Apocalypse: Earthquakes, Archaeology, and the Wrath of God » (New Edition)

Amos Nur is the Wayne Loel Professor of Earth Sciences and professor of geophysics at Stanford University. Dawn Burgess is a writer and editor based in Bar Harbor, Maine. She earned a PhD in geophysics from Stanford.

"An artful and rare combination of deep insight, fascinating evidence, and careful scholarship. This book will be a pleasure for anyone interested in human history and how the physical world works, and a must-have for archaeologists. No other book gives such a brilliant and thorough analysis of what an archaeologist should know about geology. We were delighted with this book and with how much we enjoyed and learned from it."--Elizabeth Wayland Barber and Paul T. Barber, authors of When They Severed Earth from Sky

"Guided by impeccable science and clues in earth-shaking myths from Bronze Age Troy to ancient Mexico, Nur uncovers rich archaeological and legendary evidence for devastating earthquakes and their impacts on history and civilization. Nur's original study not only measures the cultural aftershocks of seismic catastrophes in antiquity, but presents compelling implications for the future."--Adrienne Mayor, Stanford University

"A well-written, timely, and thought-provoking story. The book is an eye-opener, especially for many archaeologists and classicists who have rarely considered the far-reaching impacts of destructive natural events in their reconstructions of ancient societies. It is controversial, which is exactly what is needed to generate more discussions and cooperation between archaeologists and geologists."--Jelle Zeilinga de Boer, coauthor of Earthquakes in Human History

"Engaging and personal. I thoroughly enjoyed this book."--Christopher Scholz, author of Fieldwork: A Geologist's Memoir of the Kalahari

Seth S. Haines - Leading Edge

[T]he writing is very approachable, and the book is accessible to a broader audience, including geophysicists and the general public. I found it an enjoyable read and was interested to learn about this intersection of geophysics and archeology and also to be reminded of details from long-forgotten ancient history classes.

Acknowledgments     ix
Introduction     1
King Agamemnon's Capital     11
How Earthquakes Happen     32
History, Myth, and the Reliability of the Written Record     65
Clues to Earthquakes in the Archaeological Record     88
Under the Rubble: Human Casualties of Earthquakes     141
Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls: Destruction That Preserves?     162
Expanding the Earthquake Record in the Holy Land     186
Earthquake Storms and the Catastrophic End of the Bronze Age     224
Rumblings and Revolutions: Political Effects of Earthquakes     246
Earthquakes and Societal Collapse     272
Glossary     279
References     289
Index     305