The climatic downturn of 1159 BC

Eric Stevens

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Jun 9, 2003, 1:32:18 PM6/9/03

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It now seems to have been established beyond reasonable doubt that
there was a marked climatic downturn in 1159 BC.

See for example http://abob.libs.uga.edu/bobk/ccc/ce070799.html

"Climate excursions on a smaller scale have also characterized
the latest 6,000 years. This has been shown by decade long,
worldwide narrowing of tree rings (Baillie 1995, 1999). Baillie
has described at least 6 well dated episodes: 540 AD, 44 BC,
207 BC, 1159 BC, 1628 BC and 2345 BC. Only the episode 1628
BC can be explained by volcanism: the explosion of Santorini
north of Crete destroying the minoan civilization. The AD 540
event lasting from 536-545 is best described in the historical
records; it involved reduced sunlight, mists or "dry" fogs, crop
failures, famines in China and the Mediterranean, and plagues."

If the 1159 event was typical, like other similar downturns, it will
have been accompanied by global crop failures, famine etc and the
collapse of civilizations.

A climatic down turn has been put forward in the past as an
explanation for the collapse of early Greek civilizations and the
march south of the Sea People. However, many key events of this period
have been dated to before 1159 BC and clearly cannot have been caused
by anything that happened at that later time.

Some people have used this to question the dating of the events
traditionally associated with c 1200 BC. My question is different but
related. Is there any archaeological or historical information about
events consistent with a climate down turn in 1159 BC or the years
immediately after?

Eric Stevens

Gautam Majumdar

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Jun 11, 2003, 4:11:06 AM6/11/03

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On Mon, 09 Jun 2003 18:32:18 +0100, Eric Stevens wrote:

> It now seems to have been established beyond reasonable doubt that there
> was a marked climatic downturn in 1159 BC.
>

1159 BC cooling event is thought to be associated with an eruption of
Hekla-3 in iceland. It lasted until 1136 BC.

Pang K D, The legacies of eruption, The Sciences (Jan/Feb) 1991; 30-35

--

Gautam Majumdar

Eric Stevens

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Jun 11, 2003, 4:01:41 PM6/11/03

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Not now. The necessary traces are not there.

See Mike Baillie, "Exodus to Arthur".

I would give you more detail except that my cat is 'helping' me type.

Eric Stevens

Zimri

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Jun 20, 2003, 2:11:14 AM6/20/03

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"Eric Stevens" <eric.s...@sum.co.nz> wrote in message
news:6U6t8rAi...@galatham.demon.co.uk...

> It now seems to have been established beyond reasonable doubt that
> there was a marked climatic downturn in 1159 BC.
>
> See for example http://abob.libs.uga.edu/bobk/ccc/ce070799.html
>
> "Climate excursions on a smaller scale have also characterized
> the latest 6,000 years. This has been shown by decade long,
> worldwide narrowing of tree rings (Baillie 1995, 1999). Baillie
> has described at least 6 well dated episodes: 540 AD, 44 BC,
> 207 BC, 1159 BC, 1628 BC and 2345 BC. Only the episode 1628
> BC can be explained by volcanism: the explosion of Santorini
> north of Crete destroying the minoan civilization.

The bristlecone-pine-ring data of 1628 BCE are actually thought to belong
to
another event now, local to North America with little effect on Europe.
(Yellowstone, perhaps; or maybe El Nino.) The Santorini eruption is now
dated to 1645 BCE in accordance with the Greenland ice cores, and redated
samples in the Old World.

Anyway, that is what Sturt Manning is saying now:
http://www.personal.rdg.ac.uk/~lasmanng/testoftime.html

--
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at global net
.
http://pages.sbcglobal.net/zimriel/blog/zimblog.html
because everyone else is doing it