Volcanic ash, victims, and tsunami debris from the Late Bronze Age Thera eruption discovered at Çeşme-Bağlararası (Turkey)

The Late Bronze Age Thera eruption was one of the largest natural disasters witnessed in human history. Its impact, consequences, and timing have dominated the discourse of ancient Mediterranean studies for nearly a century. Despite the eruption’s high intensity (Volcanic Explosivity Index 7; Dense Rock Equivalent of 78 to 86 km) [T. H. Druitt, F. W. McCoy, G. E. Vougioukalakis, Elements 15, 185–190 (2019)] and tsunami-generating capabilities [K. Minoura et al., Geology 28, 59–62 (2000)], few tsunami deposits are reported. In contrast, descriptions of pumice, ash, and tephra deposits are widely published. This mismatch may be an artifact of interpretive capabilities, given how rapidly tsunami sedimentology has advanced in recent years. A well-preserved volcanic ash layer and chaotic destruction horizon were identified in stratified deposits at Çeşme-Bağlararası, a western Anatolian/Aegean coastal archaeological site. To interpret these deposits, archaeological and sedimentological analysis (X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy instrumental neutron activation analysis, granulometry, micropaleontology, and radiocarbon dating) were performed. According to the results, the archaeological site was hit by a series of strong tsunamis that caused damage and erosion, leaving behind a thick layer of debris, distinguishable by its physical, biological, and chemical signature. An articulated human and dog skeleton discovered within the tsunami debris are in situ victims related to the Late Bronze Age Thera eruption event. Calibrated radiocarbon ages from well-constrained, short-lived organics from within the tsunami deposit constrain the event to no earlier than 1612 BCE. The deposit provides a time capsule that demonstrates the nature, enormity, and expansive geographic extent of this catastrophic event.

Editorial

With the founding of the Center for Mediterranean Studies (ZMS) in 2010 a research institution came into being at Ruhr-Universität Bochum that deals with the history of the Mediterranean region and its contemporary rele­vance across epochs and disciplines. The scientific examination of this area has been subject to continual change in which the ZMS is closely involved through its diverse connections. In discussions of recent years, certain fundamental grounds have been established along which our research and our scientific activities are orientated and which now shall finally find their expression in the newly founded Zeitschrift für Mittelmeerstudien (ZfM). Mit der Gründung des Zentrums für Mittelmeerstudien (ZMS) im Jahre 2010 ist an der Ruhr-Universität Bochum eine Forschungseinrichtung entstanden, die sich epochen- und fächerübergreifend mit der Geschichte des Mittelmeerraumes und ihrem Gegenwartsbezug beschäftigt. Die wissenschaftliche Auseinandersetzung mit diesem Gebiet ist einem kontinuierlichen Wandel ausgesetzt, in den auch das ZMS durch seine vielfältigen Vernetz¬ungen eng eingebunden ist. In den Diskussionen der vergangenen Jahre haben sich jedoch auch Grundlinien herausgebildet, an denen sich unsere Forschungen bzw. wissenschaftlichen Aktivitäten orientieren und die schließlich auch in der nun ins Leben gerufenen Zeitschrift für Mittelmeerstudien (ZfM) ihren Niederschlag finden sollen. Avec la fondation du Centre d'études méditerranéennes (ZMS) en 2010, une institution de recherche a émergé à la Ruhr-Universität Bochum qui traite de l’histoire de la région méditerranéenne et de sa pertinence con­temporaine à travers les époques et les disciplines. L’examen scientifique de ce domaine a été soumis à des changements continus auxquels le ZMS est étroitement associé grâce à ses diverses connexions. Les dis­cussions de ces dernières années ont permis d’établir certaines bases fondamentales sur lesquelles s’orientent nos recherches et nos activités scientifiques et qui trouveront finalement leur expression dans la nouvelle Zeitschrift für Mittelmeerstudien (ZfM).

Commercial practices of the Italian merchantry during the XIII–XV centuries: cross-cultural communication

The problem of cross-cultural contacts is one of the most relevant topics in the research field of culturology. This article turns to the question of cross-cultural interaction on the example of medieval colonization of the maritime republics of the Apennine Peninsula. The object of this research is the economic and cultural processes of Italian expansion in the XIII–XV centuries. The subject is the commercial practices of the merchants, specifically from the republics Amalfi, Genoa, Venice, Pisa, and Florence. The goal of this article consists in the analysis of operations and practices introduced into the European economy from the culturological perspective. The leading methodological vector relies on the theory of cultural transfer developed by the French researcher Michel Espagne. It is established that that a range of economic and cultural phenomena is the product of cultural transfer. The application of M. Espagne’s theory of cultural transfer to the analysis of the phenomenon of Italian colonization is carried out for the first time, which defines the novelty of this work. The research results lies in the analysis of establishment of the economic and cultural phenomena, determination of cooperation of the republics of the Apennine Peninsula within the region and other European states and Arab culture, as well as the consideration of the republics of the Apennine Peninsula as trade partners, rather than competing countries alone. The provided materials can me valuable in the sphere of Mediterranean studies, for the development of cross-disciplinary scientific projects in the area of culturology and economics, as well as for profound research of Italian culture and the phenomenon of expansion of the republics of the Apennine Peninsula in the Middle Ages.

Mediterranean Studies in the modern socio-humanistic knowledge

Sociocultural processes, political situation and cultural contacts in the Mediterranean countries substantiate the relevance of development of the humanities section in Mediterranean Studies. The author discusses the problem on the advancement of Mediterranean Studies in Russia and abroad, as well as indicates the key questions faced by the scholars of Mediterranean Studies at the initial stage of analytical work. The object of this research is the establishment methodological framework of Mediterranean Studies in the sphere of humanities. The subject is the concepts of prominent theoreticians in the field of Mediterranean studies (D. Abulafia, R. Clement, S. Stroumsa, N. Bouchard, F. Braudel, H. Pirenne). The goal consists in determination of the relevant problems and approaches toward studying the Mediterranean Region. Due to the fact that in the Russian Science close attention is given to natural scientific vector of Mediterranean Studies, there are virtually no research on the development of Mediterranean Studies in the sphere of humanities, and namely culturology, which defines the scientific novelty of this work. The main conclusion consists in the analytical overview of the state of Mediterranean Studies in Russia, as well as in explication of foreign theories that reveal the concept of the “Mediterranean” and approaches towards its examination. This work can attract the attention of translators to the research bases of foreign centers of the Mediterranean Studies, contribute to scientific communication, as well as designate the topic for international research projects in the area of culturology, history, and international relations in Russia.