They stopped obeying the priest-kings in palaces like Knossos. The giant waves generated as a result of the eruption destroyed the coasts, coastal villages, and boats at the harbor.Īs a result of all of these natural disasters, the Minoans, stripped of everything, began to see their world differently.
Summer temperatures could have also dropped even more, suggesting years of cold, wet summers and ruined harvests.The huge amounts of this gas can alter the climate, thus lowering annual average temperatures by one or two degrees. An eruption of this magnitude can throw up huge amounts of sulfur dioxide.His theory is that the volcanic eruption, already classed as one of the most devastating in the last 10,000 years, could have actually been bigger than scientists previously thought. In conclusion, Floyd McCoy’s findings have unearthed new evidence and new theories as to what caused the downfall of the Minoans. A Minoan palace also sat at the same level where the shells lay, which suggests the tsunami hit shortly after the construction of the palace. He felt sure the only way the shells made it into the mud was due to the giant waves washing it inland. A tiny fossilized shell that only lives in very deep seawater was found in the mud. Analysis of the mud showed it had been deposited layer upon layer, for thousands of years. He drilled deep into the mud at an inland marsh on Crete and took the mud back to England with him for analysis. Dale Dominey-Howes of Kingston University found what he believes is firm evidence of a tsunami hitting the island of Crete. However, in 1997, a young British geologist, Dr. He embarked on a journey to gather evidence from scientists all over the world to answer this question. McCoy wanted to find out if there was a connection between the eruption and the end of the Minoans. A vulcanologist from the University of Hawaii, he has been inspired by volcanoes since his childhood.
Floyd McCoy’s theory of the Minoan collapse. Instead, they are unearthing new evidence as to what happened to the Minoans. Recently, a team of scientists began looking for more definitive answers, and their findings are casting doubt on previous theories long held by scholars for decades. Whatever happened to the ancient civilization of the Minoans has been a favorite topic of many historians. Then archaeologists found clay tablets that proved the Minoan civilization survived for 50 more years after that volcanic eruption. They knew of the devastating volcano, and many conclude that it must have wiped the Minoans civilization away almost instantly. Early in the 20th-century, experts brainstormed about what happened to the Minoans.