Noah's Flood: The New Scientific Discoveries about the Event That Changed History - Softcover

Ryan, William; Pitman, Walter

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0684859203 ISBN 13: 9780684859200

Publisher: Touchstone, 2000

Synopsis

Over the millennia, the legend of a great deluge has endured in the biblical story of Noah and in such Middle Eastern myths as the epic of Gilgamesh. Now two distinguished geophysicists have discovered a catastrophic event that changed history, a gigantic flood 7,600 years ago in what is today the Black Sea. Using sound waves and coring devices to probe the sea floor, William Ryan and Walter Pitman revealed clear evidence that this inland body of water had once been a vast freshwater lake lying hundreds of feet below the level of the world's rising oceans. Sophisticated dating techniques confirmed that 7,600 years ago the mounting seas had burst through the narrow Bosporus valley, and the salt water of the Mediterranean had poured into the lake with unimaginable force, racing over beaches and up rivers, destroying or chasing all life before it. The rim of the lake, which had served as an oasis, a Garden of Eden for farms and villages in a vast region of semi-desert, became a sea of death. The people fled, dispersing their languages, genes, and memories.

About this title

Review:

Combining modern geophysics and archaeology with ancient mythology, William Ryan and Walter Pitman--both senior geologists at Columbia University--present astonishing evidence of the reality of the biblical story in their book Noah's Flood. The authors have been researching the Mediterranean since the 1970s, tracing its history back to six million years ago when it was a mineral-rich but almost dry desert with the only water in shallow lagoons. The sea later re-filled when water flooded back through the Straits of Gibraltar. Pitman and Ryan's idea is based on the possibility that something similar could have happened in the Black Sea 7600 years ago and was recorded as Noah's flood by the survivors. With the aid of climatological records, archaeological dating, and geophysical surveys, Pitman and Ryan reveal that below the sea, shallow water sediments can be found. Archeological evidence also indicates a dispersion of the populace to new settlements in southern Europe, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Anatolia, and Asia. DNA shows genetic connections between people living in these regions nowadays and those who live around the Black Sea. Together with records of geological observations made by 19th-century explorers which support their theory, the possibility that the Black Sea was once dry and then flooded is a distinct possibility. Noah's Flood is the culmination of impressive scientific research aimed at reconstructing an ancient myth. Moreover, it's a fascinating account of adventure and discovery.

Review:

Amanda Heller The Boston Globe A complex but thoroughly plausible solution to this intriguing mystery in a narrative of surprisingly dramatic intensity.

Philip Morrison and Phylis Morrison Scientific American As engaging as it is important...exciting...full of surprises, rivalries, and partnerships.

David Brown The Washington Post A fascinating lesson in geology, oceanography, archaeology, and inductive reasoning.

Richard Ellis The New York Times Book Review An interesting and provocative story...Ryan and Pitman have thoroughly researched every aspect of this intricately woven story. They are articulate, enthusiastic, and dedicated.

About this edition

• Publisher: Touchstone
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0684859203
• ISBN 13: 9780684859200
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320