke, Waiter theres a weevil in my soup to which the reply must be, then would you like a date to go with it, but this is a serious matter.

One big unexpected bang triggered the end of a number of complicated and growing civilisations.  It does not need a volcano to be the big bang, humanity is all too capable of producing one of its own.

So when we look at the situation in Greece today and in other places around the Mediterranean we ought to start thinking.