Revisiting the Black Sea Deluge Hypothesis
Noah's Ark on Mount Ararat by Simon de Myle.
Across many of the world’s religions, a story crops up again and again: a world-destroying flood sent by a wrathful deity, and the one man chosen to build a ship and survive the storm. In the English-speaking world, we are most familiar with the Genesis narrative and Noah’s Ark, itself likely drawn from a similar episode in the Epic of Gilgamesh, but the story also appears in Hindu traditions and others across the world. Such a flood cannot be reconciled with scientific reality, but it has been suggested by researchers that a smaller event inspired the initial legends that then radiated out across the world through different storytelling traditions.
The Black Sea Deluge Hypothesis suggests that 8,400 years ago, rising sea levels in the Mediterranean spurred by the end of the last Ice Age spilled over into the Black Sea via the Bosporus Strait. The resulting catastrophe could have spurred those living around the Black Sea to migrate out across Europe and Asia, bringing the story of an apocalyptic flood with them. Dr. William B. F. Ryan and Dr. Walter C. Pittman III, who originated the theory, also suggested that these refugees may have brought advanced farming techniques with them, as such developments in agriculture roughly line up with the proposed flood.
The Black Sea today. If Ryan and Pittman's theory is correct, the sea was flooded through the Bosporus Strait, where Istanbul is today.
When Ryan and Pittman first announced their findings in 1996, the theory was met with much excitement from the general public and interested skepticism from the scientific community. The existence of a Black Sea flood is generally accepted, although other models suggest a smaller, earlier spillover from the Caspian Sea. This theory is not compatible with the Black Sea Deluge inspiring the Epic of Gilgamesh or the advancement in farming, as was suggested by Ryan and Pittman. The idea remains controversial, with any study of a real-world flood inspiration threatening to veer into the realm of pseudoscientific Biblical archeology.
There are other theories to the origin of the flood narrative and its pervasiveness across many cultures. Nearly all civilizations originated in fertile river valleys that relied on farming for survival–in such a settlement, a flooding of the local river would be catastrophic, so perhaps different civilizations created an apocalyptic narrative around this motif. The ancient Greeks and other civilizations may have been inspired by finding aquatic fossils at high elevations, another possible explanation. As in all things, it is most likely that some combination of these factors and others came together to form the flood narrative, a motif that presents itself across many civilizations separated by great distances and gulfs of time.
Featured Product
Magma Ocean - Isua Greenstone Belt - 3.6 Billion Years Old
Latest News
-
Jul 23, 2025 The Hollywood Sign: The Story of a City's Symbol Hollywoodland Read More -
Jul 20, 2025 Denver Museum Finds Dinosaurs in their Backyard! Read More -
Jul 17, 2025 Building Disneyland Read More -
Jul 10, 2025 Neolithic Vegetarians: Learn About the Wooden Tools Used by Early Humans! Read More -
Jul 04, 2025 Viking for a Day: Researchers Recreate Viking Voyages! Read More -
Jun 30, 2025 When the Sky Split in Two: The Tunguska Event Read More
Cool Things!
Denver Museum Finds Dinosaurs in their Backyard!
For patrons of a popular Denver museum, newly discovered dinosaur fossils are quite literally in their backyard!
Neolithic Vegetarians: Learn About the Wooden Tools Used by Early Humans!
When you think of the Stone Age, scenes of Neanderthals chasing down great beasts of old for food and furs might come to mind. Many studies have shown the invention and development of stone tools were essential to early humans’ efforts to hunt animals, but according to a recent study, that perspective may have an overbearing presence in the perception of the Stone Age.
Viking for a Day: Researchers Recreate Viking Voyages!
For one student at Lund University in Sweden, reading studies and collecting archaeological evidence wasn’t enough to grasp the full picture of an awe-inspiring people of the Nordic region: The Vikings. In a new study, a team of researchers set out to learn more about these nomads of legend by setting off on their own voyage of the seas, complete with historically accurate ships!
Specimen Deep Dives
The Hollywood Sign: The Story of a City's Symbol Hollywoodland
Building Disneyland
When the Sky Split in Two: The Tunguska Event
Long Form Articles
The Artist Behind the Macintosh: Susan Kare and Apple Computers
While the two Steves, Jobs and Wozniak, are the most well known faces behind Apple computers, equally important to the products and culture of the company were those who crafted the experience of using their computers through design. The most notable of these visual architects was Susan Kare, a designer responsible for “humanizing” Macintosh computers.
Can I Lick It? Yes You Can!
Have you ever been unable to tell if a fossil was really a fossil, but you were too embarrassed to admit it? Have you ever wanted to lick a fossil just because, but you didn’t want to risk judgment from your peers? Well, good news! You can kill two birds with one stone! Licking a fossil can actually help you determine if it’s the real deal or just another rock.
Is It Legal To Own a Meteorite: How to Start Your Outer Space Collection!
Meteorites are some of the rarest geological specimens to be found on Earth. Of course, since these stones are not of our world, purchasing them can sometimes be a confusing process. Is it legal to own a meteorite? In short, yes! Read on for help starting your cosmic collection!