Geschichte der Sintflut

Harald Haarmann on the Trail of Early Civilizations

Around 6800 BC, the dramatic breakthrough of the Mediterranean into the lower-lying Black Sea destroyed the land bridge between Europe and Asia, causing the water level of the former freshwater lake to rise by 150 meters. Harald Haarmann explains how geologists and archaeologists have reconstructed this "flood" and what far-reaching effects it had on the early cultures along the Danube and in Mesopotamia.

Twenty years ago, geologists made a sensational discovery: the Black Sea was for the longest time a freshwater lake, where early civilizations emerged along its shores. However, around 6800 BC, the Mediterranean carved a path through what is now the Bosporus. For years, a roaring waterfall poured into the Black Sea, flooding large areas. Based on the latest findings, Harald Haarmann describes the causes and course of this flood. From here, he traces the consequences of the flood for cultural development in the Black Sea region. He uncovers traces of one of the oldest high cultures and follows its influence to Mesopotamia through archaeological findings, but especially through the history of language and writing.

Completely revised and updated new edition. The breakthrough of the Mediterranean into the Black Sea and what it meant for early civilizations in Europe and Asia. How global warming set early civilizations in motion. The cult of the Great Goddess and how it spread from the Black Sea.